Hitdorfer Schützenfest

Hitdorf — the smallest district with the oldest tradition

If you're looking for a district in Leverkusen with unbroken medieval tradition, head to Hitdorf. Leverkusen's northernmost district lies directly on the Rhine, on the border between the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Düsseldorf region. With barely 6,000 inhabitants, Hitdorf is Leverkusen's smallest district — but one of the most independent culturally. Its own fishing tradition, its own shooting club customs, its own carnival society. The Schützenfest of the St. Sebastianus Schützenbruderschaft Hitdorf 1428 e.V. is not a tourist spectacle here, but village identity.

One of Germany's oldest fraternities

The founding of the St. Sebastianus Schützenbruderschaft Hitdorf dates back to the year 1428 — almost 600 years before today's Schützenfest. This makes it one of the oldest shooting clubs in Germany. Like many Rhineland fraternities, it combines church traditions (patronage festival of Saint Sebastian), military heritage (shooting), and village club life (king's shoot, parade, club evenings).

Three days of Schützenfest 2026

The 2026 Schützenfest spans three days. Thursday, May 14th, 2026, is Ascension Day (Father's Day) and opening day: opening ceremony in the late morning, traditional parade in the afternoon at 2:30 PM, followed by a festival ceremony in the evening. Friday, May 15th, is King's Bird Day: starting in the afternoon, fraternity members shoot at the wooden bird — whoever knocks off the last piece becomes the new shooting king of the Hitdorf fraternity for the upcoming term. Saturday, May 16th, is Family Day and the closing evening with an 80s/90s party starting at 8 PM.

Hitdorf Fairground — the festival grounds

The venue is the Hitdorf Fairground at Hitdorfer Straße 113A. The grounds are located in the town center, within walking distance of Hitdorf Harbor and the Rhine promenade. The festival grounds include a large marquee, a small fairground with carousels and market stalls, a stage for live music, and the fraternity's stands. The limited space — the grounds can only hold a few thousand visitors — creates a close-knit, familiar atmosphere. Unlike large events, many visitors here know each other personally.

King's Bird Shoot as the highlight

The King's Bird Shoot on Friday afternoon is the mythological center of the festival. A wooden eagle is placed on a high pole, and fraternity members take turns shooting at the bird with special rifles. Whoever knocks off the last piece — the torso — from the pole becomes the new king. The tradition dates back to the Middle Ages, when shooting clubs were founded for village defense. Today, the king's shoot is primarily a ceremonial ritual.

Hitdorf in the Rhineland shooting context

The Rhineland and Bergisches Land are the historical homeland of German shooting traditions. In the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, there are over 1,300 shooting clubs, many with centuries-old traditions. Hitdorf's founding date of 1428 places the fraternity in the top ranking of the oldest clubs. Comparable dates are held by the St. Sebastianus Fraternity Bonn (approx. 1463) or the Schützenbruderschaft Kevelaer (1455). Within Leverkusen, Hitdorf is the oldest fraternity — for example, the Schlebusch fraternity St. Sebastianus was founded in 1418 and is considered even older within the city limits.