What's on in Schleswig-Holstein this weekend of June 27 and 28? The last weekend of June before the summer holidays lets the north turn the volume up one final time: Kiel Week winds down with its grand finale, JazzBaltica plays at Timmendorfer Strand, and giant kites rise over the beach of St. Peter-Ording. Our pick this time? The range of registers — on the same weekend, metal thunders through an old warehouse in Husum while Winnetou rides across the open-air stage in Bad Segeberg.
From the rose town of Friedrichstadt to the craft-beer beach on Sylt, the programme runs wide. Twelve ideas for a weekend that has everything, from a roaring funfair to a quiet evening of theatre.
Kiel Week: the grand finale of the summer landmark
On June 28, the state capital brings Kiel Week to a close with its big final weekend — nine days of city festival, the world's largest sailing regatta and around 2,000 concerts and events now behind its three to four million visitors.
The finale is one of the most intense moments of the whole festival: the last races out on the fjord, the big stages along the Kiellinie and Rathausplatz running at full tilt once more, and on Sunday evening the traditional fireworks over the Hörn. Anyone who wants to soak up the atmosphere of this northern German summer classic has one last chance this weekend before Kiel settles back into quiet.
Classic Open Air of Kiel Week: classical meets pop on the Rathausplatz
One of Kiel Week's highlights takes place on Friday, June 26, on the Rathausplatz in the heart of the city: at the Classic Open Air, the Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra meets a guest from pop, reggae, soul or hip-hop. Admission is free, and the audience sits and stands beneath the open sky on a mild June night. The format deliberately lowers the threshold between classical and crossover and has been a crowd-puller for years, drawing thousands to the open-air stage. A moving prelude to the final weekend, where classical orchestral sound and modern pop blend together under the stars.
JazzBaltica Timmendorfer Strand: four days of top jazz at the beach park
JazzBaltica ranks among the most significant jazz festivals in northern Germany and turns the beach park of Timmendorfer Strand into a stronghold of contemporary jazz from June 25 to 28. Across four days, around 36 concerts ring out at five venues — from the open-air stage and the Maritim Seehotel to concerts right on the beach. 21 of the 36 concerts are free and open to all, making the festival one of the most accessible jazz gatherings on the Baltic coast. For lovers of improvised music, the closing weekend is the must-attend date of the season, alternating international names with young discoveries.
Lübeck Folk and Remembrance Festival: 171st edition of a Hanseatic classic
The Lübeck Folk and Remembrance Festival on the car park in front of the MUK is one of the oldest folk festivals of the Hanseatic city — its roots reach back to the revolutionary year of 1848. In its 171st edition, the festival runs until June 28 and offers a ten-day summer classic with fairground rides for every generation, showmen's booths and food stalls. The closing weekend is traditionally the high point, when the old town by the Holstentor turns into a fairground. A date for families seeking the genuine northern German funfair feeling, with history and tradition in the background.
Drachenfest Sankt Peter-Ording: giant kites over the Ordinger beach
When giant penguins, cartoon heroes and intricate stunt kites fill the sky over the Ordinger beach on the last weekend of June, it's kite festival time in St. Peter-Ording. From June 26 to 28, the broad North Sea beach of the Eiderstedt peninsula becomes a single airfield for kite lovers from across Germany and Scandinavia at the Drachenfest. With a flying school, ground animation and colourful show kites, the festival is a spectacle for the whole family. The wide beach and the steady North Sea wind make St. Peter-Ording the ideal setting — a picture of dancing colours against the horizon that delights young and old alike.
Karl-May-Spiele Bad Segeberg: premiere of "In the Valley of Death"
On June 27, the new season of the Karl-May-Spiele Bad Segeberg begins at the Kalkberg — the most famous Wild West open-air theatre in Europe. Over 7,500 open-air seats, elaborate riding stunts, pyrotechnics and a grand stage show: in 2026 the programme features the play "In the Valley of Death," a Winnetou adventure set against the natural cliffs of the Kalkberg.
The premiere day is one of the most glittering moments of the Segeberg summer, when the ensemble unveils the new production for the first time. A summer classic for families and Karl May fans that draws hundreds of thousands to the small town in the Segeberg district year after year.
Heavy Harder Harbour XV Husum: metal in an old warehouse by the harbour
The Heavy Harder Harbour series has long been a fixture of the northern German metal scene. On Friday, June 26, 2026, the Rettungsboot warehouse collective hosts the 15th edition in the Speicher Husum by the inner harbour — fittingly, the date 26.06.2026 forms a "666 constellation." From 8 pm, several bands from death metal, thrash metal, hard rock and post-black metal play in the old warehouse right by the water.
The raw industrial setting and the intimate size make the evening an insider tip for fans of heavy sound. Anyone seeking genuine underground atmosphere away from the big open-airs is in exactly the right place in Husum.
CSD Schleswig — Schleswig Pride: a colourful parade on the Schlei
On June 27, the CSD Schleswig — Schleswig Pride winds through the centre of Schleswig. Like every Christopher Street Day, it is both a political demonstration and a queer street party: a colourful parade with music, dance and creative costumes, followed by a stage programme with workshops, info stands, DJ sets and drag shows.
On the Schlei, Schleswig celebrates diversity and visibility in the heart of its historic old town. A date for everyone who wants to make a statement for tolerance and experience a lively, joyful day in the Viking town — loud, colourful and with a clear stance.
Craft Beer & Gourmet Festival Sylt: beer and cuisine on the Brandenburger Strand
Six days of beach, beer and cuisine: the Craft Beer & Gourmet Festival Sylt transforms the Westerland promenade on the Brandenburger Strand from June 23 to 28 into an open culinary stage. Over 40 stalls present craft breweries from northern and southern Germany — such as Sturmbräu Kampen, James Fram Flensburg and Waldhaus Schwarzwald — joined by wine, cocktails and street food from dry-aged burgers to tarte flambée.
The closing weekend falls in the heart of the island's high season, with sea views and Sylt summer atmosphere. A relaxed counterpoint to the big folk festivals, ideal for connoisseurs who want to combine beer culture with a beach holiday.
Hörnerfest Brande-Hörnerkirchen: medieval rock on a farm
The Hörnerfest in Brande-Hörnerkirchen is one of the most important open-air festivals for medieval rock, pagan folk and medieval metal in northern Germany. On a former farm between Hamburg and the Danish border, the festival blends music with living history from June 24 to 28: its own medieval camp with craftspeople, fire art, jesters, archery and axe- and knife-throwing.
The final weekend brings the strongest stage moments, when drums, bagpipes and guitars echo across the festival grounds. For fans of the medieval scene, the Hörnerfest is a fixed date — wild, costume-loving and full of campfire romance.
Friedrichstädter Rosenträume: a rose market in the Dutch town
The Friedrichstädter Rosenträume are the great summer festival of the Dutch-style town of Friedrichstadt. On June 27 and 28, the historic market square turns into a rose market with five renowned rose nurseries: historic roses, climbing and rambling roses, shrub and bedding roses in hundreds of varieties. Add to this care tips straight from the growers, a garden market with ceramics, jewellery and craftwork, and food stalls before the town's characteristic canal backdrop. A weekend for garden and rose lovers who want to enjoy the blooming flair of the small North Frisian town with its Dutch-inspired gabled houses.
Dithmarscher Theaternacht Heide: a stage trail on the museum island
The Dithmarschen Theatre Night travels to Heide for the first time in 2026: on June 27, the Lüttenheid museum island turns into a lively stage trail with productions by the Landestheater Schleswig-Holstein, the Meldorf theatre group and the VHS Theatre Heide. Indoors and out, the audience experiences short theatre scenes, dance and readings — a special summer night where culture and island atmosphere merge. Anyone who wants to skip the loud folk festivals of the weekend and instead enjoy a quiet, artistic evening will find an atmospheric highlight on the museum island in the heart of Dithmarschen.
For more events across Germany, see our this weekend's agenda. Have a lovely last June weekend in Schleswig-Holstein!
