Events in North Rhine-Westphalia on the weekend of 31 October–1 November 2026 range from a Halloween run to an Oktoberfest. Münster's Herbstsend draws up to a million visitors per edition to the Schlossplatz.
Nine festival days in a row. That is how long the big wheel keeps turning on the Schlossplatz in Münster, until 1 November. Events in North Rhine-Westphalia on the weekend of 31 October–1 November 2026 range from a Halloween run to an Oktoberfest. Münster's Herbstsend draws up to a million visitors per edition to the Schlossplatz.
The Herbstsend in front of the Prince-Bishop's Palace
The Herbstsend Münster fills the Schlossplatz with up to 200 fairground businesses, and between the big wheel, dodgems, high-tech thrill rides and classic carousels stand snack and sweet stalls with roasted almonds, Reibekuchen, potato fritters and gingerbread hearts.
On Saturday, 31 October, the Send opens at 2 pm. On Sunday, 1 November, it starts at 11 am. All Saints' Day is a public holiday in North Rhine-Westphalia. Around 11 pm it closes.
The Herbstsend is the third and largest of the three Send editions of the year, the other two fall in spring and summer.
The name goes back to the Sendgericht, an episcopal synod of the early Middle Ages that was followed by a market. The Send has been held in Münster regularly since the 14th century at the latest. Up to a million visitors come per edition, students of the University of Münster as well as families from all over the Münsterland.
The Schlossplatz is part of the Promenadenring, the former city fortifications. The main station is 1.5 kilometres away, on foot or by bus, and the car parks at the Schlossplatz and the Domplatz are often full during the Send.
Halloween, Oktoberfest and lights across the state
On Saturday, October 31, 2026, the Halloween Run Duisburg runs through the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, the former Meiderich ironworks, on courses from 500 metres for the Bambini up to 10 kilometres; costumes are explicitly welcome, the best ones win prizes, and race numbers are handed out from 4 pm. The Movie Park Halloween Horror Festival in Bottrop opens its Horrorwood Studios from 6 pm on Saturday and from 5 pm on Sunday, with over 280 monsters, four scare zones and two new horror mazes. In Gelsenkirchen, the ZOOM Erlebniswelt turns the zoo into a ghost landscape of fog and light effects on its second Halloween evening. The evening is meant for children and adults.
The 27th Bielefeld Oktoberfest takes place on Saturday in the Seidensticker Halle in the Stadtholz, with the band Münchner Zwietracht on stage, pork knuckle, fried chicken and venison goulash on the menu, and tables for eight that can be booked online. The local transport CombiTicket is included in the price, and entry starts at 18. Also in Bielefeld, the BIE-Happy autumn Kirmes runs at the Radrennbahn on Heeper Straße until 1 November, with a big wheel, dodgems, a ghost train and carousels.
The Essener Lichtwochen enter their 77th edition. Animated light sculptures of giraffes, rhinos, orcas, polar bears and kangaroos hang above Kettwiger Straße, joined by light arches over the streets and an illuminated Grillo-Theater. In Cologne, the Film Festival Cologne shows international premieres, series and industry conferences in its 36th edition until 5 November, and its prizes include the Filmpreis Köln, worth €25,000.
On Sunday at 11 am, the Hobby and Artist Market Echtz-Konzendorf opens in the Turnhalle Echtz near Düren, run by the local heritage society. Across two floors, hobby artists from the Düren district show ceramics, knitwear, woodwork, watercolours and Advent wreaths, and a cake table with home baking is on offer. In the courtyard of the Paffendorf moated castle in Bergheim, the Schloss Paffendorf Christmas Market opens on 29 October. It runs until 23 December. The market sells crafts, regional food and mulled wine, and weekends also bring a music programme.
Admission is free at the Herbstsend, the BIE-Happy autumn Kirmes, in Echtz, in Paffendorf and at the Essener Lichtwochen.