Events and festivals in Hamburg on October 3-4, 2026: the harvest parade in Kirchwerder draws more than 70,000 visitors with a procession and a thanksgiving service in the Vier- und Marschlande.
On the Sülzbrack in Kirchwerder, organisers recommend the bus. The reason is the harvest festival, which crosses the Vier- und Marschlande on Sunday. With a procession, a thanksgiving service and more than 70,000 visitors, it counts as the largest harvest festival in northern Germany, right in Hamburg's southeastern Bergedorf district.
The Harvest Parade in Kirchwerder
It starts on Friday: the Erntedankfest in Kirchwerder opens its fairground on the Sülzbrack with rides and food stalls. Saturday evening belongs to the Schlagernacht, an open-air concert with artists from Germany and the Netherlands. The Vier- und Marschlande have counted for centuries as northern Europe's largest continuous flower and vegetable growing area.
The service begins at 10:30 am. Inside St. Severini church, the community gives thanks for the harvest on Sunday before the actual parade sets off at 1:30 pm: 4.5 kilometres along the old Elbe dike to the fairground, with more than 50 floats decorated in flowers and vegetables, around 100 riders and traditional costume groups from the Vierlande. The freshly elected harvest queen leads the way.
The three-day festival is organised by the Förderverein Erntedankfest together with the Gemeinschaft Vier- und Marschlande, with more than 60 local associations and volunteer fire brigades from Kirchwerder, Neuengamme, Altengamme, Curslack and Allermöhe. Admission to the parade is free.
Beer Tents, Cinema and Organ Music Across the City
In the Wandsbek district, the Wandsbeker Oktoberfest keeps its marketplace tent open through Sunday, with 4,500 seats, Spaten beer and the Hamburg party band Alarm on stage. From 1 pm on Sundays, the Möhnsener Musikanten play the traditional Frühschoppen brunch set, and on Saturday an age limit of 18 applies from 4 pm. Next door in Bergedorf, the WAGS Hamburg Events-organised Lohbrügger Herbstmarkt runs its carousels and craft stalls on the Lohbrügger Markt until October 4, free of charge.
Near Steindamm, the last screenings are underway. Filmfest Hamburg, the city's leading film festival since 1992, shows the final titles of its roughly 70 feature and documentary films this Saturday, German Unity Day, with free admission for Hamburg residents at cinemas such as the Abaton and the Metropolis. Meanwhile, readings for the Harbour Front Literature Festival, the city's largest literature festival, continue in HafenCity and the Speicherstadt until October 11, at venues including the Rathauspassage and the Thalia Theater, with the debut prize for German-language first novels.
It sounds different in the Altes Land. There, one of the city's oldest concert series has performed since 1952: the Neuenfelder Orgelmusiken bring the 1688 Arp Schnitger organ to life on Sunday at 4:30 pm inside St. Pankratius church, free of charge.
The Wandsbeker Oktoberfest closes at 10 pm on Sunday, after more than two weeks of tent parties.