Hirrlinger Kirbe with Hammeltanz 2026

Hirrlingen — Suburb of the Black Forest in the Tübingen District

The municipality of Hirrlingen, with around 2,800 inhabitants, is located in the north of the Tübingen district, on the border of the Black Forest foothills. For centuries, the Lehenwiese at the entrance to the village has been the Hirrlingen festival grounds — today the location of the festival tent for the annual Kirbe (Kirchweih).

Hirrlingen is part of the Swabian-Alemannic linguistic and traditional customs area, whose core lies in the carnival (Fasnet) and traditions surrounding the Kirchweihe.

The Kirbe — Swabian Heritage Festival

The Hirrlinger Kirbe is the traditional Kirchweih festival, which dates back to the consecration of the Hirrlingen parish church. In the Swabian calendar, it falls on the 3rd October weekend — thus from Friday, October 16th, to Sunday, October 18th, 2026. Three days of festival tent, catering, dancing, music, and communal celebration — it combines rural customs with modern festival culture.

The Hammeltanz — The Heart of the Hirrlinger Kirbe

What makes the Hirrlinger Kirbe unique is the Hammeltanz: a centuries-old custom that has been preserved in this form in only a few Swabian communities. The dance follows clear rules:

• A Hammel (live ram) is at the centre — symbolically the prize
• A Shepherd leads the ram
• A Watchmaker carries a large, decorated shield clock, whose chime ends the dance
• Dancers enter in pairs around the ram in a circle — they carry a sabre that is passed from dancer to dancer
• When the clock strikes, the dancer holding the sabre wins the ram — he is crowned Hammelkönig

The dance music is the Odenwälder Walzer; a formal waltz of honour concludes the ceremony in the festival tent. The Hammelkönig traditionally receives the ram prize (today usually as a non-cash prize or a sausage and meat donation from the local butcher), the sabre as a memento, and the honour of accompanying the dance in the following year.

Since 1969 — Heimatzunft Hirrlingen

The Heimatzunft Hirrlingen e.V. was founded in 1969 to preserve the Hammeltanz and other Hirrlingen customs and integrate them into the annual programme. Since then, the Hammeltanz has been an integral part of the Kirbe. The association also cultivates the Swabian-Alemannic carnival (Hirrlinger Fasnet) and other traditional elements. Members organise the festival tent, the dance choreography, the selection of dancers, and ensure adherence to the centuries-old rules.

The Programme for the Three Festival Days

The Kirbe is spread over three days. The detailed programme schedule for 2026 will be published in late summer on hirrlingen.de. Typical components:

• Friday evening: Festival tent opens, local band or DJ, young people celebrate
• Saturday: Procession from the church to the festival tent, mayor's speech, Hammeltanz opening (with ram procession), festival tent with live music
• Sunday: Frühschoppen (morning pint), family afternoon, festival finale with waltz of honour