Pirker Kirwa

Traditional Kirwa in the Upper Palatinate

The Pirker Kirwa combines two Upper Palatinate traditions: the Franconian-Upper Palatinate traditional Kirwa and the North Upper Palatinate Zoigl. The organizer is the Kirwaverein Pirk e.V., founded in 2016 and celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2026. The venue is the festival grounds and the village square of Pirk – a community in the district of Neustadt an der Waldnaab (state of Bavaria), near the Czech border and in close proximity to the Zoigl town of Falkenberg.

From Raising the Tree to the Dance-Off

The festive opening on Friday features the band DeiVoGestern. The highlight is traditionally the raising of the 26-meter-high Kirwa tree, felled by the 'Kirwa-Burschen' (Kirwa lads) in the forests around Pirk and erected on the village square with the participation of the community. Saturday's program includes a children's Kirwa in the afternoon and the festival evening with the band Hoaß. Sunday marks the solemn climax: Kirchweih church service with flag consecration (9:15 AM in the parish church), a morning pint with the Pirker Blechmusi, a festive lunch, an afternoon program in the historic brewery vault ('Kellerprogramm'), and finally, at 5 PM, the traditional 'Austanzen' on the village square. During this ceremony, new 'Oberkirwapaare' (head Kirwa couples) are also selected.

What Visitors Can Expect

• Opening with a live band on Friday evening
• Raising of the 26-meter-high Kirwa tree
• Zoigl evening with local community-brewed beer
• Children's Kirwa on Saturday afternoon
• Festival evening with a live band on Saturday
• Kirchweih church service with flag consecration on Sunday
• Morning pint with the Pirker Blechmusi
• Festive lunch with Upper Palatinate specialties
• 'Kellerprogramm' (cellar program) in the brewery vault
• 'Austanzen' and election of the new Oberkirwapaare on Sunday evening

Pirk and the Stiftland

Pirk is located in the northern district of Neustadt an der Waldnaab, in a landscape characterized by fir forests, rolling hills, and the typical Upper Palatinate Zoigl culture. The community is part of the Stiftland, a historic region on the Bavarian-Czech border. Today, the Pirker Kirwa is one of the community's most important identity festivals, attracting visitors from all over the northern Upper Palatinate. The Pirkerfest (mid-June) and the Fire Department Day of the FFW Pirk (end of May) also shape the community's annual festival calendar.