Volksfest Simbach (Dingolfing-Landau)

Volksfest of the market town of Simbach — Lower Bavarian summer festival in the Vilstal valley

The Simbach Volksfest is one of the classic Lower Bavarian summer folk festivals that shape the entire Vilstal valley from June to early September. It takes place every year at the end of August and brings the entire market community together on the festival grounds for four days.

Which Simbach? — Simbach in the Vilstal valley, not Simbach am Inn

An important geographical note: There are two Simbachs in Lower Bavaria. The one discussed here is the market town of Simbach in the Dingolfing-Landau district, located on the Vils river in the Vilstal valley north of Eggenfelden — not to be confused with Simbach am Inn in the neighboring Rottal-Inn district, on the border with Austria. Both market towns have their own folk festivals on different dates.

Simbach in the Dingolfing-Landau district

Markt Simbach (Eggenfeldener Str. 1, 94436 Simbach) is located in the Lower Bavarian district of Dingolfing-Landau (state of Bavaria), on the Vils river between Vilsbiburg and Eggenfelden. The market town, with its administrative seat on Eggenfeldener Straße, serves several districts in the rural Vilstal region.

Parade and Beer Tapping on Opening Friday

Friday is opening day for the Volksfest in Simbach. The festival opens with the traditional parade ("Auszug") starting at 6:00 PM: clubs, traditional costume groups, the market administration, and the festival host march ceremonially to the festival grounds. Afterwards, the first beer is tapped in the festival tent.

Festival Week — Classic Lower Bavarian Style

The classic Lower Bavarian festival operations run for four days (Friday–Monday):

• Festival tent with beer service, live bands on dance evenings
• Amusement rides and showman attractions on the festival grounds
• Snack stands with Lower Bavarian delicacies
• Family afternoon with reduced prices on Saturday or Sunday
• Festival service on Sunday, followed by a "Frühschoppen" (morning pint)
• "Kehraus" (closing day) on Monday

Embedded in the Vilstal Festival Calendar

The Simbach Volksfest falls at the end of the Lower Bavarian folk festival high season: In July and early August, Reisbach (July 10–14) and numerous other Vilstal folk festivals already take place. At the end of August, Simbach marks a highlight for the season-closing folk festivals before autumn begins with harvest festivals and church fairs.