GillerBergFest — The Mountain Gymnastics Festival

Sport at 656 Meters — Since 1907

The GillerBergFest, officially BergTurnFest, is a small sensation in the German club landscape: Since 1907, the highest point of the Ginsberger Heide near Hilchenbach-Lützel has been transformed into a huge sports ground where clubs from Westphalia and all over NRW measure their strength for two days. It is considered the largest mountain sports festival in NRW. The organizer is the Turngemeinde Grund in cooperation with the Siegerland-Turngau.

2026 Program — Swimming, Mountain Weekend

The festival is divided into two parts:

• Sunday, July 5, 2026 — Gillerschwimmen: the traditional public swimming event as the season opener
• July 10–12, 2026 — Giller Weekend: the actual BergTurnFest on the Ginsberger Heide

Saturday, July 11 — Competition Day

The Saturday starts at 9 AM with all-around competitions for pupils and children's competitions (KWK). From 1:30 PM onwards, kindergarten group competitions (KGW), relay races, and participatory activities follow. In parallel, the Beach Volleyball Tournament takes place with games until the late evening. The highlight is the Giller Night Show from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM: a colorful mix of club shows, gymnastics, dance, artistic gymnastics, and slapstick performances.

Sunday, July 12 — Hiking, Competitions, Wind-Down

Sunday begins at 9 AM with an ecumenical service in the festival tent, followed by 5- and 15-km hikes at 9:30 AM around the Ginsberger Heide. From 10 AM, all-around competitions and artistic gymnastics for youth and adults, as well as an orienteering race, take place — a classic mix of traditional and modern disciplines.

Family-Friendly and Free

Free admission. For over a hundred years, the BergTurnFest has seen itself as a public festival with a sports DNA: those who simply want to enjoy sausages and beer on the mountain are just as welcome as ambitious competitive athletes. Overnight accommodation is available in the festival tent camping for visiting clubs.

Siegerland — Uplands with Tradition

The Ginsberger Heide is located in the Rothaargebirge, in the town of Hilchenbach in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district in North Rhine-Westphalia. The region is one of the richest in forests and highest in NRW and a classic destination for hikers, mountain bikers, and athletes. The nearby Giller transmitter and the observation tower are further attractions — ideal for a longer stay around the BergTurnFest.

KulturPur as a Sister Festival

A few weeks before the GillerBergFest, the KulturPur tent festival (34th edition 2026) takes place on the same grounds — music, cabaret, and theater on the Giller. Those visiting the Siegerland in the summer can combine both dates or travel to the Ginsberger Heide multiple times.