Spreewald Cucumber Day at the Höllberghof
Cucumber Day 2026 – completely rained out, but lovely
You can’t ask for more perfect weather: As soon as the official opening ceremony began at the Höllberghof in Langendpassau, it started to rain, and the rain continued until late afternoon. It was certainly a disappointment for organizers, booth operators, and visitors—a disappointment that, however, gave way to a certain defiance as the day went on. “Now that we’re here, it’s time to celebrate—no matter what the weather’s like!” seemed to be the prevailing mood. A group of Swiss visitors dressed in cucumber costumes played a major role in this—as did the Upper Lusatian band “Popsorben.” Swiss students—some of whom are studying in Berlin—have discovered the Spreewald in recent years and fallen in love with its cucumber creations. “It was clear to us that we had to attend Cucumber Day; some of us even traveled here from Switzerland this morning just for this. With our costumes, we want to spread the word a little about this Spreewald delicacy,” they said. When the Popsorben started playing “Don’t Cry When the Rain Comes” for the dance, it was the Swiss who lured the visitors out of their sheltered pavilions. With a long polonaise, we made our way across the muddy, wet meadow in the rain—no one seemed to be bothered by the weather anymore.
In addition to all the fun and entertainment, the organizer, the Spreewaldverein e. V., aimed to bring together local producers and show visitors what the region has to offer. The event was organized by the Förderverein Niederlausitzer Landrücken e. V.
Although the cucumber served as the inspiration for the name, it was actually a much wider range of produce and processed foods that set the tone for the day. At the booth of master butcher and beekeeper Andi Neumann, this was demonstrated to the invited guests during their tour: There were walnut bratwurst, beet sausage, and spinach bratwurst—all made with regional ingredients. He served his grilled zucchini with “Scharfe Biene.”
The nonprofit organization Foodsharing focused on the topic of food and its careful and economical use: Far too much is still being thrown away that could help others; the goal is smart, local distribution, with the ultimate aim of having to produce less—according to the booth operators (see foodsharing.de).
On stage, the performances came one after another, ranging from the Höllbergmusikanten, the German-Sorbian National Ensemble, the Flämingfreunde, and the aforementioned Popsorben to the Bluesbeards. Marlene Ullrich, from the organizing support association, surprised the audience by performing as a singer with the Höllbergmusikanten. At the last Cucumber Day in Dürrenhofe, she had taken over the baton—in the form of a boat paddle—from Melanie Kossatz, the executive director of the Spreewald Association. Marlene Ullrich at the end of the day: “We worked hard as a large team to put together a memorable day. The weather does make us a little sad, though—we and our visitors didn’t deserve this. We had expected intense heat and had just finished building the fire pond; it was meant to at least visually distract from the expected temperatures—but that didn’t matter at all today!”
Earlier, Marlene Ullrich had handed the baton to Lübbene Mayor Jens Richter. “We’re going to work really hard to ensure that, in 2027, we can host this major event—which has now become a tradition in our city—just as we experienced it here today at the Höllberghof.”
But a major event with a similar theme awaits numerous visitors later this year: The OSL District Harvest Festival will be held by the 19th – through It will take place on September 20 in Ogrosen, a neighborhood of Vetschau.
Here are a few glimpses of a day that was completely rainy, yet was still viewed very positively by visitors and organizers—because everyone braved the rain with plenty of humor and fun.
Peter Becker, August 2, 26
