Schützenfest St. Hubertus Süddinker — 200-Year Anniversary

Hamm-Süddinker — District in the East of the City

Hamm is an independent city with around 180,000 inhabitants in the eastern Ruhr Area, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The district of Süddinker is located in the south of the city area in the Rhynern district — a predominantly rural settlement where Schützenfeste, club life, and parish activities are particularly firmly anchored. The festival grounds Im Zengerott are the venue for the bird shooting and the festival tent.

200 Years of the St. Hubertus Riflemen's Brotherhood

The St. Hubertus Süddinker Riflemen's Brotherhood was founded in 1826 and is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2026. This makes it one of the oldest riflemen's clubs in Westphalia and one of the most traditional brotherhoods in the city of Hamm. The brotherhood upholds the Rhenish-Westphalian shooting tradition (St. Hubertus as patron saint, assembling in uniform, bird shooting, parade, coronation ball) — and supplements this in 2026 with its own anniversary program.

Festival Weekend May 14th to 17th, 2026

Four days of festivities over the Pentecost weekend:

• Thursday, May 14th, 2026 — Bird Shooting 3:30 PM Im Zengerott: Main competition for the King's medal, followed by the coronation of the new King and Queen
• Friday, May 15th, 2026: Festival tent opening and opening ball
• Saturday, May 16th, 2026: Riflemen's ball with live music
• Sunday, May 17th, 2026 — '200 Years' Anniversary Day: Solemn ceremony with a historical speech, parade through Süddinker, reception of the new King and Queen and guests of honor, followed by the coronation ball in the evening

Guest Club 2026 — Uentrop-Haaren

At every Schützenfest, guest clubs from neighboring communities are invited — an old tradition of mutual visits that maintains the brotherhood network. In 2026, the Schützenverein Uentrop-Haaren is the guest. Members of both clubs march together in the parade, attend the reception, and celebrate together in the festival tent — an expression of the solidarity of Hamm's brotherhoods.

Hamm — City of Many Schützenfeste

Hamm is one of the cities with the densest shooting culture in Westphalia. Dozens of brotherhoods celebrate their festivals there every year in May and June alone — coordinated by the City Association of Riflemen's Clubs Hamm e.V. 1955. A PDF overview of all Hamm Schützenfeste 2026 is available at hamm-horrido.de. The Süddinker festival stands out with its 200-year anniversary in 2026 as a special date in this already packed calendar.