Bilker Schützenfest and Kirmes

Schützenfest and Kirmes — Düsseldorf's second largest

While the Düsseldorfer Schützen- und Heimatfest on the Oberkassel Rhine meadows attracts hundreds of thousands annually, the Bilker Schützenfest is the most important district Schützenfest in Düsseldorf's south. The organizer is the St. Seb. Schützenverein Düsseldorf-Bilk e.V., which dates back to the historical Bilk citizen community and is closely linked to the Catholic St. Martin's parish.

When: June 13–23, 2026

The festival season in 2026 spans ten days with three clearly defined highlights:

• Möschesamstag — Saturday, June 13, 2026: Opening at 1 PM with the board, staff officers, and retinue
• Möschesonntag — Sunday, June 14, 2026: Bürger- und Kinderschützenfest, which announces the main festival
• Bilker Schützenfest with Kirmes — Friday, June 19 to Tuesday, June 23, 2026: Main festival with parade, King's Ball, bird shooting, proclamation, grand procession, and Kirmes

Where: City District 3 — Bilk

The festival takes place in Düsseldorf's City District 3 (Bilk, Friedrichstadt, Hamm, Flehe, Volmerswerth, Unterbilk, Oberbilk). Bilk is one of Düsseldorf's most vibrant districts — characterized by the Heinrich Heine University, a multicultural neighborhood, a Mediterranean atmosphere on Lorettostraße, and an active cultural scene. In the heart of this district, the St. Seb. Bruderschaft organizes its annual Schützenfest.

Möschesamstag and Möschesonntag — what does that mean?

„Mösche“ is a Düsseldorf diminutive for „Mösch“ (sparrow) and a fond term in the Rhineland dialect for the people of Bilk. Möschesamstag is the traditional start of the festival season — a kind of prelude with the announcement of the queens and kings for the coming year. Möschesonntag, with the Bürger- und Kinderschützenfest, focuses on the next generation: children are introduced to the Schützenwesen in a playful manner.

Main Festival June 19–23, 2026

The main celebration begins on Friday, June 19, with the tapping of the beer keg on the festival grounds and the opening of the Bilker Kirmes — amusement rides, raffles, sausage and mulled wine stalls. Saturday features the grand parade through Bilk: marksmen in uniform, music bands, riders, decorated floats. Sunday follows with the King's Mass and King's Ball. Monday and Tuesday bring the bird shooting and the festive proclamation of the new Schützenkönig.

Bilk — Düsseldorf's southern district

With over 200,000 inhabitants, City District 3 is one of the largest and most diverse in the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. The Lorettostraße is Düsseldorf's hip café mile with a Mediterranean flair. The university brings a youthful spirit, while the old Bilk families carry on the Schützen tradition. Anyone who wants to experience the festival culture of a Rhenish metropolis not on the Königsallee, but in a real neighborhood context, will find the Bilker Schützenfest to be exactly the right place.