Walpurgi Festival Uffenheim

A Franconian Spring Tradition

The Walpurgi Festival Uffenheim combines two Franconian festival traditions: the old Walpurgis customs (the night of April 30th to May 1st, when witches were believed to dance on the Brocken according to old folklore) and the spring or May festival, with which May has been welcomed for generations in both Catholic and Protestant Franconia. In Uffenheim, these merge into a five-day Volksfest with its own distinct character.

The Grand Procession to Open the Festival

The kick-off on May 1st at 8 PM is the centerpiece: the mayor, accompanied by the Gollachgau musicians and the public, ceremoniously processes from the town center to the festival grounds, where the traditional beer barrel tapping officially opens the Walpurgi Festival. The first liter of spring beer is tapped, the festival tent fills up, and five days of Volksfest begin.

The Festival Program in Detail

• Thursday, April 30th: Festival grounds open, amusement rides, first evening music
• Friday, May 1st: 8 PM Mayor's procession with Gollachgau musicians, beer barrel tapping, festival tent
• Saturday, May 2nd: Festival operations, live music in the tent, market
• Sunday, May 3rd: Frühschoppen (morning pint), family day, market, Schlachtschüsselessen
• Monday, May 4th: Wind-down and family day with reduced ride prices

Schlachtschüsselessen – A Franconian Specialty

The traditional Schlachtschüsselessen is a Franconian specialty that holds particular significance during the Walpurgi Festival week: home-style sausages cooked in broth, kettle meat, sauerkraut, and farmer's bread are served together – a hearty greeting from the rural butchering tradition. In Uffenheim, this meal on Sunday lunchtime in the festival tent is a firm component of the Walpurgi Festival.

Market and Festival Grounds

Parallel to the festival tent, a market with stalls offering household goods, textiles, regional specialties, and sweets lines the streets around the festival grounds. In addition, amusement rides and festival stalls attract families with children. The atmosphere is classically Franconian: down-to-earth, cheerful, without the hectic rush of the large Bavarian folk festivals.

Uffenheim in Western Middle Franconia

Uffenheim is a small town of around 7,000 inhabitants on the Gollach river in the Neustadt an der Aisch – Bad Windsheim district, in western Middle Franconia, Bavaria. The region between the Aisch, Tauber, and Main rivers is characterized by gentle agriculture, small market towns, and a rich festival culture. Walpurgi and Kirchweih (church consecration festival) form the two major pillars of Uffenheim's festival year.