Genthin Potato Festival

Genthin and the Potato

Anyone crossing Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt from Hamburg by ICE passes through Genthin — a small town in the Jerichower Land, known in the 1960s as a site of the detergent industry (Persil!), today a quiet central town on the Elbe-Havel Canal. And once a year, the municipal Volkspark transforms into an agricultural festival meadow: at the Genthin Potato Festival, farmers and potato producers from the Jerichower Land present their diverse harvest, from Linda and Solist to rare varieties like Bamberger Hörnchen or Mariella.

Soup Competition and Stage Show

The centerpiece of the festival is the famous Potato Soup Competition: several chefs cook their favorite version of potato soup, the audience samples them and decides by ballot. In addition, there is a main stage with folk dancers, regional songwriters, and a Schlager show, plus a children's carousel, face painting stations, a bouncy castle, and the traditional Bird of the Year election — a Genthin tradition that selects and presents a different local bird each year.

Three Days in Genthin

The festival spans three days in the Volkspark: Friday evening kick-off with bands and beer, Saturday the big festival Saturday with a market, soup competition, and stage, Sunday a quieter family day with a children's program and raffle. The 32nd edition in 2026 is one of the most traditional events in the Jerichower Land district and an important date in the region's calendar.

Arrival by RE 1

A special feature of Genthin: it is located directly on the Berlin–Hannover train line with an RE 1 stop. Visitors to the festival can easily travel from both metropolises and reach the Volkspark within a few minutes' walk. A classic Central German folk festival with Saxony-Anhalt character — down-to-earth, friendly, good.