Ketscher Backfischfest

73 Years of Backfischfest on the Rhine

The Ketscher Backfischfest is one of the most traditional Volksfeste in the Kurpfalz region and will celebrate its 73rd edition in 2026. Over ten festival days from July 31 to August 9, the event brings more than 150,000 visitors to the Rhenish-Hessian municipality of Ketsch — an impressive number for a community of around 13,000 inhabitants. The Backfischfest is thus the identity-defining summer event of the Rhine municipality Ketsch.

The Specialty — Rhenish Backfisch

The namesake of the festival is the Rhenish specialty Backfisch: fillets of river or sea fish (traditionally carp, today often sea fish like Alaska pollock) coated in beer batter and deep-fried. Thousands of portions are sold per day at the Backfisch stands along the festival mile — usually with fries or bread. The festival thus celebrates a culinary tradition that is particularly cherished in the Kurpfalz and on the Middle Rhine between Mannheim, Worms, and Mainz.

Festival Tent, Wine Tavern, Amusement Park

The festival grounds are divided into several areas. The large festival tent is the musical highlight — live music daily with local and national bands, dance music until late into the night. The wine tavern offers a quieter atmosphere with wines from the Palatinate and Rhenish Hesse, as well as regional specialties. The amusement park with rides, carousels, a Ferris wheel, and a children's area completes the offerings for families and young people.

Festival Sunday with Parade, Family Day, Frühschoppen

Key program points include the festival parade on Sunday with floats, traditional costume groups, clubs, and showmen, the Frühschoppen on several Sundays with brass bands from the region, and the family days with reduced ride prices. The opening evening traditionally features the tapping of the first keg and a ceremonial speech; the closing fireworks mark the end of the ten festival days.

Ketsch — Rhine Municipality in the Rhein-Neckar District

Ketsch, with around 13,000 inhabitants, is a municipality in the Rhein-Neckar district in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located on the right bank of the Rhine between Mannheim, Schwetzingen, and Heidelberg. Its location on an old Rhine arm shapes the community's identity — and the Backfischfest celebrates precisely this identity. The proximity to the major cities of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region attracts visitors from all over southern Germany, from Frankfurt to the French border. The festival is part of the dense Volksfest landscape of the Kurpfalz, which is richly populated in summer with the Schwetzingen Festival, Mannheim Carnival Market, Heidelberg Castle Festival, and Backfischfest.