Events and festivals across Lower Saxony on October 3 and 4, 2026: Oldenburg's historic Kramermarkt draws the crowds, while a medieval market and a literature festival also take place this weekend.
Europaplatz runs alongside the Weser-Ems-Hallen, where the 80-metre North Tower looms over the fairground. Oldenburg opens its Kramermarkt this weekend, crowned by the traditional parade on Saturday, October 3, 2026. On October 3 and 4, 2026, Oldenburg's historic Kramermarkt draws the crowds across Lower Saxony, while a medieval market, a literature festival and a maritime double bill in Wilhelmshaven also take place.
419th edition of the Oldenburg Kramermarkt
1608 marked the first Kramermarkt in Oldenburg. From the Thirty Years' War through industrialisation and into the 21st century, the fair has followed generation after generation. Four hundred and nineteen editions later, it ranks among the oldest folk festivals in northern Germany, fifth on the regional list behind the Hamburger Dom, the Bremer Freimarkt, Hannover's Schützenfest and the Maschseefest.
About 250 vendors set up rides and stalls on the fairground by the Weser-Ems-Hallen at Europaplatz, for ten days, from October 2 to October 11, 2026, with a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, a ghost train and the 80-metre North Tower as the fair's landmark. Entry to the grounds is free.
Three big firework displays mark the emotional high points across the ten festival days: the opening, the lantern parade and the grand finale. Bratwurst, doughnuts, roasted almonds and gingerbread hearts dominate the food stalls, alongside beer, mulled wine and punch.
On Saturday, October 3, 2026 (10/3/2026), floats, marching bands and local groups parade through the city centre to the fairground. Children, clubs and brass bands join the line. The main festivities pick up afterward across the entire site.
The rest of the weekend across Lower Saxony
In Braunschweig, the Herbstmesse turns the Schützenplatz into a 40,000-square-metre fairground through October 11. A Ferris wheel, a roller coaster and a free-fall tower stand alongside stalls selling doughnuts and roasted almonds, in the region's second-largest folk festival after its spring counterpart. Burgdorf, near Hannover, marks the 53rd edition of its Stadtfest Oktobermarkt: five stages with music, theatre and comedy across the old town, a large flea market around Schmiedestraße and the 14th Burgdorf asparagus run, both on Sunday.
Goslar's medieval old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site and once one of the most important free imperial cities of German mining, becomes the Kaisermarkt ANNO 1290. Craftspeople, musicians and fire shows fill the market square, the Schuhhof and the market church, with shops open from 1pm to 6pm on Sunday. At the open-air museum at Kiekeberg south of Hamburg, a historic fair runs for four days. Hand-cranked organs, antique carousels, fortune-tellers and puppet shows date back to the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Göttingen opened its Literaturherbst, founded in 1992, on October 2, now in its 35th edition. The festival is counted among the five largest literature festivals in the German-speaking world, with readings, talks and musical-literary performances running through October 11. In Cuxhaven, the spa park in Döse turns into a beer and gourmet landscape for the third year running, under autumn chestnut trees, with national, international and local breweries plus evening live music on the outdoor stage.