Goch Autumn Fair with Festival of the Senses

Goch Autumn Fair — Lower Rhine Tradition in Autumn Attire

Looking for a fair that's more than just candy floss and a Ferris wheel? Goch offers you the complete Lower Rhine package: four days of folk festival, set in a historically grown city center, with a Sunday shopping day, the "Festival of the Senses," and a classic Flax Market on Tuesday, which embodies a unique form of Lower Rhine market tradition. Free admission, family-friendly atmosphere, modern rides.

Rides and Market Stalls

The Autumn Fair occupies the entire Goch city center — bumper cars, several carousels, a Ferris wheel in a central position, plus shooting galleries, lucky dips, strongman games, and all the classics of a Lower Rhine fair. Market stalls offering candied almonds, potato pancakes, bratwurst, mulled wine (for the first cool October days), and Lower Rhine beer complement the offerings. The atmosphere is family-friendly — small children will find their place here just as much as teenagers and seniors.

Festival of the Senses on Sunday

On October 25, 2026, the middle day of the fair, the accompanying program "Festival of the Senses" opens: a market theme that focuses on enjoyment, lifestyle, and arts and crafts. Local vendors present regional specialties, artists display their works, show kitchens and tastings invite you to sample. In parallel, there's Sunday shopping in the city center — shops are open from 1 PM to 6 PM.

Flax Market on Tuesday

The Flax Market on the last day of the fair is a Lower Rhine specialty — originally a general market for textiles, today it's a colorful market with bric-a-brac, collectibles, regional crafts, and curiosities. Those who arrive early will find the best items; those who stay longer can combine their market stroll with a final ride on the attractions.

Goch and the Kleve District

Goch is a medium-sized town in the Kleve district, in the far west of North Rhine-Westphalia, right on the Dutch border. With around 34,000 inhabitants and a historically grown old town around the St. Mary Magdalene Church, Goch is a small, characterful center in the Lower Rhine region. The Autumn Fair, alongside the Spring Fair and the Advent Market, is the most important city festival of the year and attracts visitors from Kleve, Kalkar, Uedem, and the neighboring Dutch communities of Gennep and Nijmegen.