Events and festivals in North Rhine-Westphalia this weekend, October 10-11, 2026: the Essen Marathon in its 64th edition, plus light art in Essen, a wine fair in Cologne, a funfair in Krefeld and an Oktoberfest in Haaren.
Around the Baldeneysee in southern Essen. There, on Sunday, October 11, 2026, the Westenergie Marathon sets off. Events and festivals in North Rhine-Westphalia this weekend, October 10-11, 2026: the Essen Marathon in its 64th edition, plus light art in Essen, a wine fair in Cologne, a funfair in Krefeld and an Oktoberfest in Haaren.
Germany's oldest marathon
The Westenergie Marathon has run around the Baldeneysee since 1963, without a break, and it is described as Germany's oldest marathon. The 64th edition takes place on Sunday.
The Baldeneysee is a 2.6-square-kilometre reservoir of the Ruhr in the south of Essen, ringed by woods and water-sports clubs, and the course follows the shore, flat and paved, through the woods and along the lake instead of past office towers. For personal bests, it is the right track.
The programme covers the full marathon over 42.195 kilometres, an 18-kilometre run, the half marathon, the AllbauTeamStaffel relay, the Walking Day in its 22nd edition and the Mini-Marathon for children and teenagers.
TUSEM Essen organises the event, with Westenergie AG as main sponsor and name giver; the patron is traditionally the mayor of Essen. The run belongs to the German Road Races, the national umbrella body. Entry for the marathon costs around €60 to €80, and registration runs online through the official website. The S-Bahn lines S6 and S9 stop at Essen-Werden and Essen-Hügel, a short walk from the lake.
Flea market, wine fair and beer tent
In Essen's city centre, the Essen Light Festival shows light installations, video mapping, notably at the Marktkirche and the Essen Cathedral, and interactive light shows until Sunday; the tour starts at nightfall and entry is free. In Cologne, around 130 exhibitors at the KölnWein Herbst present about 900 wines for tasting in the Sartory Säle, on Saturday, October 10, 2026, from noon to 7pm and on Sunday from noon to 6pm. Advance tickets start at €23. The Dürener Herbstmarkt reaches its 30th edition on Sunday with about 100 stalls from 11am to 7pm, the shops in the city centre open from 1pm to 6pm, and the date falls about two weeks earlier this year than in previous years. Entry is free.
The Freckenhorster Herbst in Warendorf, now in its 39th edition, stretches a flea market of 700 stalls two kilometres through the village centre, with the barrel tapping on Saturday at 11am, the BFF Brass playing on Sunday and free entry. The Haarener Oktoberfest celebrates its 62nd edition in Waldfeucht-Haaren, with a beer tent, live bands and stein-holding contests as well as roast pork knuckle and pretzels on the festival meadow by the windmill. The Festival Dome holds its first edition in the exhibition hall of the Stadthalle Bielefeld, and on Sunday from 3pm Avaion, Luca-Dante Spadafora and the DJ duo Harris & Ford play.