Schützenfest Elsen — St.-Hubertus-Schützenbruderschaft 1921

Schützenfest in the Paderborn district of Elsen

Elsen, with around 13,000 inhabitants, is one of the largest districts of Paderborn, the East Westphalian university city in the Paderborn district (Detmold administrative region). The Schützenfest in Elsen is organized by the St.-Hubertus-Schützenbruderschaft 1921 Elsen e.V. — one of the city's traditional marksmen's brotherhoods. In 2026, the brotherhood will celebrate its 101st anniversary with a three-day festival from July 4th to 6th, 2026.

Important: Not to be confused with Schützenfest Schloss Neuhaus

Paderborn has several large Schützenfeste — the most famous is the Schützenfest of the BSV in Schloss Neuhaus (one of Westphalia's largest folk festivals). The Schützenfest in Elsen is an independent festival with its own brotherhood (St.-Hubertus 1921), which should not be confused with the BSV festival. Both brotherhoods are independent organizers and hold their festivals at different locations and times.

Festival Week Saturday to Monday

The Schützenfest runs for three days from Saturday to Monday, July 4th-6th, 2026. The festival grounds extend from the Elsen community center (Bohlenweg 27) and the adjacent festival site at Bohlenweg in 33106 Paderborn-Elsen. Catering is provided by the marksmen's brotherhood and external caterers — East Westphalian specialties, draft beer, cocktail bar.

Saturday: Summernight 2.0 with Michelle

Saturday evening is the musical highlight: Summernight 2.0 — a Schützenfest party with DJ Jens Dresselhaus and Schlager star Michelle. Michelle (real name Tanja Hewer), one of the most famous German Schlager singers with hits like “Wer Liebe lebt" and “Sonne in der Nacht", will perform a Schlager set on the festival tent stage in Elsen. This high-caliber booking is one of the program items that set the Elsen festival apart from the many smaller Schützenfeste in Westphalia.

Sunday: Parade with 1,000 Marksmen

Sunday, July 5th, 2026, features the traditional parade — with over 1,000 marksmen from the entire surrounding area. The brotherhoods from neighboring towns (Wewer, Marienloh, Schloß Neuhaus, Sande, Sennelager) will assemble with their marksmen's formations, flags, traditional costumes, and music bands and march through Elsen. The parade is visually impressive and is one of the major marksmen's parades in Westphalia.

101st Anniversary

The St.-Hubertus-Schützenbruderschaft 1921 Elsen celebrates its 101st birthday in 2026 — a valuable tradition spanning over a century. The marksmen's tradition deeply shapes club life in the Münsterland and East Westphalia regions: religious tradition (Hubertus patronage, marksmen's mass), social conviviality (Schützenfest, balls), community engagement (Carnival, village festival) — the Elsen brotherhood has combined these functions since 1921.

Getting There

Elsen is located about 5 kilometers west of Paderborn city center. Travel by car via K 1 or B 1, parking available around the community center and at the festival grounds. By public transport: Bus line 11 (PaderSprinter) from Paderborn Hbf (stop Elsen Mitte). Approximately 10 minutes travel time from Paderborn.