Largest fair on the Rhine
The largest fair on the Rhine , also known as the Rhine fair in Düsseldorf , is one of the largest folk festivals in Germany with around four million visitors a year . The ten-day festival takes place every year in the third week of July on the festival meadow on the left bank of the Rhine in Düsseldorf-Oberkassel .
background
The largest fair on the Rhine is celebrated for two reasons:
- Feast of the patron saint St. Apollinaris of Ravenna
- Parish festival of the catholic basilica St. Lambertus in the old town of Düsseldorf
The festival is organized by the St. Sebastianus Schützenverein Düsseldorf 1316 eV The tradition of shooting birds on the occasion of the parish festival and the city patronage festival has been documented since 1435. In the 16th century, the folk festival was even an occasion for the courtiers of the English King Henry VIII to take a look at his future wife Anna von Kleve .
The festival meadow on the left bank of the Rhine in Düsseldorf-Oberkassel has been the venue for the spectacle with a view of the panorama of Düsseldorf's old town since 1901. Since the folk festival was moved to the Oberkasseler Rheinwiesen, the importance of the event has changed considerably. The number of visitors increased and the festival was extended to 10 days. Since the 1970s, the name "Biggest fun fair on the Rhine" has developed , which takes into account the increased importance of the festival. With probably more than four million visitors from Germany and abroad, the “Biggest Fair on the Rhine” is the fourth largest festival in Germany and an important economic factor for the city of Düsseldorf .
program
The festival refers to a number of traditions and follows a traditional festival process. Highlights are:
- Friday: 5 p.m. Opening of the fair by the Lord Mayor
- Saturday: 5 p.m. march to the town hall, followed by a big tattoo in front of the town hall
- Sunday: 9.30 a.m. large festive service in the old town church of St. Lambertus, in the afternoon historical pageant of the shooting club with over 3,000 active members through the old town with a parade from 4 p.m. on the Reitallee in the Hofgarten. In the evening on the fairground Jungschützenkönigsschießen.
- Monday: Investiture (inauguration) of the shooter king on the balcony of the town hall. In the past 20 years the custom of “Pink Monday” has developed . On Mondays, around 50,000 homosexuals meet at the fair. Pink Monday is therefore the biggest event for gays and lesbians in Düsseldorf.
- Tuesday: towards evening the king's shot on the fairground
- Thursday: Evening service in the old town church of St. Lambertus followed by a reliquary procession with the Apollinaris shrine through the old town
- Friday: The coronation ball of the new rifleman in the marquee, big tattoo in the evening, big fireworks on the banks of the Rhine from 10.30 p.m.
- Sunday: to round off the day of the interest group Düsseldorfer Schützenvereine (IGDS) on the fairground . This is where the Düsseldorf city king is determined.
In 2008 there was for the first time (and as a test balloon) a decisive change in the sequence of events. In addition to the large rifle parade with a parade on the first Sunday of the fair, there was a parade for the opening of the fair on Saturday, which began at the fairground and ended in the old town. The highlights of Saturday were the investiture of the reigning regimental majesty and the tattoo at the town hall. The previous small parade on Monday, which otherwise ended with the investiture, was canceled.
Name dispute
For years there has been a dispute between the organizers of the festival and the Catholic Church in Düsseldorf over the name of the festival. The Catholic Church wishes to rename the “Largest Fair on the Rhine” to “Apollinaris Fair” in order to emphasize the religious background of the hustle and bustle. This is rejected by the organizing rifle club with the argument that the name of the “largest fair on the Rhine” is anchored in the minds of the people and is therefore an effective brand. The still valid and official title has a certain tradition, since the 1970s the name Largest Kirmes am Rhein has developed, which takes into account the increased importance of the festival, according to the official website of the shooting club.
For the year 2020, the “Biggest fun fair on the Rhine” could officially be called “Rheinkirmes Düsseldorf” for the first time. The St. Sebastianus-Schützen as organizers are currently examining the renaming, as a spokesman confirmed.
Size dispute
Almost traditionally, residents and fans of the respective events and cities argue about the title of “largest folk festival in Germany” or “largest folk festival in NRW”. Since the dimension “size” is not precisely defined here, it is possible to assign the title to the Munich Oktoberfest , the Cannstatter Volksfest or the Cranger Kirmes , depending on the calculation basis .
The values of the four largest folk festivals in Germany:
| Surname | Area (in ha) | Number of visitors (2006/2008, in millions) | Duration (in days) | Visitors per day (in millions) | Visitors per m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munich Oktoberfest | 31 | 6.5 | 16 | 0.41 | 21st |
| Cannstatter Volksfest | 35 | 4.2 | 17th | 0.25 | 12 |
| Largest fair on the Rhine | 17th | 4.2 (4.6 *) | 10 | 0.42 (0.46) | 24 |
| Cranger fun fair | 8.3 (11) | 4.5 (4.7) | 10 | 0.45 (0.47) | 54 (36) |
(Values Cranger Kirmes according to police information, in brackets values of the organizer)
(* Previous year's value)
reception
"[...] But today is a fair, ie: all of Düsseldorf drinks wine. Not that it doesn't do that every other day, but it goes for a walk. Not that it doesn't do it every other day, but there is dancing in the terrible heat and yodelling, and getting drunk, and showing wild animals , and puppet shows, and baking waffles in the open street. You know what a fair means. As a curious spectator I have to go there late in the evening, but only now do I plunge a little into the Rhine with many painters , including Stilke [...]. "
Web links
- Official website of the fair
- Fair website of St. Sebastianus Veranstaltungs GmbH
- Basic information from the state capital Düsseldorf about the largest fair on the Rhine
- Page of the Archdiocese of Cologne on the name dispute ( memento of December 4, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), 2008
- News and pictures from the fair in Düsseldorf at RP Online
Individual evidence
- ↑ https://rp-online.de/nrw/staedte/duesseldorf/kirmes/rheinkirmes-duesseldorf-groesste-kirmes-am-rhein-koennte-neuen-namen-bekommen_aid-48199974
- ^ Bettina Baumgärtel: The Düsseldorf School of Painting and its international impact 1819–1918 . tape 1 . Imhof, Petersberg 2011, ISBN 978-3-86568-702-9 , p. 394 .
Coordinates: 51 ° 13 ′ 40 ″ N , 6 ° 45 ′ 48 ″ E