Memmingen Carnival Parade

Swabian-Allgäu Carnival in Memmingen

Memmingen, an independent city in the Bavarian district of Swabia on the edge of the Allgäu, celebrates one of Southern Germany's most vibrant carnival traditions. Unlike the Rhenish carnival, Memmingen's festivities belong to the Swabian-Allgäu carnival – characterized by wooden masks, dark witch costumes, and powerful brass band music. The carnival parade on Carnival Sunday is the highlight of a multi-day program that takes over the entire old town.

The Stadtbachhexen Memmingen

The main organizers of the parade are the Stadtbachhexen Memmingen carnival guild, founded in 1996. Their distinctive wooden masks and costumes are known throughout the region; the guild includes not only the witch coven but also a witch choir and a guild council that significantly shapes Memmingen's carnival. The Stadtbachhexen are members of the Federation of German Carnival Associations and the Association of Bavarian-Swabian Carnival Societies – firmly rooted in the Swabian-Alemannic carnival landscape.

Fool's Weekend — Program Around the Parade

The carnival parade is part of Memmingen's 'Fool's Weekend': It opens with the Brass Band Star March, followed by the Carnival Mass in the Catholic parish church. On Saturday evening, the atmospheric Twilight Parade with torches and illuminated floats winds through the city center – a Memmingen specialty that creates a unique atmosphere as dusk falls. The grand finale is the large Carnival Parade on Sunday at 2 PM with dozens of groups from Memmingen, the Allgäu, Upper Swabia, and neighboring Vorarlberg.

Atmosphere and Audience

Tens of thousands of spectators line the parade route along Maximilianstraße, Marktplatz, and Schrannenplatz. Brass bands provide the lively soundtrack, witches hand out sweets (and sometimes cold hands!) to the crowd, and artfully designed carnival floats comment on local events with wit and political satire. Pretzels, mulled wine, and bratwurst are available at the stalls around the market square; Memmingen's pubs remain open all evening until late at night.

Memmingen — Imperial City with Fooling Tradition

The former Free Imperial City of Memmingen, with its historic old town, the town hall with its Renaissance facade, and the tax office, offers an impressive historical backdrop for the parade. The carnival parade is one of Memmingen's firmly established major events – along with the Fishers' Day, the Wallenstein Festival, the Memmingen Fair, and the City Festival, it is part of the cultural backbone of the city in the Unterallgäu district and the Upper Swabian Allgäu region.