What's on in Brandenburg this weekend of June 27 and 28? The last weekend of June lands in the first real high summer. And the Mark makes use of every square metre. Lake beaches become festival grounds. Palace parks turn into concert stages. A monastery ruin becomes a sound space. Our pick this time is a rare event: in Rathenow, historical societies bring the Swedish battle of 1675 back to life. And they do it with cannon thunder and musket salvos. And in between? There are dragon-boat races on the Wukensee, a double anniversary in Potsdam's Volkspark, classic cars in a palace park and the grand finale of the Sanssouci Music Festival. Eleven picks for a weekend that runs from the regatta course to the brick vaults of an abbey.
Rathenow Swedish Days: the historic battle of 1675 on the Weinberg
The 11th Rathenow Swedish Days bring the history of the Havelland back to life on June 27 and 28. On the Weinberg hill in Rathenow, historical societies from across Brandenburg re-enact the Swedish occupation of the town in 1675 and its liberation by Elector Frederick William, the later Great Elector. Cannon and musket salvos, a historical market, camp life and battle displays plunge visitors into the era of the Thirty Years' War and the Swedish campaigns. Anyone who loves living history experiences the past hands-on here rather than in a book. Fancy smelling the smoke of real salute cannons? It's a weekend for families and amateur historians alike. The whole thing is carried by societies that tend their portrayal with remarkable attention to detail.
25th Wukensee Festival in Biesenthal: dragon boats, stage and fireworks at the lido
From June 26 to 27, the Wukensee Festival at the Wukensee lido in Biesenthal celebrates its 25th edition, a lake festival with a long tradition in the Barnim district. Saturday is race day. Dragon boats set off from 9:30am for the Sport, Fun and Handicap Cup on the 200-metre course. Team registration starts as early as 7am. The prize-giving is set for around 6pm. After that, music on the stage, fireworks and a light show take over the evening by the water. There's catering and a family programme alongside. The anniversary festival pairs sporting ambition on the lake with the relaxed flair of a lido. A true summer institution in the northern Berlin commuter belt that brings clubs and families together in equal measure.
Volkspark Birthday Festival Potsdam: a double anniversary with circus and open-air concerts
On Saturday, June 27, the Volkspark Potsdam celebrates a double anniversary: 20 years of ProPotsdam and 25 years of the Volkspark. From 3pm, the Grosser Wiesenpark turns into an open stage. On the bill, for example, are the Cirque Artikuss, children's concerts by Der bunte Hund, hip-hop with The Rokkaz and a magic show by Chris Brandes. In the evening the open-air concerts take over. The Ruffians with ska and reggae and the party music of the Fortunate Fools get the wide park dancing. An afternoon and evening for the whole family that brings together a meadow to play on, a stage and summer spirit in the heart of Potsdam. Anyone who doesn't yet know the big festival grounds in the Bornstedter Feld has the perfect reason this anniversary Saturday.
Potsdam Sanssouci Music Festival: the grand finale under the motto "Light"
On June 28, the Potsdam Sanssouci Music Festival ends with its great closing weekend. Since June 12, around 80 concerts, tours and opera performances have turned the palaces and gardens of Sanssouci into a stage for early music. Under the motto "Light", great names have traced the acoustic and visual facets of light and dark. They include, for example, Andreas Scholl, Valer Sabadus, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and Kit Armstrong. The final weekend gathers concerts once more in the Church of Peace, in the palaces and at extraordinary venues across the UNESCO World Heritage Site. For anyone seeking Baroque music in a historic setting, this is one of the loveliest unions of sound and Prussian garden art. And that, before the festival closes its doors for the year.
Chorin Music Summer: classical music in a medieval monastery ruin
The Chorin Music Summer is one of Brandenburg's most tradition-rich classical festivals. Since 1964, concerts have rung out every summer in the venerable brick ruin of Chorin Abbey. And that, always on Saturdays and Sundays between June and August, from 3pm to 5pm. This weekend too, renowned orchestras and ensembles play against the backdrop of the former Cistercian abbey. The blend of ancient brick Gothic, open countryside and a high-calibre programme is its particular appeal. In practice, the roofless ruin lets birdsong and music merge into one. A must for anyone who wants to experience classical music not in a concert hall but under the vaults of a centuries-old ruin in the Barnim countryside.
15th Children's and Youth Sports Games in Brandenburg an der Havel: 4,000 young athletes
From June 26 to 28, Brandenburg an der Havel hosts the 15th Children's and Youth Sports Games of the State of Brandenburg. More than 4,000 young people from across the federal state compete in around 30 sports. The Havel town serves as the host centre for contests in 20 disciplines. On the Beetzsee regatta course, some 500 youngsters measure themselves in disciplines such as canoeing, rowing, sailing and water-skiing. Further events, meanwhile, spread across the city's halls and grounds. The state sports festival is Brandenburg's biggest youth sporting event. It brings a whole weekend of movement and enthusiasm to the town. For families, it's a chance to cheer on young talent across an unusual range of sports, from the water to the athletics track.
1000 Lights Open Air Nauen: a sea of candles and a laser show on the open-air stage
On Saturday, June 27, the second edition of the 1000 Lights Open Air on the Nauen open-air stage promises an extraordinary summer evening in the Havelland. A thousand candles, light installations and a laser show bathe the stage in a special atmosphere, alongside music from the 80s, 90s, 2000s and today. The headliner of the evening is singer-songwriter Georg Stengel, whose live performance sets the musical highlight. The format combines the warm flicker of a thousand candles with modern stage technology, a contrast that gives the evening its charm. For anyone wanting to round off a mild June Saturday under the open sky with live music and atmospheric light, Nauen is the right address west of Berlin.
Netzeband Theatre Summer: open-air theatre for the 30th anniversary
The Netzeband Theatre Summer is one of Brandenburg's best-known open-air theatre productions and celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026. In the historic manor park of Netzeband, in the Temnitztal municipality in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, three stages – the Milchwaldbuhne, the amphitheatre and the fairy-tale stage – fill the summer with four open-air productions, among them Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood". This weekend the anniversary season is in full swing. The blend of an old manor park, mild summer evenings and professional theatre makes Netzeband a hidden gem in the northwest of the Mark. Anyone seeking theatre beyond the big houses, in a setting that is itself part of the staging, should plan the trip into the Temnitz.
Ins Freie! at Schloss Neuhardenberg: 2raumwohnung on the chestnut lawn
From June 20 to July 9, the Schloss Neuhardenberg foundation turns the palace park into an open concert stage. This weekend, Ins Freie! offers two highlights: the songwriters' meeting with Klaus Hoffmann and Ulla Meinecke on June 27 and the concert by 2raumwohnung on June 28, both on the chestnut lawn of the Schinkel palace. In all, ten star-studded events spread across the series, from the German youth jazz orchestra BuJazzO to China Moses. The wide park and the intimate atmosphere beneath the chestnut trees make every concert an event. For anyone wanting to combine high-quality live music with a summer evening in the green, Neuhardenberg in the Markisch-Oderland district, barely an hour's drive east of Berlin, is one of the loveliest addresses of the season.
OTTMA in Dahme/Mark: classic cars and a flea market in the palace park
On the last Sunday of June, June 28, the palace park of Dahme/Mark turns into the stage for the OTTMA for the 22nd time, the classic-car-parts and flea market in the Teltow-Flaming district. More than 800 historic vehicles built up to 1989 are expected, along with a parts market of around 150 stalls and an antiques and flea market with a further 150 or so. From 9am to 4pm, the park fills with cars, motorbikes and tractors in original or lovingly restored condition. For tinkerers, collectors and Sunday day-trippers, the OTTMA is a classic: engine talk meets bargain-hunting, framed by the historic palace park. A relaxed Sunday for everyone who loves old machinery and rummaging at a flea market in equal measure.
LebensArt Neustadt (Dosse): a garden and lifestyle fair at the state stud farm
From June 26 to 28, the LebensArt is held for the first time on the neoclassical grounds of the Brandenburg State Stud Farm in Neustadt (Dosse), one of northern Germany's best-known lifestyle and garden fairs. For three days, pastel cream-white pavilions spread around the historic riding facilities, with more than 200 exhibitors presenting home decor, garden and plant culture, fashion, jewellery and food. Between flowering beds and the backdrop of the tradition-rich stud, you can spend a whole day strolling. The fair combines the flair of a garden show with a market character, ideal for anyone seeking inspiration for balcony, garden and home, paired with an outing into the northwest of Brandenburg.
For more events across Germany, see our agenda for this weekend. Enjoy the June weekend in Brandenburg.
