Kesselheimer Kirmes

The Kesselheimer Kirmes is one of the oldest district festivals in the north of Koblenz. Kesselheim, a rather small and rural district on the Rhine, maintains a tradition with the Kirmes that dates back to 1922 – the founding year of the current Kirmesgesellschaft Kesselheim 1922 St. Martin e.V.

A district with a rural character

Kesselheim is located in the extreme north of the Koblenz city area and is manageable with its approximately 3,000 inhabitants. It is precisely this size that makes the Kirmes special: it has the character of a village festival where almost all residents know each other, yet it combines the typical appeal of a district fair with residents from Lützel, Wallersheim, Neuendorf, and the surrounding area.

Program between tradition and family festival

Over four festival days, the Kirmesgesellschaft offers a varied program: barrel tapping with a ceremonial act on the opening day, dance evenings in the festival tent, family afternoon with face painting and reduced ride prices, Frühschoppen (morning pint) on Sunday, tombola with numerous prizes, and the cozy Kirmes (fair) finale on Tuesday.

Saint Martin's Tradition

The suffix St. Martin refers to the patron of the parish church and the Kirmesgesellschaft. Beyond the Kirmes, the association organizes the St. Martin's Day parade in November and other district activities. The number of members is manageable, but the commitment is all the greater – most residents of Kesselheim are connected to the Kirmes in some way, whether as helpers, board members, stall operators, or regular guests.

A neighborhood Kirmes (fair)

Anyone visiting the Kesselheimer Kirmes experiences the counterpart to the loud major event: no mass crowds, but encounters, local dialect, brass music, a sip of beer with the neighbor, and showmen who have had the same pitch for decades.