Events and festivals in Hesse this weekend, October 24-25: a marathon in Frankfurt, a medieval market in Reichelsheim, classical music in Kassel. The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon runs for the 43rd time on Sunday and finishes in the Festhalle.
The finish line is under the roof of the Festhalle. That is where the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon ends on Sunday, October 25, 2026. Events and festivals in Hesse this weekend, October 24-25: a marathon in Frankfurt, a medieval market in Reichelsheim, classical music in Kassel. The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon runs for the 43rd time on Sunday and finishes in the Festhalle.
The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon and its finish in the Festhalle
The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon lines up for the 43rd time. The 42.195 kilometres lead through Sachsenhausen, Westend, Höchst and the city centre, and the starting gun fires at 10:00 am near the Festhalle, where a light show and live music greet the runners at the finish.
The course has just 27.8 metres of elevation gain and is officially counted as the third fastest marathon course in the world, which the World Athletics Elite Label confirms every year. The first edition took place in 1981. The race is the oldest continuously held city marathon in Germany.
Around 80 music hotspots line the course, with DJs, bands, big bands and drum groups. The organisers speak of a huge street party.
Besides the full distance, the programme includes the relay in teams of four, the Mini Marathon over 4.2 kilometres for children and teenagers aged 8 to 17, and the Struwwelpeter run.
A medieval market in the Odenwald, classical music in Kassel
Reichelsheim in the Odenwald celebrates the 31st Reichelsheim Fairy Tale and Legend Days, which run until Sunday, October 25. On Saturday and Sunday the medieval market fills the lanes of the town centre: showmen in historical costume, blacksmiths, spinners and jugglers. Admission to the market is free.
On October 24, 2026, at 7:00 pm, the Regionalmuseum hosts the presentation of the Wildweibchen Prize, awarded in 2026 for the first time to a publishing house, the Kindermann Verlag.
On stage, storytellers, readings and lectures on fairy-tale research alternate, further readings take place in the Regionalmuseum and the church, and individual shows as well as the award ceremony may charge admission.
In Kassel the Kasseler Musiktage have been running since October 22 and continue until November 2. The festival, founded in 1933, offers ten concerts in the documenta-Halle, the Staatstheater, the UK14 and several churches. Guests include the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the countertenor Raffaele Pe and the Stegreiforchester.
Tickets for the Kasseler Musiktage are sold through Reservix, and children and teenagers up to 12 years old pay nothing.