Kirchweih Stettfeld

A Late Franconian Kirchweih

The Kirchweih Stettfeld is among the last major Kirchweihen on the Franconian calendar. While other Kirwa festivals are long past, Stettfeld in the Maintal valley at the mouth of the Itz celebrates its patron saint's day festival only at the beginning of November – a late, autumnal Volksfest (public festival) atmosphere that has become rare in Bavaria.

Program in the Classic Franconian Style

The Stettfeld Kirchweih runs for several days:

• Kerwasauftakt on the Saturday before the actual Kerwa with the opening of the beer tent
• Festival tent with live bands or regional dance groups
• Festival service in the parish church
• Frühschoppen (morning pint) on Kirchweih Sunday
• Musical participation of the 1862 Stettfeld Choir with the mixed choir “InTakt”, youth choir, and children's choir
• Festival wind-down on the Thursday or Friday of the following week

In 2023, for example, the Kirchweih ran from November 9th to 13th, with the Kerwasauftakt on November 8th in the beer tent. The pattern of the "second week of November" has been maintained in subsequent years.

1862 Stettfeld Choir

A special feature of the Stettfeld Kirchweih is the close involvement of the 1862 Stettfeld Choir. The choir – one of the oldest singing societies in the Haßberge district – contributes its mixed choir “InTakt”, the youth choir “Teens inTakt”, and the children's choir “Kids inTakt” to the festival service and festival evenings. The choir is led by Konstantinos Drossopoulos under the chairmanship of Maria Egglseder.

Stettfeld in the Haßberge District

Stettfeld is located in the Haßberge district in Lower Franconia (Bavaria), between Bamberg and Haßfurt on the Main river, and belongs to the Ebelsbach administrative community. The small municipality with around 1,200 inhabitants is a classic village on the Main river with vineyards in the surrounding area – the late Kirchweih is linked to the end of the grape harvest and the typical Franconian Federweißer (young wine) season.