Name: Gildefest Erfde 2026
Start: 2026-06-01T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-06-06T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Festplatz Erfde

Gildefest Erfde

About Gildefest Erfde

The Gildefest in Erfde is one of the oldest Schützen (marksmen's) traditions in Schleswig-Holstein. The Scheibengilde Erfde was founded in 1709 and has celebrated its festival every two years since 1840, alternating with the Vogelgilde Erfde — the entire week after Pentecost belongs to the Schützenfest in the Stapelholm municipality: bird shooting, target shooting, festive parade, proclamation of the king, dance evenings. Erfde is located in the north of the district of Schleswig-Flensburg in the landscape region of Stapelholm — a region between the Treene and Eider rivers, characterized by marsh and geest.

Dates 01 Jun — 06 Jun 2026

Venue Erfde (01059)

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Edition 2026

Gildefest Erfde — edition 2026

The Gildefest Erfde 2026 takes place in the week after Pentecost — from June 1 to 6, 2026. Since the Vogelgilde last hosted the festival in 2024, the Scheibengilde Erfde (founded in 1709) takes over in rotation in 2026. Several days of bird and target shooting, a festive parade through the village, proclamation of the king, and dance evenings. Detailed program from the Scheibengilde Erfde.

The festival follows the classic weekly schedule of the Stapelholm Gildefeste. As the change of hosts has been practiced without interruption since 1840, the organizational responsibility of the Scheibengilde in 2026 is well-rehearsed. Exact times and catering details will be communicated on the community notice boards and on erfde.de.

Highlights Gildefest Erfde 2026

Scheibengilde of 1709, festive parade, proclamation of the king, dance evenings — a whole festival week in the Stapelholm village of Erfde.

Programme Gildefest Erfde 2026

Festival week June 1–6, 2026 — Erfde

Mon, June 1 – Tue, June 2 — Assembling of the Scheibengilde, first competitions
Wed, June 3 — Target shooting for guild members
Thu, June 4 — Grand festive parade through the village, children's guild
Fri, June 5 — Dance evening with live band
Sat, June 6 — Festive ceremony with proclamation of the king, gala evening

Detailed program will be published shortly before the date on erfde.de and on the club notice boards.

Prices Gildefest Erfde 2026

Festive parade and public ceremonies are free. Dance evenings and gala evening with admission according to organizer's information.

Practical information

Practical information — Gildefest Erfde

Getting there

By car via the A23 (exit Tönning) and then on the B202. By train to Friedrichstadt or Schleswig, then regional bus.

Admission

Admission to the public festive parade and the proclamation of the king is free. Dance evenings and gala evening with admission according to organizer's information.

Community Contact

Gemeindebüro Erfde, Beekstraße 2, 24803 Erfde: +49 4333 454 | erfde.de.

Over 300 years of marksmen's tradition

The Scheibengilde Erfde was founded in 1709, making it one of the oldest marksmen's guilds in Schleswig-Holstein. A sisterly Vogelgilde (bird guild) complements the club life — both guilds celebrate their festival alternately in a two-year cycle, so that a Gildefest takes place in Erfde every year. The history of the guilds is the history of the Erfde village community.

A week after Pentecost

The Gildefest takes place annually in the full week after Pentecost — a tradition that has been unbroken since 1840. In the 2026 Pentecost calendar (Pentecost May 24/25), the festival falls on the week of June 1 to 6, 2026. Since the Vogelgilde hosted in 2024, it is the Scheibengilde that will lead the festival in 2026.

Program structure

An Erfde Gildefest follows a sequence that has evolved over generations:

Mon/Tue: Assembling of the guild, first competitions
Wed: Bird or target shooting, depending on the hosting guild
Thu: Grand festive parade through the village, children's guild
Fri: Dance evening with live band
Sat: Festive ceremony with proclamation, gala evening
Sun: Family finale and farewell

Stapelholm identity

Erfde is the largest municipality in the Stapelholm landscape region — a flat region characterized by marsh and geest between the Treene and Eider rivers, in the northern district of Schleswig-Flensburg. The region cultivates a strong cultural identity: Low German, traditional costumes, singing societies, and marksmen's guilds are part of its self-image. The Erfde Gildefest is one of the most important identity events in the region — alongside the Stapelholmer Heimat-, Sänger- und Trachtenfest (Stapelholm Homeland, Singing, and Costume Festival), which the municipality organizes additionally.

Erfde and its five districts

The municipality of Erfde with its districts Bargen, Ekel, Erfderfeld, Grevenhorst, and Scheppern has around 2,500 inhabitants and an active club life — youth center, sports hall, swimming pool, inline skating rink, and sports boat harbor at the Bargen Eider crossing. The Gildefest brings all these structures together once a year for a festival week.