Aschersleben Spring Festival

Spring Volksfest in the Northern Harz Foothills

The Aschersleben Spring Festival is one of the traditional spring Volksfests in the Salzlandkreis and a fixed date in the event calendar of the northern Harz foothills. The festival grounds are filled with showmen offering classic rides – a Ferris wheel or observation tower depending on the year, chain carousel, dodgems, swing boat, children's carousels – as well as food stalls, crepe stands, beer gardens, candy, and game stalls. In 2026, the festival runs from Thursday, May 14th, to Tuesday, May 19th – open all day for six days.

Aschersleben — Oldest Town in Saxony-Anhalt

Aschersleben is one of the oldest documented towns in Saxony-Anhalt (first mention 753) and is located in the Salzlandkreis at the transition from the Harz foothills to the Magdeburg Börde. The historic old town with its city walls, Bestehornhaus, and St. Stephani City Church provides a perfect cultural backdrop for visiting the festival grounds. The Spring Festival takes place every year in mid-May and is – after the long winter in the northern Harz foothills – the first major outdoor entertainment of the season.

What to Expect

As with Volksfests of this size (medium-sized town, regional), the mix is very classic: a Ferris wheel or observation tower as a visible landmark, a main carousel for adults, several rides for children, shooting galleries, lottery stalls, gastronomic stands with bratwurst, shashlik, fries, crepes, candied almonds, and cold draft beer. In the evenings, there's live music or DJ music in the beer and festival tents, and on weekends, a particularly large crowd from neighboring towns.

Family Days and Special Offers

Traditionally, German spring Volksfests feature family days with reduced prices for rides – the exact offers vary by year and are communicated directly by the showmen's association on-site.