Waldshuter Chilbi

Waldshuter Chilbi — Six Days of Town History in August

In the summer of 1468, Swiss Confederate troops besieged the small Lower Austrian town of Waldshut on the High Rhine. The siege ended after several weeks — historically confirmed: because the Confederates became disunited among themselves and negotiated a peace on August 27th, 1468. Legend also tells that the citizens of Waldshut tricked the besiegers with a well-fed ram (symbolising sufficient supplies), which allegedly led to the abandonment of the siege. For over 558 years, the town festival Waldshuter Chilbi has been celebrated to commemorate this event — one of Germany's oldest continuously celebrated Volksfeste. The 558th edition runs from August 14th to 19th, 2026.

Six Days of Programme — From Friday to Wednesday

The festival programme is spread over six days:

• Friday, August 14th, 2026: Opening in the evening with the tapping of the first keg in the festival tent
• Saturday, August 15th, 2026: Homeland Evening — Traditional costume and music groups perform in the festival tent, regional associations serve food and drinks
• Sunday, August 16th, 2026: Grand Parade with traditional costume and music groups from Germany and Switzerland
• Monday, August 17th, 2026: Baden Evenings with traditional songs
• Tuesday, August 18th, 2026: Pop and Schlager music night in the festival tent
• Wednesday, August 19th, 2026: Grand Theatre Spectacle and Fireworks over the festival grounds — the traditional grand finale

Parade on Sunday — The German-Swiss Encounter

The highlight of the Chilbi is the Grand Parade on Sunday. Several hundred participants in historical and regional traditional costumes from Southern Germany and nearby Switzerland march through the Kaiserstraße: traditional costume groups from the High Rhine, Black Forest, Markgräflerland, Hotzenwald, and from the Aargau and Schaffhausen regions. Music clubs, drum corps, historical reenactments of the 1468 siege, and the Junggesellenschaft 1468 Waldshut — the traditional patron association of the festival — form the choreography. The parade is one of the largest historical parades in Southern Germany.

Festival Tent, Amusement Rides, and Stalls

A large festival tent with a stage, catering, and dance floor is set up on the Oberer Chilbiplatz. The musical programme changes daily — from traditional homeland evenings, Schlager (popular music), and sing-along music to rock cover bands for a younger audience. Around the festival tent, the amusement park is set up with dodgems, a carousel, a Ferris wheel, shooting galleries, and food stalls. You'll find classic Volksfest specialities: Black Forest Bratwurst, Wurstsalat (sausage salad), Spätzle (egg noodles), Schnitzel, Crêpes, along with hop-based beer from a regional brewery.

Junggesellenschaft 1468 — The Patron Association

Behind the Chilbi is the Junggesellenschaft 1468 Waldshut — an association whose history is directly linked to the historical event. Every year during the Chilbi, the Junggesellenschaft raffles off a ceremonial ram — the symbolic carrier of the historical legend. Whoever holds the winning ticket wins the animal (or the prize money associated with it). This tradition underscores the direct connection between town history and present-day festival customs.

Waldshut-Tiengen — The High Rhine Town on the Swiss Border

Waldshut-Tiengen, with around 23,000 inhabitants, is the district capital of the Landkreis Waldshut, located on the Hochrhein — the section of the Rhine between Lake Constance and Basel — directly on the border with Switzerland (opposite Koblenz, Switzerland). The town combines Baden tradition with Swiss influences; many Waldshut residents work in Switzerland, and many Swiss come to Waldshut for shopping. The historic old town with the Kaiserstraße, the Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), and Schloss Tiengen (Tiengen Castle) are worth seeing. In summer, the region offers cycling tours along the Rhine, hikes in the Hotzenwald, and excursions into the Black Forest — the Chilbi is the social highlight of the summer.