Heimat- und Erntedankfest Hemmersdorf

One Village, One Tradition

Hemmersdorf is a district of the municipality of Rehlingen-Siersburg on the Nied river, on the western edge of Saarland, near the border with Lorraine. Here, harvest thanks are celebrated not only in church but also in clubs – above all by FSV Hemmersdorf, which has been organizing the major local and harvest festival on the second weekend of September for decades.

When is the festival held?

The Heimat- und Erntedankfest 2026 runs on Saturday, September 12th and Sunday, September 13th, 2026. The venue is the festival grounds at the Kunstrasenplatz, Ewald-Bauer-Platz.

What awaits you

Saturday Evening – Live Music

From 7:30 PM, the festival tent fills up. Traditionally, the band ReSet plays a rock, pop, and cover program on stage. People dance, drink, eat – the Saarland version of an Oktoberfest, just without Lederhosen and a Maßkrug.

Sunday – Frühschoppen and Parade

From 11 AM, Frühschoppen with brass music in the festival tent, plus lunch and an extensive cake buffet, which the women of FSV bake in the weeks before the festival.

The Parade – The Centerpiece

At 1:30 PM, the traditional harvest festival parade starts. The route leads from the meeting point 'Zum Grafenthal' through Lothringer Straße, Niedaltdorfer Straße, Im Wulart, Blumenstraße, Am Kindergarten and ends at Ewald-Bauer-Platz at the Kunstrasenplatz. Floats with harvest crowns and harvest symbols, traditional costume groups, music clubs, clubs in historical costumes – a showcase of village life.

Why this parade is special

Harvest thanks are still widely celebrated in Saarland, but few villages organize parades of this magnitude. Hemmersdorf is an exception here. The neighboring communities of Schwarzenholz and Gresaubach also have their own parades on the same weekend – anyone spending a harvest festival weekend in the Niedtal can experience three of them.

Location and Surroundings

Hemmersdorf is located in western Saarland, about 15 km northwest of Saarlouis. Within reach: the Saarschleife near Mettlach, the Lorraine town of Bouzonville, the Niedtal valley with Niedaltdorf. Those who visit the region combine the harvest festival with hiking along the Nied and Saar rivers.