Country Festival Schwalenberg

Country Festival Schwalenberg — Cowboy Boots in the Lippe Uplands

The Country Festival Schwalenberg is one of the youngest and most beloved music festivals in Ostwestfalen-Lippe. On Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM, the 3rd edition will take place in the historic old town of Schwalenberg. The concept: five concerts at five venues — in pubs, galleries, small halls, and courtyards around the market square of the artists' town. Country and Americana in all shades, from intimate singer-songwriter sets to energetic bands.

The Concept — A Wandering Concert Through the Old Town

Instead of one big stage, the Country Festival focuses on decentralization: you wander through the old town during the day and visit the five venues at your own pace. The concerts are timed so that all acts can be attended with the festival pass. This makes the festival a city experience: between concerts, you walk through narrow alleys, peek into artists' studios and galleries, and make stops at one of Schwalenberg's restaurants.

Musical Spectrum — Country and Americana

The program is broad — Country in all its varieties:

• Acoustic Duos with guitar and violin in the style of Mountain Music
• Singer-Songwriters with their own songs between Folk and Outlaw Country
• Full Bands for danceable Honky Tonk and Country Rock
• Bluegrass Combos
• Contemporary Country and Country Pop

The standard is surprisingly high — there is a dedicated country scene in Germany, and the festival now attracts acts from all German-speaking countries, occasionally also from the USA and Great Britain.

Schwalenberg — The Artists' Town in the Lippe Uplands

The district of Schwalenberg in the municipality of Schieder-Schwalenberg is one of the most beautiful half-timbered towns in North Rhine-Westphalia. About 1,000 inhabitants, an almost completely preserved medieval old town with a castle ruin, many galleries and studios — the town has made a name for itself as an artists' colony since the 19th century. Painters like Hans Steinbrecher and Otto Heichert lived and worked here; today, the town with the Künstlerhaus Schwalenberg is a vibrant meeting place for the OWL art scene.

The Ideal Festival Format for a Small Town

With only 1,000 inhabitants, Schwalenberg would be too small for a classic open-air festival with a large stage. That's precisely why the wandering concept works so well: the town itself becomes the stage, and the organizers use the existing spaces — from the hall of the Schwalenberger Brewery to the "Aula" of the castle. This makes the festival authentic, intimate, and unique.