Herbstfest am Storchenhof Alt-Hohenschönhausen

What is the Herbstfest?

The Herbstfest am Storchenhof is one of the traditional Stadtfeste (city district festivals) in the Alt-Hohenschönhausen district of Berlin's Lichtenberg borough. It takes place annually in September — a compact afternoon event of about three hours, during which the forecourt of the Storchenhof-Center at Hauptstraße 9/9d in 13055 Berlin transforms into a Kiez (neighbourhood) festival mile. The event is organised by the Kieznetzwerk Alt-Hohenschönhausen together with the district coordination, the Protestant Tabor parish, and the Catholic Heilig-Kreuz parish, supported by the Lichtenberg district office and municipal housing associations.

Programme — what to expect

The programme focuses on participation and neighbourly interaction. There is a small stage with live music (in previous years, among others, accordion music, Vietnamese dance, surf rock bands), children's activities such as face painting, glitter tattoos, a graffiti lounge, action games, and an experimental "Labor Neumann" with hands-on physics stations. In addition, social organisations and advisory services present themselves with information stands — for example, on sustainability, senior citizens' work, and care — supplemented by historical material about the Kiez.

District Mayor as Patron

The festival is traditionally opened by the District Mayor of Lichtenberg as patron — a clear signal that this is not a commercial event, but a district-supported neighbourhood festival. The mayor remains on site during the afternoon and is available to residents. This form of citizen proximity has been a fixed element of such district festivals in Lichtenberg for years.

Harvest Thanksgiving Connection

Following the actual festival, an Erntedank (harvest thanksgiving) service takes place in the neighbouring Protestant church. This connects the secular Kiez festival with the Christian tradition of harvest thanksgiving in September and reflects the close integration of the two church communities with the festival.

Alt-Hohenschönhausen-Süd as the Venue

The Storchenhof in Alt-Hohenschönhausen-Süd is located on Hauptstraße and, as a neighbourhood and local supply centre, is a central point of contact for the surrounding residential areas. The festival is spatially concentrated on the forecourt and thus accessible on foot from the Kiez. The large housing estates around the Storchenhof shape the social profile — a cross-section of Berlin's Lichtenberg population, in which the Herbstfest unfolds its function as a meeting place.