Villinger Weinfest

23 Years of Wine Festival for a Good Cause

Since 2003, the Lions Club Villingen has organized the Villinger Weinfest every summer on the historic market square. The idea has remained the same since the first edition: a high-quality wine festival with regional wines and live music, with all net proceeds going to social projects. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of euros have found their way into social, educational, and cultural projects in the twin city. The 23rd edition on August 1, 2026, continues this tradition.

Alliance of Local Associations

What makes the Villinger Weinfest special is the broad alliance of associations behind it. The Lions Club Villingen coordinates, but the iconic Villingen carnival associations – the Historische Narrozunft Villingen, the Hexenzunft, the Trommlerwieber of the Glonki Gilde, the Katzenmusikverein "Miau" Villingen 1872 – as well as the Lions Club Schwenningen, the Lions Club VS Mitte, the Leoclub SchWaBahe, and the DPSG Scouts Villingen help at the stalls. This makes the wine festival also a kind of summer gathering of the entire organized Villingen-Schwenningen citizenry.

Wine, Music, Atmosphere

Wines from the Baden and Württemberg regions are served – Riesling, Spätburgunder, Müller-Thurgau, Trollinger, and sparkling wine from regional cooperatives and wineries. Local bands and cover acts alternate on the stage in the market square during the day, with a party band or DJ taking over in the late evening. The catering stalls offer classic accompaniments – Flammkuchen, pretzels, Swabian Maultaschen, Bratwurst, and cheese platters.

Villingen-Schwenningen and the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis

Villingen-Schwenningen is the twin city in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis (Baden-Württemberg) – geographically located exactly at the transition from the southern Black Forest to the Baar high plateau. Villingen is the medieval-influenced, Baden part of the city with a market square, a Gothic minster, and one of Germany's largest carnival strongholds. Schwenningen is the younger, Württemberg part with industrial history (watchmaking industry). The Lions Clubs of both city districts work closely together at the wine festival – a rare example of true twin-city solidarity.

Proceeds for the Region

As the Lions Club Villingen is recognized as a non-profit organization, the entire net proceeds flow into social, cultural, and youth development projects without administrative deductions. In recent years, school projects, youth work, hospice care, local sports clubs, and cultural initiatives have been supported. Drinking a glass of wine here directly contributes to regional solidarity.