Kayhude Village Festival

One Village, One Festival, One Fire Brigade

Kayhude is located in southern Schleswig-Holstein, in the Segeberg district, directly on the border with the Hanseatic city of Hamburg. With around 1,200 inhabitants, Kayhude is a typical village in the region: a commuter town, rural structure, intact club life. The Kayhude Volunteer Fire Brigade plays a central role in this village ecology — and its annual Dorffest (village festival) is more than just an event: it is the date when the entire village comes together.

The Village Square as a Living Room

For the festival, the village square is transformed into an open living room: beer benches, a barbecue, a drinks stand, a stage or DJ booth, with varying accents depending on the year. The fire brigade runs the bar, the youth fire brigade is involved, and residents drop by unannounced — often not leaving until late in the evening.

A Familiar Format in the State of Schleswig-Holstein

To understand the village festival, you have to understand the village. There are hundreds of these annual village festivals in Schleswig-Holstein, where the fire brigade is the organiser, the beer flows cold, and children play in the square until late at night. Kayhude is one of them — not a tourist spectacle, but a piece of lived village everyday culture that is all the more worth seeing because of it.

When Exactly is the Celebration

For 2026, the Volunteer Fire Brigade has announced September 19 as the date. The detailed programme is traditionally announced on the fire brigade's website and on the notice board in the village.