Events and festivals in Saxony-Anhalt on November 7 and 8, 2026 run from Eisleben to Halle. In Lutherstadt Eisleben, a medieval spectacle marks Luther's birthday with knights, jugglers and a fire show.
Between half-timbered facades, people cook, forge and weave. On Saturday and Sunday the market square of Lutherstadt Eisleben fills with knights, traders and jugglers. Events and festivals in Saxony-Anhalt on November 7 and 8, 2026 run from Eisleben to Halle.
Luther's birthday on the market square in Eisleben
Martin Luther was born in Eisleben on November 10, 1483. The town marks his birthday with the medieval spectacle for Luther's birthday on the market square, between the half-timbered facades of a UNESCO World Heritage ensemble and with the towers of St. Andreas and St. Annen churches in the background.
Knights fight tournaments, archers show their skill, and an axe thrower invites visitors to join in. Traders sell costumes, jewellery, candles, herbs, oils, leather goods and mead.
On Saturday evening a large fire show crowns the day.
In the festival parades, Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora walk at the head, followed by knights, monks, market people and musicians. Jugglers and fire-eaters entertain in between, while minstrel music and drum groups supply the sound.
Children carve wood, enter the children's tournament, ride the wooden carousel or listen to the storyteller. Adults can have their fortune told or book a herbal massage. The market is open to all, and small fees apply for archery, axe throwing, the fortune teller and the massage. Luther's birthplace, also a UNESCO World Heritage site, stands a few minutes from the square.
Lanterns, blues and Baumkuchen
In Halle (Saale) the market square lights up. The Hallesches Lichterfest, which the Citygemeinschaft Halle stages around the Red Tower, sends its big lantern parade from the main station to the square; on Saturday, November 7, the laser show and the Light Fairy's bedtime story follow in the evening. On Sunday the pyrotechnic finale follows and the city-centre shops open from 1 to 6 pm. The Filmmusiktage Sachsen-Anhalt end on Sunday with their 19th edition; the programme holds silent-film concerts, masterclasses and the German Film Music Award, centred on the opera house.
The Heidelauf holds its fourth run of the year on Sunday. In the Dölauer Heide the courses cover 5, 10 and 15 kilometres, with Nordic walking over 5 and 10 kilometres and the Youngstar run over 2.4 kilometres, starting and finishing at the Heidebad. In the festival hall of Schloss Dieskau in Kabelsketal, Abi Wallenstein and Blues Rudy play the Sunday concerts in the Renaissance castle, a matinee starting at 4 pm.
Schraplau in the Saalekreis received its market rights before 1500. The Schrappelmarkt opens on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am as a flea and general market with a festival tent, the town museum is open both days, and the proceeds go to social causes. At Memleben monastery, where Emperor Otto the Great died in 973, the museum hosts the lecture “The Treasures of Knowledge of the Benedictines” on Saturday as part of the KUMBRA Literaturherbst.
In the north of the state, the Salzwedel Christmas and Baumkuchen Market is open on the Rathausturmplatz until December 13. On the baking stage the Baumkuchen is built layer by layer on a spit over an open fire, on selected days; Salzwedel is the only German town that officially lists the layered cake as a speciality.
Admission to the Lichterfest is free, and lanterns can be bought at the main station.