Schützenfest Neuss-Erfttal

Erfttal Celebrates

In the southern part of the city of Neuss, in the Erfttal district near the Erft river, sits the Bürger- und Schützenverein Neuss-Erfttal 1973. Every year in mid-June, the association hosts a civic and marksmen's festival that involves the entire district — combined with a funfair on Harffer Straße organised by the City of Neuss.

June 19th-22nd, 2026 — Four Days of Schützenfest

The 2026 edition runs from Friday, June 19th to Monday, June 22nd, 2026 — four days of marquee programme, parade, king's shooting, and funfair. The traditional schedule:

• Friday, June 19th — Festival opening, funfair opening, live music in the marquee
• Saturday, June 20th — Parade, assembly of marksmen, preparations for the king's shooting, ball in the evening
• Sunday, June 21st — Marksmen's mass, king's shooting, crowning of the king and queen, king's ball in the evening
• Monday, June 22nd — Morning pint, children's marksmen's festival, family funfair, winding down

Funfair on Harffer Straße

The funfair is set up on Harffer Straße — carousels, rides, food stalls, sweets, shooting galleries. It is organised by the City of Neuss and runs parallel to the Schützenfest, making the four-day event a complete Volksfest (people's festival): tradition in the marquee, entertainment on Harffer Straße.

Bürger- und Schützenverein 1973

The Bürger- und Schützenverein Neuss-Erfttal 1973 was founded — as the name suggests — in 1973, a comparatively young association compared to centuries-old brotherhoods. But its roots in Erfttal district life are deep: the association combines civic and marksmen's tradition, organises the annual festival, preserves the marksmen's customs (king's shooting, marksmen's mass, parade), and is an important district player.

Neuss-Erfttal — The District

Erfttal is a district in the southwest of Neuss, on the border with the Rhein-Kreis Neuss. With around 9,000 inhabitants, the district has its own identity — school, churches, associations, shops around Harffer Straße. The Schützenfest is THE highlight of the district's calendar.

Neuss — The Old Quirinus City

Neuss (around 158,000 inhabitants) is one of the oldest cities in Germany — with roots dating back to Roman Novaesium (16 BC). Today, it is the district capital of the Rhein-Kreis Neuss and known for the Neusser Bürger-Schützenfest in early September — one of the world's largest marksmen's festivals. The Erfttal Schützenfest is one of many smaller marksmen's festivals in the districts that shape Neuss's identity through its marksmen's traditions.