Maibaum-Hocketse Kernen

30 Years of Maibaum-Hocketse — Kernen Celebrates Spring

The Kernen Business Association has been organizing the annual spring festival centered around the traditional Maibaum-Aufstellen (Maypole raising) since the 1990s. 2026 marks the 30th edition — a small anniversary that the citizens of the Kernen municipality in the Remstal valley will be all the happier to celebrate after a two-year hiatus. Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026, at the Kirbe-Festplatz behind the Bürgerhaus in Kernen-Rommelshausen.

Maypole Raising Earlier Than Usual

The tradition is actually to raise the Maypole on April 30th, on the night before May 1st. However, Kernen is deviating from this in 2026 — the Business Association and the municipality have moved the Hocketse to April 25th to avoid competition with other Maypole events in the Remstal valley and to better manage volunteer resources. The Maypole will still be erected with all the customary traditions: tall pole, Swabian coats of arms, guild symbols, colorful ribbons.

Live Music, Remstal Wine, and Cozy Hocketse

The word "Hocketse" is Swabian for a cozy get-together with food and drinks — Kernen turns it into a true folk festival (Volksfest). Live music provides the atmosphere — the JB Band played rock and pop in 2025, and a similar program is expected in 2026. In addition, there will be stalls with regional wines from the Remstal (which runs directly through Kernen), draft beer, and food from various vendors — sausages, fries, salads, sweets. Catering is handled by local gastronomy and clubs, coordinated by the Business Association.

Rommelshausen in the Remstal Valley

The municipality of Kernen im Remstal, with its districts of Rommelshausen and Stetten, was formed in 1975 from two previously independent municipalities. It is located in the Rems-Murr district in Baden-Württemberg, just 15 km east of Stuttgart. The Remstal is one of Württemberg's most important wine-growing regions — regional Trollinger and Lemberger wines are naturally standard at the spring festival. The Kirbe-Festplatz behind the Bürgerhaus is the central event area in Rommelshausen, easily accessible by public transport and from the town center.