Wendsche Kärmetze (Wendener Kirmes)

Wendsche Kärmetze — a 250-year-old folk festival tradition

The Wendsche Kärmetze, locally also known as Wendener Kirmes, is one of the oldest and largest folk festivals in Südwestfalen — and claims the title of the largest folk festival in Südwestfalen. With over 250 years of history, the Kärmetze is deeply rooted in the identity of the municipality of Wenden and the entire region between Olpe, Siegen, and the Sauerland. "As old as it reinvents itself annually" — the organizers' self-image combines tradition and change.

Program — four days of festivities with a clear structure

The Kärmetze 2026 runs for four days with different focuses:

• Saturday, August 15 — Opening with Fireworks: Festival opening, evening fireworks
• Sunday, August 16 — Main Visitor Day: Church service, largest crowds, all rides in full operation
• Monday, August 17 — Rest Day: Kirmes closed — traditionally the break between the weekend and family day
• Tuesday, August 18 — Family Day and Livestock Show: Reduced prices, large livestock show with historical farm animal breeds

Rides — from Ferris Wheel to Predator

The Wendsche Kärmetze is not just tradition, but also a full-fledged major folk festival with state-of-the-art rides:

• Ferris wheel as a central attraction
• Chain carousel for the nostalgic high-altitude experience
• Dodgems in several variants
• Predator — a wild mix of rotation and tilting angles
• Wilde Maus, haunted house, boxing hall
• Sweet stalls (almonds, cotton candy, candied apples, gingerbread)
• Snack stands (bratwurst, fries, potato pancakes, spit-roasted pork)
• Market stalls with household goods, clothing, toys

Festival of the Senses — Scent, Sound, Taste

The organizers consciously emphasize the sensory dimension: the scent of honeybees, beeswax, cotton candy, bratwurst, and potato pancakes mixes with beer service and showman music — the classic Kirmes experience in its purest form.

Sustainability — Green Electricity Since 2022

Since the 2022 edition, the Wendsche Kärmetze has been powered by green electricity. One of the first major Kirmes festivals in Germany with this conscious decision — and a signal for the modernization of the classic folk festival concept.

Wenden in the Olpe District

Wenden is a municipality in the Olpe district (southern Sauerland) with about 19,000 inhabitants, on the border with Siegen-Wittgenstein and Rhineland-Palatinate. The region is classic Südwestfalen hill country — hilly, wooded, characterized by medium-sized industry. The Kärmetze attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually from the entire Südwestfalen region (Olpe, Siegen, Lennestadt, Attendorn, Kreuztal) as well as from northern Rhineland-Palatinate. Team Kirmes of the municipality of Wenden: Thomas Clemens, Wolfgang Grimstein, Nicole Williams.