Geseke Witch City Festival

Geseke Witch City Festival — the city celebrates its history

From September 25 to 27, 2026, the Geseke Witch City Festival opens its gates. Three festival days on the last weekend of September transform the city center of the town in the Soest district into a colorful festival mile — with witch games, live music, showmen, and a Sunday opening for shopping, which rounds off the festival.

History — from Tiufeln-Fier to Witch City Festival

The festival originated in 1982: At that time, the local business association founded the "Tiufeln-Fier" as a street festival, connecting Geseke's merchants with the city's population. Over the years, the festival evolved — and eventually adopted the name "Witch City Festival", which refers to a dark episode in the city's history: Geseke was the scene of several witch trials in the 16th and 17th centuries. Instead of suppressing this history, the city decided to process it and make it the basis of its current festival identity — a remarkable approach to a dark heritage.

Since 2020, the festival has been organized by the City of Geseke itself and takes place annually on the last weekend of September.

Program — what to expect

• Live music on several stages — cover bands, regional acts, Schlager
• Showmen with carousels, rides, and food stalls
• Witch games — costumed performances and activities that pick up on the festival theme
• Entertainment for young and old with children's program and family focus
• Sunday opening for shopping with open stores
• Food and drink stands throughout the city center

Exhibitor registration

Registration deadline for exhibitors (catering, artisans, exhibitors) is August 10, 2026. Online forms at geseke.de.

Geseke — town in the southern Soest district

The town of Geseke (around 22,000 inhabitants) is located in the Soest district in North Rhine-Westphalia, in the transition area between the Westphalian Lowland Bay and the Hellweg. The town looks back on over a thousand years of history (first documented mention in 833) and has a remarkable historical substance with the St. Cyriacus Foundation, the medieval city wall, and numerous half-timbered houses. Economically, the cement industry shapes the region — Geseke is the location of several large cement plants. The Witch City Festival has been the most important city festival of the year since 1982.