Marktplatzfest Leinfelden

Since 1964 — a tradition on the first weekend of July

The Marktplatzfest Leinfelden is the annual in-house event of the Leinfelden-Echterdingen Volunteer Fire Brigade, Leinfelden Department — and with its history dating back to 1964, it is one of the oldest regular events in the city. What began as an open house day for the brigade has developed over the decades into one of the most popular summer events in the Filder region — a firm fixture in the calendar of the city of Leinfelden-Echterdingen and its district of Leinfelden.

Marketplace around the Town Hall

The venue is the marketplace of Leinfelden, directly around the town hall. The festival area includes the central market square, the connecting streets, and the forecourt of the town hall — ample space for catering tents, a stage, a sales area for aid organizations, and play areas for children. The city center is largely traffic-calmed during the festival.

Catering and Program

The fire brigade itself handles the catering — with classic favorites such as:

• Fire brigade steak (which is famous here) from the grill
• Bratwurst, Maultaschen, fries
• Draught beer, non-alcoholic drinks, wine
• Cake stand with homemade cake on Sundays

Programmatically, the Marktplatzfest combines two clear components: festival atmosphere (stage music, catering, dancing) and information platform (stands of the brigade, the Red Cross, the THW, and other aid organizations with demonstrations of their vehicles and equipment).

Drills and Demonstrations by the Brigade

A highlight for families and especially for children are the live fire brigade drills: fire simulation with a high-pressure water jet, demonstration of the turntable ladder, demonstration of the rescue shears, and occasionally a simulated rescue of a person from a vehicle. The times of the demonstrations will be announced in the festival program — usually Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

Leinfelden — District with S-Bahn connection to the state capital

Leinfelden, along with Echterdingen, is one of the two central districts of the city of Leinfelden-Echterdingen, which merged in 1975 (Esslingen district, AGS 08116). The S-Bahn connection to Stuttgart-Mitte (12 minutes) and Stuttgart Airport in close proximity make the city a densely populated Filder town — almost 41,000 inhabitants, around 16,000 of whom live in Leinfelden itself.

Free admission and good atmosphere

The Marktplatzfest explicitly has no admission fee — the festival area is freely accessible from the opening on both days. The proceeds from catering benefit the brigade and its youth work. The festival had to be canceled in the pandemic years 2020 and 2021, but resumed regularly from 2022.