Events in Stralsund and Wismar
Wismar Herring Festival
in March
The Hanseatic Chefs club of Wismar Bay hold their Herring Festival. As early as the eleventh century herring was of great commercial importance to the Hanseatic city. In those days Wismar’s fishermen flocked to the south west coast of Sweden in search of herring. Preserved in salt the herring was a highly prized commodity throughout Europe. The Herring Festival opens with the “Herring Cart” procession starting at the old harbour and ending in the market square with a great “Herring fry-up”. On the final day there will be a fish market at the old harbour where there will also be no shortage of fried herring. On the days in between the participating establishments will be offering avariety of mouth-watering herring specialities.
Stralsund Harbour Festival
1st weekend in June
The Gorch Fock I tall ship receives prominent visitors: traditional sailing ships such as the ‘Alexander von Humboldt’ and the ‘Zuiderzee’ sail the waters to mark the Harbour festival and Maritime Day of in Stralsund.
The quays are transformed into a maritime mile with people, parties and pirates, music, baked fish and sausages. The Coastguard & Co. also run sailing trips to the bollards for the Maritime Days.
Stralsund Hanseatic Day and World Heritage Day
1st sunday in June
The Hanseatic Period lives again … on Stralsund Hanseatic Day!
Stroll beneath the Gothic vaults of the Stralsund Town Hall cellar, wander through the Hanse market and learn more about pirates, ‘moneybags’ and ‘old cogs’. Dive into Stralsund’s Hanseatic past with merchants, showmen, musicians and storytellers!
All German World Heritage sites, including the historic centres of Stralsund and Wismar also have their own UNESCO World Heritage Day.
Wismar Harbour Festival
in June
Wismar expects thousands of visitors to descend on it for the Harbour Festival. Music stages, the big wheel, merry-go-rounds, amusement stalls and art and crafts displays all add up to a varied few days on the quayside. Traditional sailing ships like the schooner “Atlanta” and the restored Poeler Kogge (Cog) “Wissemara” offer inviting trips out into Wismar Bay. The absolute highlight of these three great days will be, without any doubt, on Saturday evening at 23.00 hrs. when the impressive firework display cascades over the bay against the magnificent backdrop of the old harbour.
Wallenstein Days in Stralsund
in July
Every year Stralsunders celebrate their successful resistance to the siege of the imperial troops under the leadership of Wallenstein in the year 1628. Visitors can travel back in time to the age of the Thirty Years' War and enjoy historical spectacles as well as the colorful festival with traders, craftsmen, parties, pageants, jugglers and singing.
boulevART International Street Theatre Festival
in August (every 2nd year)
The squares of Wismar will be taken over by national and inernational comedians during the International 'boulevART' Street Theatre Festival attracting hundreds of fascinated onlookers to the town. Foreign languages, strange sounds and unusual groups of players will enliven the town and transform it into one great colourful stage. Theatre players, street artists, musicians, stilt walkers and acrobats will cast their spell over the whole city from boulevard to harbour. You don´t have go to the theatre; the theatre will come to you and captivate you through its intimacy.
Sailors’ Meeting Stralsund
in August
The maritime highlight on the harbour island commemorates the 200-year shared history of Stralsund and Sweden. Traditional sailors from Germany and Scandinavia will take the adventurous on time travelling voyages (tickets: Tourist Information Office Stralsund), while everyone can experience the ships arrivals and departures from the quay wall.
Wismar Swedish Festival 2016
in August
Residents of Wismar and visitors from all over the world get together to experience one of the biggest city festivals of the region.
For 155 years, from 1648 to 1803, dating from the conquest of the Thirty Years War to the 99-year pledge to the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Wismar belonged to the Kingdom of Sweden. Today the Hanseatic city enjoys a close friendship with the former occupying country and each year celebrates this with the Wismar Swedish Festival.
Marvel at the demonstrations by Swedish military history clubs and the Wismar shooting club, enjoy theatrical events on the marketplace and wander through historic centre down to the Old habour through where countless market stalls and rides create a lively and colorful fairground bustle.
Friedrich-Stellwagen Organ Days in Stralsund
end of August/beginning September
The organ of St. Mary, one of the most significant historical instruments of Europe, is the celebrated star of the Friedrich-Stellwagen organ days.
The Long Night of Monuments in Stralsund
1st saturday in September
This is one night you do not want to sleep through! With churches, monasteries, vaults, gabled houses, stores and farms opening their doors for the night the historic centre becomes a stage with thousands inspired and swept away by the unique mood of this special night.
Christmas Market in Wismar
December
The traditional Wismar Christmas Market takes place in the historical market square, stylishly framed by the brightly lit Town Hall, the venerable old gabled building and the ’Wasserkunst’. With a fascination all of its own, it is considered to be one of the most beautiful in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. A rich offering of Christmas goods and gift ideas, tree decorations, toys, wooden handicrafts and candles greet the visitor at every turn. Watch the craftsman at work; glassblowing, making wrought iron work, baking bread in a stone oven, smoking locally caught fish and much more. There is also a selection of Christmas goods from Thüringen and the Erzgebirge on offer.
Christmas Market in Stralsund
December
The Wonder of Christmas lives in the Stralsund Town Hall cellar – artists, craft workers traders, craftsmen and musicians and storytellers invite you to browse through the market and wonder at the spectacle.
The ice rink at the Old Market and the Christmas hustle and bustle at the New Market complement the Christmas atmosphere.
