Dreschfest — Walters Hof Gögglingen 2026

Homeland, Harvest, and Threshing Festival in Gögglingen

The Dreschfest in Gögglingen is a traditional Swabian summer festival that combines three classic elements of a rural celebration: Heimatfest (a festival celebrating local identity), Erntefest (a festival of thanks for the summer harvest), and Dreschfest (demonstrations of historical threshing with old equipment). The organizer is Blasmusik Gögglingen-Donaustetten e.V. — a traditional music club that organizes the festival every year in early August. In 2026, the festival runs on Saturday, August 8, and Sunday, August 9, 2026.

Walters Hofwirtschaft — The Festival Venue

The festival takes place at Walters Hofwirtschaft — a farm-style property in Gögglingen, which was operated as a farm in the past and now serves as a festival venue. The atmosphere is familiar, rural, and unpretentious — not a festival setup with stage rigging, but an open courtyard with catering stalls, beer benches, and a central area for the threshing demonstrations.

Threshing Demonstration — Historical Equipment in Action

Threshing — the process of separating grain kernels from straw and chaff — is demonstrated using historical equipment. Depending on the program: old threshing flails, mechanical threshing machines from the 19th and early 20th centuries, traction engine-powered systems. These demonstrations are both a cultural-historical display — showing how farmers worked until the mechanization of agriculture — and a technical spectacle with an audible and visible experiential character. For children and young people, it's often their first real encounter with historical agricultural technology.

Musical Program — Brass Music at the Center

Blasmusik Gögglingen-Donaustetten e.V. performs as the main band at the festival. Guest bands from the region (Allgäu, Swabian Jura, Ulm area) also perform. The program combines traditional brass music (marches, polkas, Swabian pieces) with modern cover arrangements and show brass music. A traditional Sunday morning 'Frühschoppen' (early morning pint with music) is a regular part of the program.

Gögglingen — District of Ulm

Gögglingen is a southwestern district of the city of Ulm — incorporated in 1971, along with Donaustetten. The rural character of the district has been preserved to this day — meadows, fields, and farms dominate the landscape, even though Ulm's city center is only a few kilometers away. This mix of village character and proximity to the city makes Gögglingen a typical Swabian district — rural roots but well-connected. From Ulm Central Station, you can reach Gögglingen by bus in about 15–20 minutes.

Swabian Catering and Family-Friendly

Swabian gastronomy at the club's catering: Bratwurst (sausage), Schnitzel, fries, Maultaschen (dumplings), Spätzle (egg noodles), accompanied by draft beer, cider, wines, soft drinks, and cake in the afternoon. The festival is family-friendly — children find their place among the threshing demonstrations and in the club's activities. Free admission.