Schützenfest Echem

Echem Shooting Club and Surroundings

The Echem Shooting Club and surroundings e.V. is the central pillar of shooting sports in Echem. Like many shooting clubs in the Elbmarsch region, it was founded to combine sport shooting with social club life. Today, it has members from Echem as well as the surrounding villages of Hohnstorf, Sassendorf, and the Lauenburg region. The annual Schützenfest is the social highlight — members meet in uniform, new monarchs are crowned, and the entire village celebrates together.

King's Shoot and Royal Proclamation

The festival Sunday begins at 12:15 PM with the assembly of club members on the Schützenplatz. This is followed by the King's Shoot at the shooting range, where the new monarchs — the King, Queen, and usually the Youth King — are determined. The proclamation takes place in the late afternoon in the festival tent and is the emotional highlight of the day for the winners. Sashes and royal chains mark the office for the coming year.

Festive Parade and Evening Dance

The traditional festive parade through the village, which also includes friendly clubs and marching bands, is part of the festival Sunday. The parade is accompanied by music and festively decorated club flags. Afterwards, the festival tent opens for the ceremony, the King's dinner, and an evening of dancing. A live band or DJ provides entertainment late into the night.

Echem on the Elbe

Echem is a municipality in the Scharnebeck collective municipality near the Elbe River. With around 1,200 inhabitants, the village is one of the smaller communities in the district — club life, the fire department, and the church community shape its social profile. The Schützenfest is an expression of this village identity and, at the same time, an open folk festival for the entire region.