Pikemen or pop concert? On the weekend of July 25-26, nobody in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has to pick just one. Stralsund's old town turns into a 17th-century army camp for the Wallenstein Days, while BOSSE turns Sellin's pier into a concert stage. Our pick for this weekend: the Wallenstein Days — a festival with no real equivalent anywhere in northern Germany.
Around these two headline dates, the programme runs from a historic fishing-boat regatta in Wustrow to a lagoon-side folk festival in Ueckermünde. Add a carnival parade on Kühlungsborn's beach, a mock castle siege in Groß Raden and a flea market at Cape Arkona. Eleven very different outings for the weekend of July 25-26, 2026.
Wallenstein Days in Stralsund: northern Germany's biggest historical folk festival
From July 23 to 26, Stralsund's old town turns once again into a scene from the Thirty Years' War. The Wallenstein Days commemorate the town's successful defence against Wallenstein's troops in 1628. A parade, a plague procession, cuirassier jousting and a mercenary camp draw thousands of visitors every year.
On Saturday, July 25, the festival reaches its peak with a grand parade through the World Heritage old town's lanes. A baroque fireworks display over the town hall closes the evening. Anyone after large-scale historical reenactment will find Stralsund the clear high point of MV's summer.
Buntes Meer Festival in Warnemünde: inclusion meets the Baltic beach
From July 24 to 26, concerts, readings, workshops and performances turn Warnemünde's spa garden and beach into an open meeting space. The Buntes Meer Festival bills itself as one of Germany's biggest inclusive culture festivals, with free entry for every generation.
Diversity and accessibility take centre stage here, not star power. Across three days, smaller programme slots follow one another instead of a single headliner — a counterpoint to the coast's big concert stages. Anyone wanting to combine culture with social participation is in the right place in Warnemünde.
BOSSE in Sellin: an open-air concert right on the pier
On Friday, July 24, BOSSE opens this year's Sellin summer concert series. Around 3,000 spots in the sand, the pier as backdrop — the series counts among Rügen's most intimate concert formats. Gestört aber GeiL follows a week later, then Christian Steiffen.
Anyone after German-language pop with a direct view of the Baltic Sea should head to Sellin on Friday night. There's no comparison with the north's big festival stages here — instead, closeness to the stage and sand underfoot.
Ueckermünde's Hafftage: the region's biggest folk festival
From July 24 to 26, Ueckerpark in Ueckermünde turns into a three-day festival ground. The Hafftage rank as the region's biggest folk festival and draw thousands of visitors to the town harbour on the Stettin Lagoon every year.
Traditional sailing ships such as the Pommern cog Ucra dock in the harbour, alongside regattas, sporting contests and open-air concerts. Anyone wanting to combine maritime tradition with genuine folk-festival bustle will find the weekend's densest mix in Ueckermünde — well away from the coast's better-known resorts.
Kühlungsborn Summer Spectacle: carnival moves to the Baltic coast
Carnival in the middle of summer? The Kühlungsborn carnival club makes exactly that happen from July 24 to 26. The Kühlungsborn Summer Spectacle ranks among the most colourful summer festivals on Germany's Baltic coast, with a big samba parade, a children's parade and a beach party.
The festival closes at the marina on Saturday night with fireworks, followed by a quieter Sunday matinee. Anyone after carnival mood in July rather than February will find a mix in Kühlungsborn that doesn't exist elsewhere on the coast.
Kleine Fischländer Wettfahrt in Wustrow: historic net boats on the lagoon
On Saturday, July 25, historic net boats — wooden working boats once used by Fischland fishermen — race against each other on the lagoon. The Kleine Fischländer Wettfahrt ranks as the biggest regatta of its kind in northern Germany and closes with a harbour festival.
An all-day programme at the Fischland harbour accompanies the race: craftspeople demonstrate traditional techniques, and music and food stalls round things off. Anyone after boat-building history rather than a stage show should head to Wustrow on Saturday.
Zingster Sommer Open Airs: Stereoact and Max Giesinger on the festival meadow
On July 24 and 25, the Zingster Sommer Open Airs bring two big names of German pop and electronic music to the Baltic health resort's festival meadow: the DJ project Stereoact and singer-songwriter Max Giesinger.
For these two evenings, the meadow on Jordanstraße becomes an open-air stage under the sky, with the Baltic Sea at your back. Anyone after chart music in a summer-evening setting will find two high-calibre concerts in Zingst.
Ahlbeck Summer Festival: four days in front of Germany's oldest pier
From July 23 to 26, Ahlbeck's beach promenade turns into a colourful festival ground. The Ahlbeck Summer Festival runs against the backdrop of Germany's oldest pier and offers a crafts market, funfair rides and evening live concerts.
The highlight is a fireworks display over the Baltic on Saturday night. Anyone wanting funfair bustle alongside a historic backdrop will find a festival in Ahlbeck that takes four days instead of wrapping up in one evening.
Tonnenabschlagen in Prerow: a centuries-old jousting tradition
On Sunday, July 26, riders charge at full gallop under a wooden barrel hung high above the ground. Tonnenabschlagen is the Baltic resort of Prerow's big traditional festival and takes place every year on the last Sunday of July.
Whoever smashes the barrel with a forceful blow is crowned barrel king. Unlike the weekend's big concert programmes, a single, very old custom takes centre stage here — short, focused, with no supporting acts.
Attack on Groß Raden: a mock castle siege at the Slavic open-air museum
On Saturday, July 25, the Slavic open-air museum at Groß Raden becomes the stage for a fictional castle siege. Reenactment groups from northern Germany's living-history scene re-enact defensive battles in an authentic fortress setting at Attack on Groß Raden.
The family programme runs from 11am to 4pm and is included in regular museum admission. Anyone wanting to experience Slavic history hands-on rather than from a book will find one of the weekend's most unusual dates here.
Flea market at Cape Arkona: bargain hunting before the chalk cliffs
Also on Saturday, July 25, the large car park at Putgarten turns, as it does every Saturday from May to September, into an open flea-market ground. The flea market sits right at the gates of Cape Arkona.
Private sellers, dealers and collectors set up their stalls from 9am. Anyone after a bargain before a walk along the chalk cliffs will find a relaxed start to Saturday here.
For more ideas, our this weekend's agenda covers the whole of Germany. A weekend caught between historical spectacle, pop concerts and Baltic tradition in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
