365. Schützenfest Hankensbüttel

365th Edition – A Jubilee

With its 365th edition, the Hankensbüttel marksmen's society celebrates a special jubilee. For over 300 years, marksmen kings have been crowned, flags consecrated, and traditions upheld here. The list of Hankensbüttel marksmen kings reads like a local chronicle of the town – it includes farmers, craftsmen, citizens, and later academics and women. The 365th edition adds another chapter.

Hankensbüttel – A Marksmen's Stronghold

Hankensbüttel, a municipality with around 4,600 inhabitants in the north of the Gifhorn district, is a true stronghold of marksmen's traditions. In addition to the main festival – the 365th Schützenfest – the independent 239th Children's Schützenfest takes place a week earlier. With this dual festival culture, Hankensbüttel is hard to surpass nationwide.

Sacred Traditions

The marksmen's society cultivates several traditions that have long been forgotten elsewhere. The Schafferwahl determines the Schaffer – members of the marksmen's society who take on special responsibility during the festival year. The Uralt-Uniformen are faithful reproductions of historical marksmen's uniforms worn during specific program points. The Kranzjungfern, young women in festive dresses with flower wreaths, accompany the parades and represent the festival.

Program Friday, July 3rd

Friday is packed with program points: 8:30 AM King's Breakfast, 12:30 PM March, 1:30 PM King's Shoot, 7:30 PM King's Proclamation, 8:00 PM Dancing with Pink Noise. This precise schedule shows how ritualized and well-organized the festival in Hankensbüttel is.

Pink Noise as the Dance Band

The party band Pink Noise provides the dance music on Friday evening from 8 PM. With a repertoire of current pop, rock, and Schlager hits, they appeal to a broad audience and reliably fill the festival tent. The mix of traditional King's Proclamation and a modern party band is typical of the Hankensbüttel format.

Saturday and Sunday

On the following festival days, there will be a parade, the King's Dinner, a family program, and the closing festivities. Friendly clubs from the entire Hankensbüttel collective municipality travel to participate and strengthen the procession.