Kirchweih Münchsteinach – Kerwa im Klosterhof

A Franconian Kerwa with a Monastery Setting

The Kirchweih Münchsteinach is more than just a village festival: it takes place in the monastery courtyard of the former Benedictine monastery, whose medieval walls form a unique backdrop for the five-day Kerwa. The Münchsteinach Monastery was founded in the 12th century and still shapes the appearance of the small market town in the Neustadt an der Aisch – Bad Windsheim district today.

Bathtub Race – Fun on the Water

Perhaps the most popular highlight of the Kerwa Münchsteinach is the traditional Sautrogrennen (bathtub race): teams compete against each other in discarded wooden pig troughs, paddling to the finish line on a water racecourse. A mixture of skill, team spirit, and mostly wet comedy that attracts hundreds of onlookers to the monastery pond.

Kerwa Parade on Sunday

The grand Kerwaumzug (Kerwa parade) is the visual highlight: festival floats from local clubs, traditional costume wearers, brass bands, marksmen, firefighters, and the Kerwa youth march in traditional costume and uniform through the town center and into the monastery courtyard. The parade is accompanied by the traditional Kerwabaum-Austanzen (dancing around the Kerwa tree) and the selection of the Kerwa couple.

Atmosphere: Exuberant Franconian Kerwa

• Thursday/Friday: Festival opening, beer tapping, live music in the festival tent
• Saturday: Dance evening with a Franconian cover band, festival continues late
• Sunday: Festival service, Kerwa parade, bathtub race, early-bird pint
• Monday/Tuesday: Wind-down with family day, early-bird pint, regional catering

Münchsteinach in the Aischgrund

Münchsteinach is located in the Aischgrund, a region in western Middle Franconia in the state of Bavaria, characterized by carp ponds, rolling hills, forests, and small historic towns. The market town with around 1,200 inhabitants is near Neustadt an der Aisch. The municipal alliance 'NeuStadt und Land' markets the region as a cultural landscape – the Münchsteinach Kerwa is one of its most distinctive calling cards.

Kerwa – A Franconian Identity Festival

A 'Kerwa' (in general German, Kirmes) is far more than a Volksfest in Franconia: it is an expression of identification with the village, with the parish, with the clubs. The Münchsteinach Kerwa has also earned a supra-regional reputation – the bathtub race and the monastery courtyard setting attract guests from the entire Aischgrund and the surrounding districts.