Volks- und Schützenfest Hildesheim

Tradition and Volksfest

The Volks- und Schützenfest Hildesheim combines two pillars of North German festival culture: the shooting tradition with its customs, the king's proclamation, and the grand parade on one hand, and the Volksfest (popular festival) with rides, a festival tent, dance evenings, and an amusement park on the other. This mix makes the festival an attraction for an extremely broad audience: classic shooting fans, families with children, young people looking for dancing and partying, and tourists planning a weekend visit to Hildesheim.

The Volksfestplatz Vor der Lademühle

For decades, the venue has been the Volksfestplatz Vor der Lademühle in the Hildesheim city area. Here, the festival tent, carousels, roller coaster, Ferris wheel, snack stands, lottery stalls, and shooting galleries find their place. The spatial concentration of all festival elements in one central location makes the festival particularly visitor-friendly.

Four Days of Program

The festival begins on Thursday starting at 2 PM and ends on Sunday evening. Thursday kicks off with the Haxenvesper (pork knuckle feast) in the festival tent. On Friday evening, the grand fireworks are scheduled for 10:45 PM – a program item that attracts thousands of onlookers every year and is visible far beyond the city limits. Saturday is dedicated to major music programs: in 2026, the party band Dick und Durstig will perform, complemented by DJ Blinkie. Sunday brings the traditional highlight with the proclamation at 12:30 PM and the shooting parade at 1 PM.

30,000 Spectators at the Parade

The grand shooting parade on Sunday is one of the most impressive parades in Lower Saxony. More than 30,000 spectators line the streets of Hildesheim's city center as the shooting companies, marching bands, music groups, associations, and floats pass by. The parade is the most visible manifestation of Hildesheim's shooting tradition and makes the Volks- und Schützenfest an identity-defining event for the entire city.

Verein Hildesheimer Volksfest e. V.

The organizer is the association Verein Hildesheimer Volksfest e. V., which has held the main organizational responsibility for years. In close cooperation with the Hildesheimer Schützengesellschaft von 1367 (HSG), the city of Hildesheim, and numerous associations, the festival is put together anew each year. The tradition of the shooting festival in Hildesheim dates back a long way and has reinvented itself over the centuries.