Leipheimer Kinderfest

A School and Heritage Festival Since 1817

The Leipheimer Kinderfest looks back on a history of over 200 years. It originated in 1817 as a festival of thanks after the catastrophic hunger years of 1815 and 1816, which devastated large parts of Europe following the eruption of the Indonesian volcano Tambora. Since then, the festival has been celebrated in the Swabian town of Leipheim in the district of Günzburg in Bavaria every year on the second weekend in July. The 202nd Kinderfest took place in 2025, and the 203rd edition will follow in 2026 from July 11 to 13.

Schnitterreigen — The Highlight

The famous Schnitterreigen is the highlight of the Kinderfest. It is a simple round dance, reserved for seventh and eighth-grade students from Leipheim schools. The girls wear traditional Swabian costumes, and the boys carry scythes decorated with flowers – a reminder of the hard harvest work during the years of hardship. The round dance is performed on both Sunday and the festival Monday and has been listed as Bavarian intangible cultural heritage since 2016.

Flower Arches, Festival Parade, and Festival Stage

In the week before the festival, children create elaborately designed flower arches in craft classes, which are carried through the town in the festival parade on Sunday and Monday. Teachers rehearse dances and games with their classes, which are performed on the festival stage. Hundreds of schoolchildren in traditional Swabian costumes march through Leipheim with festival floats, brass bands, and traditional costume groups.

Swabia's Largest Beer Garden

On the Bleichwiese, the festival grounds near the Danube, what the organizer claims to be "Swabia's largest beer garden" is set up every year with over 5,000 seats under old chestnut trees. Brauerei Autenrieth from Leipheim serves the festival beer. Swabian specialties such as Maultaschen, Spätzle, Käsknöpfle, and Kässpätzle are on the menu alongside classic folk festival dishes. On festival Sunday, a church consecration service accompanies the program.

Tradition and Tourism on the Danube

Leipheim, with just under 7,000 inhabitants and located on the Danube between Ulm and Günzburg, is known for more than just the Kinderfest — the historic market square with the ducal castle and the charming town center become a stage during the festival weekend. Visitors come from all over the Danube valley, from Bavarian Swabia, the Allgäu, and from Württemberg. The Bavarian State Ministry of Finance and Heimat lists the Leipheimer Kinderfest as a significant folk festival in Bavaria on its "Cultural Heritage" list.