Kirchhellener Schützenfest and Brezelfest

Shooters and Pretzels — Kirchhellen's District Tradition

Anyone who wants to understand the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Schützenwesen (shooting club tradition) cannot ignore Kirchhellen. The northernmost district of Bottrop — nestled between Münsterland and the Ruhr area — preserves a centuries-old tradition with the Kirchhellener Schützenfest, which will once again mobilize the entire village from September 5th to 8th, 2026. The organizer is the Allgemeine Bürger-Schützengesellschaft Kirchhellen, the local historical shooting society.

Six Years Pause, Then the Return

The recent history of the festival is marked by a long break: between 2017 and 2022, the Schützenfest in Kirchhellen did not take place — a combination of organizational and societal reasons led to the tradition being suspended. The festival returned in 2023 and was celebrated by the community with great participation. The shooting society subsequently published a chronicle of the 2023 edition, which can be purchased on-site. 2026 marks the next regular edition after 2023 and 2024/25 — the tradition has stabilized.

Three Festival Days and the Brezelfest

The festival weekend traditionally spans three days of Schützenfest (Saturday, September 5th to Monday, September 7th) plus the Brezeldienstag (Pretzel Tuesday, September 8th):

• Saturday, September 5th — Opening, Festival Commemoration, Welcome of the King
• Sunday, September 6th — Grand Parade through Kirchhellen with festival band, Schützenkönig (shooting king) and his court
• Monday, September 7th — Bird shooting and King shooting; King's celebration in the evening
• Tuesday, September 8th — Brezelfest as a festive conclusion, with traditional pretzel distribution

The exact times and detailed program will be published on the shooting society's website in the weeks leading up to the event.

Practice Shooting — Preparation with Tradition

The preparations for the festival include the four practice shooting dates on the summer Saturdays in July and August 2026 — each at a different surrounding farm in Kirchhellen and its vicinity. These dates have had a life of their own within the shooting society for years: members meet on a farm, practice shooting, eat, and drink together — a mix of sporting preparation and early festive spirit. The dates for 2026 are already planned; the board will communicate the specific details.

Festival Commemoration, King Shooting, and Royal Court

As is customary in Westphalian shooting traditions, the festival weekend unfolds in several formal stages: Festival Commemoration on Saturday evening (formal reception with speeches and music), Grand Parade on Sunday (parade through the town center with the festival band, clubs, and shooters), Bird Shooting on Monday (the traditional shooting at the wooden bird to determine the new Schützenkönig), and in the evening, the King's Celebration with enthronement and a royal ball. The new king — usually a married man with his wife as queen — represents the shooting society for one year.

Brezelfest — The Festive Conclusion on Tuesday

A special feature of Kirchhellen is the Brezelfest on Tuesday, September 8th, as the formal conclusion of the festival. Pretzels are traditionally distributed — a gesture that winds down the festival and simultaneously emphasizes the connection between the shooting society and the village community. This format is hardly known outside of Kirchhellen and is one of the unique identity features of the local Schützenfest.

Kirchhellen — The Rural North of Bottrop

Kirchhellen is the northernmost of Bottrop's three districts, with approximately 33,000 inhabitants and a predominantly rural character. Until 1974, it was an independent municipality; since then, Kirchhellen has belonged to Bottrop — but it has largely retained its village identity. Farms, a preserved town center with a church and market square, and an active club scene characterize the place. The Schützenfest is an expression of this rural-bourgeois identity, which has become rare in the Ruhr area.