Schützenfest Nordkirchen

Schützenfest Nordkirchen — Tradition between Castle and Festival Tent

Wondering what a Schützenfest in a small Westphalian town looks like when Germany's largest baroque castle stands right next door? Nordkirchen provides the answer. Over the Whitsun weekend 2026 — from May 23rd to 25th — the Nordkirchen Citizens' Shooting Association hosts its annual Schützenfest at the FC Nordkirchen sports facility, directly adjacent to the castle park. Three days of festival tent, three days of parades, three days of tradition. The most important civic festival of the year in the small Münsterland town.

Nordkirchen Castle as a Neighbour

Nordkirchen Castle, the "Westphalian Versailles", is the largest baroque castle complex in Westphalia and dominates Nordkirchen's cityscape. The castle park opens onto the FC Nordkirchen sports grounds — and it is precisely here that the Citizens' Shooting Association sets up its festival tent. This unusual setting — a Schützenfest with a castle view — makes Nordkirchen one of the most unique Schützenfest locations in the Münsterland region.

The Nordkirchen Citizens' Shooting Association

The Nordkirchen Citizens' Shooting Association is one of several shooting associations in the municipality — the municipality of Nordkirchen comprises, in addition to the eponymous town, the districts of Südkirchen and Capelle. Each district has its own shooting association, which organizes its Schützenfeste independently. In 2026, the Capelle festival will be cancelled for the first time in a long time — Capelle will instead participate as a guest in the Nordkirchen and Südkirchen Schützenfeste.

Schützenfest Programme

The festival weekend follows the traditional Münsterland pattern:

• Saturday, May 23rd — Opening evening, morning pint, reception of clubs and friendly associations, festival tent programme until late
• Whitsun Sunday, May 24th — Marching off at 7 PM from the Schützen-Denkmal (Shooters' Monument), parade through the town centre to the sports grounds, followed by the Grand King's Ball in the festival tent
• Whitsun Monday, May 25th — Parade of the shooters, morning pint and family day, winding down

King's Ball as the Highlight

The Grand King's Ball on Whitsun Sunday evening is the social highlight of the weekend. In the large festival tent at the FC Nordkirchen grounds, the reigning King with his Queen and his court are welcomed, a dance band plays waltzes, after which the event transitions into a classic festival tent sing-along evening. Tickets are available in advance from the shooting association officials or at the entrance.

Nordkirchen and the Coesfeld District

Nordkirchen is a municipality in the Coesfeld district, in the southern Münsterland region of North Rhine-Westphalia. With around 11,000 inhabitants, it is rather small but very well-known for tourism thanks to Nordkirchen Castle. The municipality is located on the Dortmund–Münster railway line and is accessible via the A1 motorway (Nordkirchen exit). The Schützenfest is traditionally the largest civic festival of the year and is also well-attended by the surrounding municipalities of Olfen, Selm, Werne, and Lüdinghausen.