Green Week Celebrates 90th Edition - And 100-Year Anniversary - Berlin’s Green Week turns 90 as a global hub for farming and politics
Berlin’s Green Week has opened its doors for the 90th time this year. What began as a small trade fair in 1926 has since grown into a major event for farming, politics, and international business. Top officials, including Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, are attending the celebrations this week.
The fair first launched in 1926, attracting around 50,000 visitors to scattered venues across Berlin’s convention district. By 1962, it had transformed into an 'International' event, shifting focus to Western European exhibitors after the Berlin Wall cut off East Germany.
During the Nazi era, the Green Week served as a propaganda platform for the regime’s 'Blood and Soil' ideology. Jewish and politically persecuted individuals were banned from participating. After the war, the fair resumed in 1948 under difficult conditions. With West Berlin blockaded by Soviet forces, exhibits and supplies had to be flown in via the Allied airlift. Since German reunification, the event has expanded in both size and political weight. Today, it draws leading politicians from all parties, turning the fairgrounds into a stage for national debates. Federal Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer has called it 'almost like Christmas and Easter rolled into one' for the agri-food sector. This year’s opening ceremony features a speech by President Steinmeier, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz is scheduled for a tour next week. The German Farmers’ Association now organises the event, overseeing its continued growth as a key industry gathering.
The 90th Green Week brings together farmers, policymakers, and international exhibitors in Berlin. With high-profile attendance and ongoing political discussions, the fair remains a central platform for agriculture and trade. Its history reflects both Germany’s turbulent past and its current role as a major economic event.
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