Schützenfest Herzebocholt (Isselburg)

Season opener on the Lower Rhine

On May 1st, the Schützenfest Herzebocholt traditionally opens the season of shooting festivals in the Isselburg municipal area — and thus in the western Borken district on the Lower Rhine, directly on the Dutch border. While the shooting season usually begins in June or July in many regions, the Herzebocholt shooters are the first — giving the festival a special role in the Lower Rhine shooting tradition: whoever celebrates here sets the starting signal for the entire regional shooting festival season.

Young King and Queen 2026: Janes Siemen & Hannah Tepasse

The 2026 season begins with good news: As the Isselburg-Live portal reported on May 1, 2026, the Bürgerschützenverein Herzebocholt has a young king and queen — Janes Siemen as the new shooting king and Hannah Tepasse as queen will represent the club and the district for one year. The coronation on May 1, 2026, with the ceremonial entry into the club's records, marks the official beginning of their reign.

Program: King's Shooting, Parade, Coronation

The program for the Schützenfest Herzebocholt follows the Lower Rhine tradition: In the morning, the king's shooting — the honor is shot for at the bird shooting pole. In the afternoon, the parade through Herzebocholt with shooters, the king and queen, the marching band, and club flags. In the evening, the coronation of the king and queen in the festival tent with a coronation ball, live music, and a ceremonial speech. The festival tent, bar, and food stalls are open throughout the weekend — a tradition that shapes rural club life on the Lower Rhine.

Bürgerschützenverein Herzebocholt

The organizer is the Bürgerschützenverein Herzebocholt with its own website at herzebocholt.de. The club preserves the shooting festival tradition of the small Isselburg district and coordinates club activities, the shooting festival, and joint activities with the brotherhoods of neighboring towns throughout the year. With the festival tent and the traditional bird shooting, Herzebocholt joins the Lower Rhine-Westphalian shooting festival network.

Isselburg and Herzebocholt on the Lower Rhine

Isselburg is a town in the Borken district of North Rhine-Westphalia, located directly on the border with the Netherlands (Province of Gelderland). With around 11,000 inhabitants and several historically developed districts — including Herzebocholt — Isselburg is characterized by the rural Lower Rhine landscape, old mills, and close cultural ties with its Dutch neighboring communities. The Schützenfest Herzebocholt is one of the first in a series of shooting festivals in the municipal area — followed by the festivals of the other districts throughout the summer.