Events and festivals in North Rhine-Westphalia on October 24 and 25, 2026, from Duisburg to Münster. The Sim-Jü in Werne opens on Saturday at 2 pm with the keg tapping on the market square.
Market square, Werne, Saturday, 2 pm. On October 24, 2026, the mayor raises the Freifahne there and taps the keg. Events and festivals in North Rhine-Westphalia on October 24 and 25, 2026, from Duisburg to Münster. The Sim-Jü in Werne opens on Saturday at 2 pm with the keg tapping on the market square.
Keg tapping and Freifahne in Werne
Since 1362 the Sim-Jü has been the largest folk fair on the Lippe. Sim-Jü stands for Simon-Juda-Markt: the feast day of Saints Simon and Jude Thaddaeus on October 28 originally set the date of the market.
Saturday, October 24: at 2 pm the market square belongs to the keg tapping. Over 200 showmen set up rides and food stalls, and which attractions arrive changes every year.
On Sunday a joint Protestant and Catholic service and a shopping Sunday follow, with Werne's shops open from 1 pm to 6 pm.
Admission to the festival grounds is free, and visitors pay at the rides and stalls. Tens of thousands of visitors come from Werne, the Münsterland and the Ruhr area. The town centre is closed to traffic during the fair, parking is at the edge of town, and it is a ten-minute walk from Werne station. The fair runs from October 24 to 27.
From the Herbstsend to the Röntgenlauf
On the Schlossplatz in Münster the Herbstsend opens on Saturday at 2 pm and on Sunday already at 11 am, with up to 200 showmen's businesses, the Ferris wheel at the centre and free admission; the Send runs until November 1. Fantasy meets the Middle Ages at the Mystical Medieval Market on the Hohenzollernplatz in Duisburg-Neumühl: over 60 traders, musicians, acrobats and a fire show after dark, Saturday from 11 am to 10 pm, Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm, no admission charge. In Duisburg city centre, children and adults carve pumpkins on Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm at the Duisburg Pumpkin Festival, the children get glitter tattoos, a show of historic tractors is part of it, and live music plays on the stage at the CityPalais.
At the Weststadthalle in Essen, the Rocken Hilft Festival for Mental Health features Alleviate, Rising Insane and The Narrator on Saturday, doors open at 4 pm, the start is around 5 pm, and tickets start at 34.50 euros. The proceeds go to helfen bewegt e.V. Whisky, gin, rum, cognac and tequila fill the glass at AQUAVITAE in the Stadthalle Mülheim, Saturday from noon to 8 pm and Sunday from noon to 7 pm; admission costs 14 euros including a nosing glass and is for adults only. Guided tastings with master distillers can be booked in addition.
From Friday to Sunday the 32nd GDT International Nature Photography Festival runs in Lünen: talks at the Heinz-Hilpert-Theater, plus a photo market at the LÜKAZ cultural centre with free admission. On Saturday from 6 pm to 11.45 pm the Wethmar shooting club, founded in 1900, holds its Hubertusfest in its clubhouse, with a procession, Hubertus mass, formal evening and dance music.
In the Bergisches Land the Röntgenlauf Remscheid starts on Sunday, October 25, 2026, for the 24th time at the Hackenberg sports ground, from the 5-kilometre cross run via half marathon and marathon to the ultramarathon of 63.3 kilometres. More than 500 volunteers secure the course, the marathon cut-off is 7.5 hours, and walkers are welcome too. In the pedestrian zone of Solingen-Ohligs, the district festival Ohligs verbindet offers a book market from 11 am to 6 pm on Sunday, live music on several stages, a participatory circus with face painting and a shopping Sunday from 1 pm; admission is free.
The summer time ends in the night to Sunday, and at 3 am the clocks go back to 2 am.