Name: 150 Years Volunteer Fire Brigade Dornstadt 2026
Start: 2026-05-22T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-05-25T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Festzelt Dornstadt (Gemeinde Alerheim, Landkreis Donau-Ries)

150 Years FF Dornstadt

About 150 Years FF Dornstadt

The Volunteer Fire Brigade Dornstadt in the Bavarian Ries celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2026. For four days, the small district of the municipality of Alerheim in the Donau-Ries district transforms into a large festival ground: a festival tent, a ceremonial act with guests of honor, a church service, a parade, the swearing-in of the sponsor company, and live music will characterize the weekend from May 22 to 25, 2026. An anniversary that the entire community celebrates together — and a typical Bavarian fire brigade festival in its purest form.

Dates 22 May — 25 May 2026

Venue Dornstadt (09779)

Prices —

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

150 Years FF Dornstadt — edition 2026

The 150th anniversary festival of the FF Dornstadt takes place from Friday, May 22 to Monday, May 25, 2026, in the Dornstadt district (municipality of Alerheim) in the Donau-Ries district. A ceremonial act, a church service, a parade with the sponsor company, and festival tent operations with dance bands characterize the four days. Tickets for the concert evenings are distributed by the FF Dornstadt.

In 2026, the FF Dornstadt celebrates its 150th anniversary (founding year 1876). The festival weekend spans four days, from Friday, May 22 to Monday, May 25, 2026. Preparations have been underway for months, with the festival committee coordinating the tent, music, associations, guests of honor, and the sponsor company from the Donau-Ries district.

Tickets for the concert evenings were already available in the weeks leading up to the festival via the FF Dornstadt's Instagram and Facebook channels. The FF Dornstadt will publish updated detailed programs on its website and social media channels shortly before the event.

Highlights 150 Years FF Dornstadt 2026

150 years of association history, ceremonial act with guests of honor on Friday, dance band on Saturday, church service and grand parade with sponsor company on Sunday.

Programme 150 Years FF Dornstadt 2026

Friday, May 22, 2026 — Festival Kick-off

Opening of the festival tent
Ceremonial act with guests of honor (Mayor of Alerheim, District Fire Chief of Donau-Ries, State Parliament Member)
Honoring of deserving female and male comrades of the FF Dornstadt
Evening — Live concert in the festival tent

Saturday, May 23, 2026 — Festival Evening with Dancing

Daytime — Festival tent open, catering
Evening — Big dance band in the festival tent (top act of the weekend)

Sunday, May 24, 2026 — Festival Sunday

Morning — Reception of guest fire brigades from the Donau-Ries district
Church service or ecumenical service
Afternoon — Grand parade with all guest fire brigades and the sponsor company
Swearing-in of the sponsor company on the festival grounds
Following — Festival finale in the tent with brass band music

Monday, May 25, 2026 — Closing

Morning — Brunch
Afternoon — Family program in the tent
Evening — Official end of the festival weekend (Save the Date May 25, 2026)

Detailed band confirmations, ticket sales, and possible program changes will be updated on Instagram @feuerwehr.dornstadt and the FF Dornstadt's Facebook page.

Prices 150 Years FF Dornstadt 2026

Admission to the festival tent during the day is free. Tickets for the concert and dance evenings are sold separately; advance sales via the FF Dornstadt (Instagram, Facebook, website).

Practical information

Practical information — 150 Years FF Dornstadt

Getting There

Dornstadt is located in the Bavarian Ries in the Donau-Ries district. By car via the B25 or B466 to Alerheim. The nearest train station is Nördlingen (line Aalen–Donauwörth), from there continue by bus.

Admission

Admission to the festival tent is free. Tickets for concert evenings are sold separately (see Instagram and Facebook of FF Dornstadt).

Contact

Freiwillige Feuerwehr Dornstadt, Instagram @feuerwehr.dornstadt. Updates at ffw-dornstadt.de.

A 150-Year Tradition

The Volunteer Fire Brigade Dornstadt was founded in 1876 — at a time when firefighting in rural areas of Bavaria was being modernized through the establishment of local fire brigade associations. Dornstadt, now a district of the municipality of Alerheim in the Donau-Ries district, belongs to the Bavarian Ries — a geologically unique, crater-shaped depression in the transition zone between the Swabian Jura and the Franconian Jura, formed by a meteorite impact about 14.5 million years ago.

What a Fire Brigade Anniversary Festival Is

A 150th anniversary festival of a fire brigade in Bavaria traditionally follows a strictly observed choreography over four days:

Thursday — Kick-off: Setting up the festival tent, first beer, opening brunch
Friday — Festival Evening: Ceremonial act with guests of honor (Mayor, District Administrator, District Fire Chief), honoring of deserving comrades, live band in the festival tent in the evening
Saturday — Festival Evening with Dancing: big dance band in the festival tent, often regional stars
Sunday — Festival Sunday: Reception of guest fire brigades, church service or ecumenical service, joint parade with all fire brigades from the surrounding area and the sponsor company, followed by a festival finale in the tent

The Bavarian Ries as a Backdrop

The Donau-Ries district encompasses the Bavarian Ries and parts of the Danube valley and is characterized by schnapps distilleries, breweries, a dense agricultural structure, and particularly active fire brigades. Here, the fire brigade associations are not only firefighters but also anchors of identity for village life — and anniversary festivals are among the largest social events of a place.

The Sponsor Company and Customs

A special tradition of Bavarian fire brigade festivals is the sponsor company (Patenkompanie): a neighboring fire brigade takes on the sponsorship for the anniversary festival and marches alongside the celebrating brigade during the parade. In addition, there are festival mothers (Festmutter), a festival cross (Festkreuz), festival flags (Festfahnen), and the swearing-in of the young sponsor company — all elements that elevate the festival far beyond a mere club birthday.