Kirchheimer Märzenmarkt

One of the first major spring festivals in Southern Germany

The Kirchheimer Märzenmarkt opens the Southern German Volksfest season every year at the end of February / beginning of March. While most amusement parks don't start operating until after Easter, the Märzenmarkt already heads to the Ziegelwasen in Kirchheim unter Teck — four days of festival operations plus a traditional market fair on the festival Monday in the city center. The 2026 event runs from February 27 to March 2.

The Rides 2026 — Break Dancer, Avenger Royal, Crazy Cars

The classic amusement park of Southern German tradition sets up on the Ziegelwasen. In 2026, rides such as the Break Dancer, Avenger Royal, Crazy Cars, and a children's carousel will be available for younger visitors — a cross-section of Southern German showmanship with a mix of adrenaline rides and family classics. In addition, there will be food stalls offering bratwurst, almonds, crêpes, and mulled wine variations for the cold season.

Showmen's Service on Saturday

The showmen's service is a Southern German tradition unique to many Volksfests in the region: On Saturday, February 28, 2026, at 12 p.m., showmen, city representatives, and festival guests gather for a service that places the festival under God's protection and simultaneously inaugurates the showmen families for the season. A spiritual gesture that provides a social framework for the Volksfest atmosphere.

Market Fair and Closing Fireworks on Rosenmontag

The grand finale is on Festival Monday, March 2, 2026: The traditional market fair opens in the city center from the morning onwards — a type of market that few Southern German cities still maintain in such a classic form. Traders from Southern Germany, Tyrol, and Switzerland come with leather goods, tools, household items, sweets, and handicrafts. The day is crowned by the closing fireworks display on the Ziegelwasen around 8 p.m. — a nearly 15-minute spectacle that concludes the Southern German amusement season opening with a pyrotechnic flourish.

Kirchheim unter Teck — Gateway to the Swabian Jura

Kirchheim unter Teck, with around 41,000 inhabitants, is a Große Kreisstadt (major district town) in the Esslingen district of Baden-Württemberg, located at the foot of the Swabian Jura (Schwäbische Alb) — the Albtrauf with Burg Teck can be seen from the city center. The town has a strong market culture (Märzenmarkt and Gallusmarkt in autumn are the two cornerstones of the market year) and is one of the most industrially historically significant medium-sized towns in the Stuttgart region. The Märzenmarkt has been anchored in the city's history for centuries and remains one of the most identity-defining dates in the city calendar.