Events in Saxony-Anhalt on the weekend of October 17 and 18 range from a pottery market to a funfair. In Halle, 90 workshops show their ceramics and about 15 winemakers pour their wines.
On the market square in Halle, between the Red Tower and the Marktkirche, the pottery market opens on Saturday, October 17, 2026. Events and festivals in Saxony-Anhalt on 17–18 October 2026 range from a pottery market to a funfair.
Pottery market and wine festival on Halle's market square
The Halle pottery market with its wine festival runs on October 17 and 18. Around 90 pottery and ceramics workshops from Germany, France, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands set up their stalls, framed by the Red Tower, the Marktkirche and the Handel monument. On Saturday the market starts at 10 a.m., on Sunday at 11 a.m. It closes at 6 p.m.
Cups, bowls and jugs stand next to sculptural pieces, lamps and jewellery.
Only professional workshops with a style of their own get a pitch. More than 25,000 visitors came in 2025, many of them collectors who travel far for particular workshops.
The Halle wine festival has accompanied the market since 2025. About 15 winemakers, most of them from the Saale-Unstrut region around Freyburg, Naumburg and Bad Kösen, pour on the west side of the square. Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and Weißburgunder lead the lists. Entry is free.
Funfair, village market and Halloween at the zoo
In Magdeburg, the Magdeburg Autumn Fair ends on Sunday, October 18. It is the 1,016th edition of the fair on the Messeplatz Max Wille, which counts as the oldest documented funfair in Germany. The Ferris wheel, roller coaster, dodgems and ghost train are running. On Saturday and Sunday the grounds usually open at 1 p.m. and close around 11 p.m.
In the castle park of Droyßig in the Burgenlandkreis, the farmers and crafts market takes place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Farmers sell vegetables, cheese and honey, craftspeople show basket weaving, pottery and blacksmithing, and children have a petting zoo. Entry is free.
The Gruselzoo at the Bergzoo in Halle is open on Saturday and Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. At dusk zombie actors roam the paths, and there is a laser show and fire performances.
Tram lines 7 and 9 stop at Marktplatz for the pottery market.