Welver Schützenfest (Schützenverein Horrido)

Schützenverein Horrido since 1828

„Horrido!“ — originally a hunting horn call, today the club name of the oldest shooting club in the Soester Börde municipality of Welver. Founded in 1828, the Schützenverein Horrido Welver 1828 e.V. looks back on an almost 200-year history and has shaped the social life of the town for generations. From June 19th to 21st, 2026, the club will host its three-day Schützenfest at the Buchenwaldsaal Welver — the central highlight of the club's annual planning.

Three days of festivities at the Buchenwaldsaal

The Schützenfest begins on Friday, June 19th, 2026, in the evening with the assembly of the marksmen, the opening fanfare, and a first dance event in the festival tent at the Buchenwaldsaal. Saturday, June 20th, is traditionally the day of the king's shooting — the new shooting king (or royal couple) for the 2026/27 season will be determined at the bird shooting mast. The day is accompanied by morning pint, family program, and coronation ball. Sunday, June 21st, concludes the festival weekend with a church service, a parade through Welver, and a dance evening.

Tradition and club life in the Soester Börde

The Buchenwaldsaal Welver has been the festival hall of the Schützenverein Horrido for generations. With its club atmosphere, permanent board office, and large dance floor, it forms the spatial constant of the shooting tradition. Welver, a Soester Börde municipality with around 12,000 inhabitants, is located between Soest and Hamm — embedded in the open Bördeland with its vast rye and wheat fields. The Schützenfest here is more than a summer festival: it is lived tradition, a meeting point for generations, and the annual calendar highlight of club life.

King's Shooting and Coronation

During the king's shooting, the most accurate marksman wins the royal title — symbolically by shooting off the last wooden figure from the bird shooting mast. The coronation of the new royal couple with the king's chain and queen's wreath traditionally takes place on Saturday evening in the festival tent. The ceremony is accompanied by the fife and drum corps and the club's own musicians. The royal family then represents the club for one year at all events.

Welver in the district of Soest

Welver is located in the district of Soest in North Rhine-Westphalia, about 8 kilometers west of the district town of Soest. The municipality is easily accessible via the A 44 (Werl junction) and connected to the Ruhr area and the Hellweg region via the Hamm–Soest train line. With its 14 districts and the rural Bördeland landscape, Welver is typical of central Westphalia — and the Schützenfest is a typical Westphalian summer festival: down-to-earth, sociable, and intergenerational.