Name: Osterfeuer of the Rickling Volunteer Fire Brigade 2026
Start: 2026-04-04T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-04-04T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Feuerwehrgerätehaus Rickling

Osterfeuer Rickling

About Osterfeuer Rickling

The Osterfeuer (Easter bonfire) of the Rickling Volunteer Fire Brigade is one of the Northern German Easter customs that are still actively maintained: on Holy Saturday, villagers and guests gather behind the fire station to jointly light the large piled-up woodpile in the evening. While the flames burn, there are sausages, mulled wine, and beer, accompanied by music from loudspeakers and conversations late into the night. The Osterfeuer is simultaneously a celebration of custom, a fire brigade festival, and a village gathering — and has been a firm part of Rickling's Easter Saturday program for decades, in this small community in the Segeberg district.

Dates 04 Apr — 04 Apr 2026

Venue Rickling (01060)

Prices Free

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Osterfeuer Rickling — edition 2026

The Osterfeuer of the FFW Rickling 2026 will take place on Holy Saturday, April 4th, behind the fire station. Catering by the fire brigade, lighting of the large Easter bonfire in the evening, village gathering until late at night. Free admission.

On Holy Saturday, April 4, 2026, the Rickling Volunteer Fire Brigade will once again light the traditional Osterfeuer behind the fire station. Club members, villagers, and guests from neighboring communities will gather to welcome spring together.

Over the weeks leading up to Easter, a large woodpile will be built up, which will be burned in the evening. While the flames burn, the FFW Rickling will provide food and drinks — sausages, fries, mulled wine, beer — and a relaxed atmosphere that lasts late into the night.

Highlights Osterfeuer Rickling 2026

Large woodpile, joint lighting on Holy Saturday evening, fire brigade catering, Northern German Easter tradition.

Programme Osterfeuer Rickling 2026

Program Osterfeuer Rickling April 4, 2026

Late afternoon — Setup and catering start at the fire station
Evening — Lighting of the Osterfeuer by the fire brigade
Catering — Sausages, fries, mulled wine, beer by the FFW Rickling
Music from loudspeakers, village gathering
Until late at night — convivial get-together

Current program details at gemeinde-rickling.de.

Prices Osterfeuer Rickling 2026

Free admission. Food and drinks at small club prices. Donations for the fire brigade are welcome.

Practical information

Practical information — Osterfeuer Rickling

Getting There

By car via the A21 or B404, then country road to Rickling. By train to Bad Segeberg, then bus.

Admission

Free admission, donations for the fire brigade are welcome. Food and drinks available for a small fee.

On Site

Weatherproof clothing recommended — it can get cool on a Holy Saturday evening in Northern Germany. Dogs on a leash, be cautious of flying sparks.

Rickling — Community near Segeberg Forest

Rickling is a community of around 2,500 inhabitants in the Segeberg district in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, located about 10 kilometers south of Bad Segeberg on the edge of the Segeberger Forst (Segeberg Forest). Like many villages in this region, social life in Rickling is strongly driven by the commitment of its clubs and associations — the Rickling Volunteer Fire Brigade is among the most traditional and active.

Osterfeuer in Northern Germany

The Osterfeuer is an Easter tradition particularly prominent in Northern Germany: in many villages, a large woodpile is built up in the weeks before Easter, which is lit by clubs or the fire brigade on Holy Saturday (or Easter Sunday) evening. Its origin lies in a pre-Christian spring custom that was overlaid with Christian meaning by the church — today, the occasion signifies community, the beginning of spring, and the preservation of customs.

How the Osterfeuer in Rickling Works

Woodpile — piled up for weeks before Easter behind the fire station
Lighting on Holy Saturday evening by the FFW Rickling
Catering — sausages, fries, mulled wine, beer
Music from loudspeakers, possibly a small band
Family-friendly — children's area with stick bread over a small fire
Donations for the fire brigade welcome

Club Life and Fundraising Occasion

The Osterfeuer is not only a celebration of custom but also an important fundraising event for the Volunteer Fire Brigade. Proceeds from sausages, drinks, and voluntary donations are used to finance club acquisitions — protective clothing, technical equipment, club supplies. In Schleswig-Holstein, and especially in the Segeberg district, such club festivals are essential for the operational capability of the volunteer fire brigades.