Mai- und Schützenfest Inden/Altdorf

May Festival and Marksmen's Festival Combined

The Mai- und Schützenfest Inden/Altdorf is a special feature of the Rhenish festival calendar: The Schützenbruderschaft Inden/Altdorf combines the classic Catholic May festival (raising the maypole, May dance) with the independent marksmen's festival into a four-day major event on the first or second May weekend.

On the Driesch — An Old Festival Tradition

The venue is the Driesch, a traditional festival meadow in Inden/Altdorf. For centuries, the Driesch has been a meeting place for village festival culture — an open meadow kept clear for large events. This is where the Schützenbruderschaft sets up the festival tent, and where the king's shooting, maypole raising, parade, and coronation ball take place.

King of the 2026 Session

In January 2026, Elmar Gasper was proclaimed the new marksmen's king of the Inden/Altdorf brotherhood. He officially takes office with the coronation mass on April 17, 2026; the Mai- und Schützenfest from May 8–11 will then form the festive highlight of his reign.

2026 Program (Selection)

Four days of program: Friday, May 8. Opening and maypole raising; Saturday, May 9. King's shooting and coronation ball; Sunday, May 10. Parade and morning pint; Monday, May 11. Winding down. The festival days are both club events for the Schützenbruderschaft and public events — guests are welcome.

Inden in the Düren District

Inden is a municipality with just under 7,000 inhabitants in the southern Düren district — embedded in the Rhenish lignite mining region and the historic Lower Rhine Bay. The Schützenbruderschaft Inden/Altdorf is one of the traditional clubs that not only organizes its own marksmen's festival but also regularly visits its sister brotherhoods in Langerwehe and Damme.

Structural Change and Tradition

Inden is part of the Rhenish lignite mining region — a location undergoing significant structural change. The Inden open-cast mine has shaped the landscape for generations; with the phasing out of lignite, new perspectives are emerging for the region. In this context, club festivals like the marksmen's festival are all the more important: They create continuity, provide identity, and keep village community life alive — especially in a rapidly changing region.

Tips for Your Visit

The Mai- und Schützenfest in Inden/Altdorf is particularly suitable for a spring trip through the Rhineland. Travel can be combined with visits to Aachen, Düren, or the nearby open-cast mine viewpoints — an exciting experience between traditional festival culture and industrial landscape transformation. On the Driesch itself, the parade on Sunday is recommended as a central program item.