The Magdeburg Autumn Fair opens its 1,016th edition on the Max Wille fairground, while Oschersleben hosts the sidecar world championship finale and about 6,000 runners take on the Magdeburg Marathon.
In the north of Magdeburg, at the Max Wille fairground. There, on October 3, 2026, the Magdeburg Autumn Fair opens its 1,016th edition. The Magdeburg Autumn Fair opens its 1,016th edition on the Max Wille fairground, while Oschersleben hosts the sidecar world championship finale and about 6,000 runners take on the Magdeburg Marathon.
The 1,016th Edition at the Max Wille Fairground
From September 25 to October 18, the fairground north of Magdeburg turns into a landscape of Ferris wheels, swing carousels and roller coasters. The Magdeburg Autumn Fair counts its 1,016th edition in 2026 and is documented as Germany's oldest continuously held folk festival. It runs Wednesday through Sunday, including this weekend of 3–4 October 2026.
Its roots trace back to medieval trade privileges, from a time when Magdeburg ranked among the leading trading cities between Hamburg, Cologne and Kraków. The Autumn Fair once marked the end of the harvest and trading year, a count that still lives on in its running edition number. The Max Wille fairground, in the Olvenstedt district, hosts the event twice a year, in spring and autumn.
Chain carousels and ghost trains spin across the grounds, alongside shooting galleries and classic strongman games between the food stalls. Visitors can try Eierschecke cake or a Knack-Mehlbeutel pastry, two Magdeburg specialties. Admission is free, Wednesday afternoons bring a discounted family rate, and the Ferris wheel offers a view over the whole city once darkness falls.
Between the Cathedral Square, the Racetrack and the Market
From October 2 to 5, the Kaiser Otto Festival turns Magdeburg's old town around the cathedral square into a medieval world, with jousting tournaments, craft markets, minstrels and fire performers. In Wust-Fischbeck, the Wust Oktoberfest has kept Bavarian tradition alive since 2006 and marks its 20th edition in 2026, with dirndls, lederhosen and the Elbe-Havel-Land fire brigade band. In the Börde district, the harvest festival in Groß Rodensleben, run by the local heritage association, centers on a ploughing contest with historic tractors and plough designs.
In Weißenfels, the 29th edition of the Heinrich Schütz Music Festival runs through October 11 under the motto 'Spurensuche. Anstoß und Aufbruch', with the ensemble The Present as artist in residence. Around 50 craftspeople from across Germany display textiles, jewelry, wood, ceramics, soap and block printing at the Naumburg Crafts Market on the historic market square, framed by live music.