Stadt- und Spargelfest Osterburg

Asparagus Capital of the Altmark

When asparagus sprouts in the Altmark, the town of Osterburg (Altmark) is in high season. The Hanseatic city in the Stendal district is the administrative center of a rich asparagus-growing region — and celebrates this bounty annually in mid-May with the Stadt- und Spargelfest. 2026 marks the 27th edition — and the festival is now considered the largest spring festival in the entire Altmark.

Three Stages, Three Days

The festival spans three days and utilizes the entire city center of Osterburg: The Großer Markt hosts the main stage with the concert program, the Kleine Markt becomes a showmen's mile with carousels and rides (including a 40-meter attraction), and the Wallpromenade serves as a market and culinary area with food stalls and asparagus specialties. Each of the three festival days attracts up to 3,000 visitors — an exceptional number for a small town of around 9,000 inhabitants.

Asparagus — The Real Star

What sets the Osterburg festival calendar apart from comparable city festivals is the explicit culinary focus on Altmärker Spargel (Altmark asparagus). Food stalls offer asparagus soups, asparagus schnitzels, classic asparagus dishes with new potatoes, asparagus salads, and asparagus smoothies. Local asparagus farms have direct sales stands on-site. The concurrent asparagus market makes the festival a meeting point for anyone wanting to buy fresh Altmärker Spargel directly from the farm during the season.

Altmark, Osterburg, and Team Welte/Lübeck

The Altmark in northern Saxony-Anhalt is a region of diverse landscapes — vast fields, small Hanseatic cities (Tangermünde, Stendal, Havelberg), marshes, and forests. Osterburg is centrally located in this region, on the Biese, a tributary of the Aland. The Stadt- und Spargelfest has been organized since 2012 by the professional event team Welte/Lübeck — a guarantee for smooth showman operations, good stage production, and well-thought-out logistics.