A world record in the sand, or opera in front of Gothic brickwork? August opens in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with a weekend of contrasts. Up to 95 courts go up on the beach at Karlshagen for a volleyball tournament. On Rügen, a Viking camp settles around a neo-Gothic hunting lodge. Our pick this weekend: the Kleines Fest im großen Park in Ludwigslust, two evenings of circus arts in a palace garden.
Add Verdi's Nabucco in front of Doberan Minster, a night race through the Warnow tunnel and a pottery market in Teterow. Twelve dates for August 1 and 2, 2026, from the Ludwigslust palace park to the island of Usedom.
Usedom Beachcup in Karlshagen: the world's largest beach volleyball tournament
From July 31 to August 2, around 1,400 players compete on the beaches of Karlshagen and Zinnowitz. The Usedom Beachcup has held a Guinness World Record as the largest beach volleyball tournament since 2007. Up to 95 courts are marked out straight into the sand.
Taking part in the matches is free, and beach parties plus a family programme run alongside. Watching costs nothing either. Anyone hoping to catch Sunday's finals should get to the beach early. A sports weekend that works without a ticket.
Schlossfest at Jagdschloss Granitz: 28th edition with a Viking camp
From July 30 to August 1, craftspeople, musicians, jesters and a Viking camp take over the wooded hill above Lancken-Granitz. The Schlossfest runs for the 28th time in 2026 and closes on Saturday.
Inside the neo-Gothic lodge of 1884, a cast-iron spiral staircase leads up to the viewing tower. From there the view stretches across Rügen, the lagoon landscape and the Baltic. Saturday is the last chance to see the festival this year.
Kleines Fest im großen Park in Ludwigslust: acrobats between the trees
On August 1 and 2, the vast palace park at Ludwigslust becomes a fairy-tale forest full of small stages. Acrobats, mime artists, clowns, puppeteers, comedians and bands perform at the same time at the Kleines Fest im großen Park.
Visitors stroll from stage to stage, spread out picnic blankets or stop at the food stalls. Fireworks over the park close each of the two evenings. This is our pick of the weekend, because no other date packs so many small formats into one place.
SCHILLER at the Waldbühne Rügen: electronica in a beech forest
On Saturday, August 1, Christopher von Deylen brings his SCHILLER project to the Waldbühne Rügen near Bergen. The open-air format Sommerklang pairs sweeping melodies and atmospheric soundscapes with elaborate stage technology.
The Waldbühne sits in the Rugard forest above town and is the island's largest open-air venue. It holds roughly 4,500 seats and 800 standing places. Light, haze and bass inside a natural amphitheatre: a concert that draws much of its effect from the setting.
Nabucco at Doberan Minster: opera in the open air
On Saturday, August 1, the square in front of Doberan Minster turns into an open-air stage. The Sommer Klassik Open Air, part of the Bad Doberan-Heiligendamm music summer, stages Verdi's Nabucco with its world-famous prisoners' chorus.
The minster ranks among the most important brick Gothic churches in northern Germany. Brick facade, summer evening and grand opera: that combination has no equal on this coast. A good call for anyone who prefers classical music outdoors.
BEATS&WAVES in Kühlungsborn: a first edition under a new name
From July 31 to August 2, the BEATS&WAVES Festival takes over the event beach at Kühlungsborn-West. Three days of beach atmosphere by day and long sets from international DJs at night mark this first edition under the new name.
Its predecessor was the SEA&SAND festival on the same stretch of coast. Anyone looking for electronic music at the water's edge will find the weekend's biggest event of that kind here. The beach itself stays part of the daytime programme.
Seebrückenfest in Graal-Müritz: three days in front of a 350-metre pier
From July 31 to August 2, the seaside spa of Graal-Müritz celebrates on the forecourt of its 350-metre pier. The Seebrückenfest marks the pier's reopening in 1992, after more than 50 years without one.
Live music, dancing, market stalls and a family show programme fill the three days. For the town, this is the peak of the summer calendar. A coastal folk festival that takes its reason to exist from local history.
Pottery market in Teterow: 70 workshops around the mill pond
On August 1 and 2, the mill quarter of Teterow's old town fills with ceramics. More than 70 professional pottery and ceramics workshops from across Germany and abroad show their work at the Central Mecklenburg pottery market.
The range runs from carefully made everyday tableware to unusual artistic pieces. Stalls line the idyllic mill pond in the historic centre of the small town. Anyone after handmade crockery rather than a stage should plan for Saturday morning in Teterow.
hella marathon nacht in Rostock: running through the Warnow tunnel
On Saturday, August 1, the Hanseatic city's big evening race starts on the Haedge peninsula by the city harbour. The hella marathon nacht spans everything from a 1.5-kilometre schools race to the full marathon through the Warnow tunnel.
Drumming groups drive the runners on as the sun sets over the Warnow. Spectators get something out of it too, since the course runs right through the city. Distance running as an evening event is a format of its own in Rostock.
Zwei-Schlösser-Fest in Mirow: a town festival across two palaces
On Sunday, August 2, Mirow links its two historic palace sites into a single town festival. The Zwei-Schlösser-Fest reaches its second edition in 2026, after the premiere in 2025.
The day starts with a morning service and an early-hours gathering with the fire brigade band. A country concert follows, alongside an antiques and bric-a-brac market. A relaxed summer festival on the Mecklenburg Lake District, and the quiet counterpoint to the coast's beach stages.
Dance festival at the Schliemann Museum in Ankershagen: ballet in the park
On Saturday, August 1, the Deutsche Tanzkompanie gives its annual open-air performance in the park of the Schliemann Museum. At the Tanzfest, the international ensemble mixes contemporary dance theatre, step dance, waltz and neoclassical ballet.
The setting carries its own story: Heinrich Schliemann spent his childhood here, long before he excavated Troy. Dance in the park of an archaeologist's museum, on one evening a year, makes this the weekend's most unusual address.
Ahrenshoop art auction: 100 works in the Strandhalle
Traditionally held on the first Saturday in August, this auction brings art under the hammer in the Strandhalle at Ahrenshoop. The Ahrenshoop art auction offers around 100 lots: paintings, works on paper, prints and sculpture.
The focus falls on the Ahrenshoop artists' colony and the neighbouring colonies of Hiddensee, Nidden, Schwaan and Usedom. A preview exhibition runs beforehand. Nobody has to bid: on Saturday, the hall is simply the most interesting art venue on the Darß.
For more ideas across Germany, see our weekend agenda. Twelve dates between Baltic beach, palace park and lake district: that is how August begins in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
