Helpuper Dorffest

One Village, Four Days, One Community Festival

The Helpuper Dorffest is an institution in the Teutoburg Forest foothills of Lippe. Every two years at Pentecost, the Verkehrs- und Verschönerungsverein (VVV) Helpup, together with the local clubs, transforms Goldstraße and Mackenbrucher Straße into a closed festival area – only Jahnstraße remains accessible as an entrance. This creates four days of festivities in an unusually concentrated village atmosphere.

2026 Program: 6th Edition of the Run, Parade, and Festival Evenings

The village festival run on Friday afternoon (4:30 PM) is an attraction in itself: five distances – from the 400-meter children's run to the 10-kilometer race on a 2.5-kilometer circuit – will be run, followed by the award ceremony on the festival grounds. Registration via Tanja Tilleke (05202-3055 / [email protected]). In the evening, starting at 9:15 PM, the DJ disco with Ralf Huxohl (admission €10, ages 16 and up) begins, preceded by a children's torchlight procession at 8:30 PM.

On Saturday, May 23, the volunteer fire department will present a demonstration drill; in the afternoon, there will be a family program. At 9 PM, the eleven-member Royal Stage Army takes the stage (admission €12, ages 18 and up). The highlight is Sunday, May 24, with an ecumenical church service, the traditional grand parade with decorated floats at 3 PM – the best float-building group wins the coveted 'Max' award – and from 10 PM, the concert/DJ set by the Leipzig electronic act OBS / Ostblockschlampen, known from Parookaville and other festivals (admission €15, ages 18 and up). Monday, May 25, concludes the event with Sebastian Hegener, a lottery draw, and the ceremonial tapping of the first keg with the mayor.

The Festival Grounds and the Lippe District

Helpup is one of the four districts of Oerlinghausen, a small town in the Lippe district in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, at the transition between the Teutoburg Forest, Bielefeld West, and the Lipperland region. The festival grounds on Goldstraße are located in the town center and form the main event area. During the four days, Mackenbrucher Straße and Goldstraße are completely closed; the only access for residents and suppliers remains Jahnstraße.

Lippe Identity, Young Program

The Helpuper Dorffest is a classic Lippe village festival, but it consciously incorporates younger music formats – DJ sets, electronic bands. This distinguishes it from many smaller Schützenfest (marksmen's festivals) or local festivals in the region and also attracts audiences from Bielefeld, Detmold, and Paderborn. The village festival run has established itself as a popular fun run for families and club athletes.