Eckental Kirchweihen

Seven Villages, Seven Kerwa Weekends

What most Franconian communities celebrate with a single Kirchweih, Eckental expands into a five-month program. The municipality of Eckental, located between Erlangen and Nuremberg, consists of several historically developed districts — and each celebrates its own Kerwa. The patronal feast of the respective parish and its place in the annual calendar determine the date.

The Seven Kerwa Weeks 2026

The 2026 series begins in June in Eckenhaid and concludes in October in Herpersdorf. The official dates have been published by the Erlangen-Höchstadt District Office:

• Eckenhaid — June 4th to 8th, 2026 (Opening)
• Oberschöllenbach — July 10th to 13th, 2026
• Brand — August 7th to 10th, 2026
• Eschenau — August 21st to 24th, 2026
• Benzendorf — September 4th to 8th, 2026
• Forth — October 2nd to 5th, 2026
• Herpersdorf — October 9th to 12th, 2026

Eckental — A Mosaic Municipality in the Erlangen Region

With around 14,500 inhabitants, Eckental is located in the Erlangen-Höchstadt district, in the state of Bavaria, at the transition between the Sebalder Reichswald forest and the Franconian Switzerland region. The municipality was formed in 1972 from the merger of several independent villages — and it is precisely this communal history that explains why each village has preserved its patronal feast character.

What Characterizes the Eckental Kerwa

As everywhere in Middle Franconia: Kirchweih is more than just an evening in a beer tent. It is a dense network of rituals including the patronal mass, the 'Plärrer' dance, 'Kerwa-Burschen' (young men organizing the festival), bratwurst, and beer. Each of the seven Eckental Kerwas brings its own accents — from a traditional parade to a purely village-based inn Kerwa.