Anröchter Herbstkirmes

Anröchter Herbstkirmes — The Sauerland Folk Festival of Autumn

From October 9th to 12th, 2026, the Anröchter Herbstkirmes transforms the town center of the Sauerland municipality of Anröchte into a four-day festival ground. With over 100 rides and amusement stalls, the fair is one of the largest of its kind in the South Westphalian Sauerland and a traditional date in the region's folk festival calendar.

Timing — Always the 2nd Weekend of October

The Anröchter Herbstkirmes traditionally takes place on the weekend of the 2nd Sunday in October. In 2026, this corresponds to October 9th–12th — Friday to Monday. Four festival days during which the town center is closed to traffic and transformed into a mix of folk festival, market, and family day.

Program Schedule

The program follows classic Sauerland fair traditions:

• Friday, October 9th — Keg tapping ceremony by Mayor Alfred Schmidt. The festive opening marks the start of the festival weekend. The rides open from the tapping ceremony onwards, the folk festival begins.
• Saturday, October 10th — Main fair day with all rides, stalls, and catering in the festival tent
• Sunday, October 11th — Family focus, Open shopping day in Anröchte's shops from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
• Monday, October 12th — Flea and pot market from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM plus Family Day from 10:30 AM. Monday has been the actual flea market day for generations — many local families buy household goods, pottery, tools, and more here.

Over 100 Rides and Amusement Stalls

With over 100 showmen, the Herbstkirmes is larger than some city fairs. Visitors can expect:

• Rides — Ferris wheel, bumper cars, carousels, spinning rides, roller coaster variants
• Amusement stalls — shooting gallery, strongman game, dice games, coin games
• Gastronomy — Bratwurst, fries, candied almonds, Schmalzkuchen (lard cakes), mulled wine, beer
• Festival tent with live music (party bands, Schlager music)

Flea and Pot Market on Monday — A Westphalian Original

The flea and pot market on Monday is a Westphalian specialty — a classic household goods market where pottery, tools, fabrics, dishes, and all sorts of "Kramerei" (trinkets) are sold. While the rest of the fair offers fun and excitement, the flea market is a kind of rural large market in a folk festival setting. For many Anröchte families, Monday morning is the fair highlight — also because of the tradition of meeting old acquaintances here and having "Kirmes gossip".

Anröchte — Sauerland Municipality in the Soest District

Anröchte is a municipality with around 11,000 inhabitants in the Soest district, on the edge of the Sauerland. Its location between Soest, Lippstadt, and the northern Sauerland makes it a typical Westphalian municipal center — rural, tradition-conscious, with strong clubs. The Herbstkirmes is one of its most important cultural highlights.