Bockhorst Asparagus Market

A Village Celebrates the Royal Vegetable

When the asparagus festival begins on the last Sunday in May in Bockhorst, Westphalia, it's not just the asparagus that's the star — the entire village is. The Bockhorst Asparagus Market is a village festival in its most original form: all local clubs participate, the Heimatverein coordinates, the mayor and the district administrator honor the event, and the ecumenical service opens the day in Low German. Bockhorst is a classic half-timbered village in the Tecklenburger Land region — and the Asparagus Market is its annual showcase.

10 AM–6 PM — The Day's Schedule

The program for the 21st edition in 2026 is packed:

• 10:00 AM — Opening with Low German ecumenical service
• 11:15 AM — Official welcome by Mayor Michael Meyer-Hermann and District Administrator Ina Laukötter
• Throughout the day:
  • Asparagus Peeling Competition — who peels the fastest asparagus?
  • Guided tours of the historic bakehouse and the Bockhorst Mill
  • Free children's program thanks to the support of Volksbank Versmold and Sparkasse
  • Jochen the Elephant as the children's mascot
  • Creative Project 'Holzi Lehmstein' for children (building and designing with natural materials)
  • Craft demonstrations, folk dance performances, jazz concerts
  • Church and village tours with musical accompaniment
• In the Village Community Center — large cake buffet by the villagers (cake donations welcome!)

Asparagus as a Westphalian Tradition

The Münsterland and Tecklenburger Land regions are core asparagus-growing areas in North Rhine-Westphalia. Bockhorst uses this culinary tradition for a village festival that puts white and green asparagus at the center — fresh from the surrounding asparagus farms, peeled on-site (in a competition!), cooked, and served with ham, hollandaise sauce, or vegetarian accompaniments.

The Bockhorst Mill and the Bakehouse

Bockhorst has two historical landmarks that are open for tours on the Asparagus Market Sunday:

• The Bakehouse — a traditional farmhouse bakehouse where bread is regularly baked over a wood fire. On the Asparagus Market day, visitors can experience a demonstration and taste fresh bread.
• The Bockhorst Mill — a historic mill open with explanations of the history of Westphalian milling technology.

Heimatverein and Village Community

Behind the Asparagus Market is the Heimatverein Bockhorst e.V. in close cooperation with the Dorfgemeinschaft Bockhorst — a network of all Bockhorst clubs, from the sports club to the fire department, from the shooting club to the church community. This organizational structure explains the exceptional program diversity — a single organizer could not manage the program, but many clubs can.

Versmold and the Tecklenburger Land

Versmold is located at the transition from Münsterland to Tecklenburger Land in the Gütersloh district, about 35 km west of Bielefeld. Bockhorst, as a district, is small with about 1,500 inhabitants but structurally active. Those who experience the Asparagus Market get to know a form of village club density that is deeply rooted in Westphalia — and is rarely found in large cities.