Erntedankfest Bardowick
The most beautiful Harvest Festival in the North with a parade, crowning of the Root Queen, and an evening dance in the marquee
About Erntedankfest Bardowick
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A Tradition with Roots in the Middle Ages
Bardowick boasts a long history as a vegetable-growing location. As early as the Middle Ages, Bardowick gardeners supplied the Hanseatic city of Lüneburg and provided for its saltworks. Today, the Bardowick Vegetable Growers' Association (Gemüsebauverein Bardowick e.V.) maintains this tradition with annual festivals, the highlight of which is the Harvest Festival on the third Sunday in September. The festival combines a church service of thanksgiving for the harvest, the preservation of rural and craft customs, and folk festival conviviality into a characteristic format that has made the village and the region famous far beyond the district.
Parade with Artfully Decorated Wagons
The centerpiece of the Harvest Festival is the grand parade on Sunday afternoon. Dozens of harvest and themed wagons are decorated by Bardowick gardening families, clubs, schools, and friendly communities with vegetables, flowers, grain, and autumnal produce. Brass bands, dance groups, drum corps, and festival floats from friendly shooting clubs march between the wagons. The parade winds its way through the historic village center of Bardowick and ends at the festival grounds 'Auf dem Worth', where hundreds of spectators line the route.
Crowning of the Root Queen and Musical Program
After the wagons arrive, the festival program begins. The emotional climax is the crowning of the Root Queen around 5:30 PM – a young woman from Bardowick who will represent the village's horticultural tradition as an ambassador for one year. Brass ensembles, international music groups, dance formations, and folk ensembles perform on the festival grounds and in the large marquee. A special jury awards prizes for the most beautiful harvest wagons and honors the young talent of the clubs. As darkness falls, the evening dance begins in the marquee with a DJ and live band – a highlight for young adults and dance enthusiasts.
Organizers and Program Around the Festival
The Bardowick Vegetable Growers' Association (Gemüsebauverein Bardowick e.V.) organizes the Harvest Festival with the support of the municipality and numerous local clubs. The festival Sunday is often framed by a Harvest Thanksgiving service in the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Bardowick – one of the most significant Romanesque churches in Northern Germany. Markets, carousels, food stalls, and game booths complete the program, transforming the village center into a lively folk festival for a day.
Erntedankfest Bardowick — edition 2026
The Festival Day at a Glance
In the morning, festival wagons, brass bands, and the festival committee gather in the village. Families put the finishing touches on the wagons, which have been decorated for weeks with vegetables, flowers, sheaves of grain, and pumpkins. After the Harvest Thanksgiving service in the cathedral, the action moves to the festival grounds and the village center, where the musical prelude by the brass bands begins around 1:00 PM. The actual festival parade starts in the early afternoon – the exact route and time will be published by the Vegetable Growers' Association a few weeks before the festival on the official website.
International Music Groups and Dance
Traditionally, the Vegetable Growers' Association invites international music and dance groups to enrich the festival program on the festival grounds. Folklore ensembles from partner regions, regional brass bands, and dance groups take turns on stage. Around 5:30 PM, the new Root Queen celebrates her grand entrance. Afterwards, the marquee opens for the evening dance, which lasts until late into the night.
Programme Erntedankfest Bardowick 2026
2026 Program Structure
The exact 2026 program will be published by the organizer in the summer. The structure follows the proven key points of previous years:
- Morning — Harvest Thanksgiving service in the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in Bardowick
- 1:00 PM — Concert and assembly of brass bands and festival wagons
- Afternoon — Festival parade with harvest wagons through the village center to the festival grounds
- Afternoon — Festival program in the festival grounds with international folklore and dance
- Afternoon — Awards for the most beautiful harvest wagons and recognition of young participants
- Approx. 5:30 PM — Ceremonial crowning of the new Root Queen
- Evening — Dance in the large marquee with DJ and live band
- Accompanying events — Carousels, stalls, gastronomic stands in the village center, Bardowick vegetables, and regional products
Highlights Erntedankfest Bardowick 2026
- Grand parade with dozens of decorated harvest wagons through the historic village center
- Crowning of the Root Queen 2026 as the emotional highlight
- Harvest Thanksgiving service in the Romanesque Bardowick Cathedral
- Evening dance in the marquee with DJ as a social meeting point
Prices Erntedankfest Bardowick 2026
Practical information — Erntedankfest Bardowick
Date and Location
- Sunday, September 20, 2026
- Auf dem Worth and village center, 21357 Bardowick
- Framed by a Harvest Thanksgiving service in Bardowick Cathedral
Program Overview
- Morning: Harvest Thanksgiving service in St. Peter and Paul Cathedral
- 1:00 PM: Concert by brass bands, assembly of the parade
- Afternoon: Festival parade with harvest wagons through the village
- Afternoon: Festival program and wagon awards in the festival grounds
- 5:30 PM: Crowning of the Root Queen
- Evening: Dance in the marquee with DJ
Getting There
- Car: A39 exit Bardowick, B4 or L216
- Train: Bardowick station on the Lüneburg–Hamburg-Harburg line
- Parking: Signposted parking areas on the outskirts of the village, traffic diversions in the village center on festival day
Admission
- Parade and festival grounds are freely accessible
- Food and dance evening are subject to charge
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Travel to this festival
Reserva tu tren o autobús para llegar a Erntedankfest Bardowick al mejor precio.
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