Wermelskirchen à la carte

A City Festival with its Own Profile

Wermelskirchen à la carte is not your typical city festival. Since 2000, WiW Marketing e.V. has developed a format that intertwines culinary delights, culture, and club life – with a clearly defined date (last weekend of October) and its own Wermelskirchen tradition: the distribution of Zählscheine (Wermelskirchen's locally specific Christmas lottery), which are issued during the city festival and drawn on Christmas Eve.

When and Where is the Festival?

The 2026 edition of Wermelskirchen à la carte is expected to take place on the last weekend of October – indications on the WiW Marketing website point to October 25, 2026, as the main festival day (Sunday shopping). The festival's focus is the city center of Wermelskirchen around the main stage. Due to tradition, the date typically includes the classic oldtimer rally Saturday (October 24th) and the dance/concert Saturday. The final date will be announced on wiw-marketing.de.

What to Expect

• Culinary Delights – Stalls from Wermelskirchen's gastronomy and clubs, autumnal specialties
• Main Stage with several bands and dance schools, cultural program for all ages
• Oldtimer Rally with scoring, award ceremony within the festival framework
• Art Exhibition by the local art association
• Sunday Shopping throughout the city center
• Club Stalls and booths from local organizations
• Zählscheine are distributed (Wermelskirchen Christmas lottery, drawing on Christmas Eve)

Zählscheine – The Wermelskirchen Tradition

The Zählscheine are a peculiar Wermelskirchen tradition: anyone who shops at local retailers or with city sponsors receives a numbered ticket. The tickets are distributed city-wide during Wermelskirchen à la carte and drawn on Christmas Eve – the grand prize is usually a high-quality item donated by local merchants. The format combines a city festival with the Christmas season.

WiW Marketing e.V. as Organizer

WiW stands for Wirtschaft im Wandel (Economy in Transition) – the Wermelskirchen advertising and marketing association that has organized the city festival for years. Reachable at 02196 88 40 333 or [email protected]. The festival only works because a broad base of sports clubs, churches, cultural, and educational institutions voluntarily participates.

Wermelskirchen – A Town in the Bergisches Land

Wermelskirchen is a town of around 35,000 inhabitants in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, east of Cologne, in the Bergisches Land region. The town is accessible via the A1 motorway and is scenically located between Wuppertal and Remscheid. Wermelskirchen à la carte is one of the city's central major cultural events.