Events and festivals in Schleswig-Holstein on 24-25 October 2026: autumn fairs, illuminations and a harvest festival are on the programme. Haithabu's autumn fair brings some 100 craftspeople and traders to the Haddebyer Noor.
Reconstructed Viking houses stand on the south shore of the Schlei. At the Haddebyer Noor in Busdorf, the autumn fair of the Haithabu Viking Museum runs from 22 to 25 October 2026. Events and festivals in Schleswig-Holstein on 24-25 October 2026: autumn fairs, illuminations and a harvest festival are on the programme.
The autumn fair at the Haddebyer Noor
The last big market before winter takes place on the grounds of the Viking Museum. At the autumn fair at the Viking Museum Haithabu, some 100 craftswomen, craftsmen and traders from Germany, Denmark and neighbouring countries offer what they made over the summer: woollen textiles, wood carvings, bronze, jewellery, leather and food. Many wear historical dress.
The fair is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm, on Saturday, 24 October, as on Sunday.
The stalls work like workshops: a bronze caster stands at the furnace, a wool worker at spinning wheel and loom, a turner with his drill, a smith at the forge. Game sausage, smoked fish, honey and mead come from the food producers.
Between the 8th and 11th centuries Haithabu was a Viking town with links as far as Baghdad, and today the site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the fireplaces in the Viking village, re-enactors show cooking, weaving and smithing, and there are hands-on stations for children.
Admission costs 12 euros for adults and 4 euros for children and includes the reconstructed Viking houses and the permanent exhibition. Dogs are not allowed on the museum grounds. From the museum car park on the B76 it is about a 20-minute walk to the Viking houses.
Carousels, evening lights and village festivals
Heide puts rides, a Ferris wheel, market stalls and sweet stands on its market square, at 4.7 hectares the largest unbuilt one in Germany. The Heider Herbstmarkt runs from Thursday to Tuesday, on Saturday from 2 to 11 pm, on Sunday from 2 to 10 pm, with free entry. In Ratzeburg, carousels, dodgems and game stalls fill the market square of the island town: the Ratzeburger Herbstmarkt is open from 23 to 25 October, Saturday from 10 am to 10 pm, Sunday from 10 am to 8 pm.
After dark, Hansa-Park in Sierksdorf shows around 2,000 illuminated figures. The Herbstzauber am Meer runs until Sunday, 25 October, with a light parade from about 7:30 pm and the evening show “Adrienne und der Regenbogen” with fireworks around 8:30 pm, both in dry weather only. At the Arboretum Ellerhoop, where more than 4,000 woody species grow on about 18 hectares, the park stays open until 8 pm on 24 and 25 October for the Herbstfest with illumination. In the evening, light art lines the paths and trees are lit up, and admission is included in the regular arboretum ticket.
Spooky games and dares, plus bread on a stick at the campfire:Halloween at Tierpark Gettorf runs on 24 and 25 October, and the park is open until 8:30 pm on both days. More than 600 animals of about 100 species live there. Children under 10 take part in the evening programme only when accompanied by adults.
On Saturday, 24 October, the harvest festival of the communities of Bendorf, Bornholt and Beldorf begins at 7 pm in the Bendorf community hall, with a service, a shared meal and music. On Sunday, 25 October, it is market day at the North Harbour in Kappeln: the Kappelner Fischmarkt sells fish straight from the cutters, smoked herring and crafts from 9 am to 5 pm, and entry is free.
The Nolde Museum in Seebüll shows the Nolde exhibition in Seebüll daily from 10 am to 6 pm until 31 October, including 37 works never shown in public before. The occasion is the 70th anniversary of Emil Nolde's death, and a photo show covers the Noldes' 44-year marriage. Under the motto “Journey through time in sand”, the Travemünde sand sculptures present 104 sculptures by 25 artists from 16 nations in the boat halls at the Baggersand, daily from 10 am to 6 pm until 1 November.
Summer time ends in the night to Sunday, when the clocks go back from 3 am to 2 am.