Selb - Wiesenfest

The Selb Local Heritage and Meadow Festival is the largest and most traditional folk festival in the town of Selb in Upper Franconia, with a history stretching back centuries as a children’s and local heritage festival. It takes place every year on the second weekend in July at the festival grounds on the Goldberg and attracts thousands of locals and people returning to Selb.

The character of the festival is largely defined by the festive Wiesenfest parades on Sunday and Monday. During these colourful processions, the town’s schoolchildren, dressed in their best and richly adorned with flowers, march through the streets up to the festival grounds. Once they arrive at the Goldberg, the schools perform traditional circle dances and sports games. Among the historical highlights for young people are the traditional cock-fighting and crossbow shooting.

Alongside the traditional customs, the festival site offers a classic funfair atmosphere with modern rides, fairground stalls and a large marquee, where live music and festive celebrations take place in the evenings. To ensure visitors from across the region can travel to and from the event safely, the transport authorities organise special ‘Nightliner’ buses on the main days, which serve the surrounding area until late into the night. A particularly moving moment is the ceremonial finale on Monday evening in the market square, where, following the procession back from the Goldberg, all the townspeople sing traditional local songs together whilst hundreds of balloons rise into the evening sky.

Travel information:

By public transport:

- by train: Selb railway station (distance 1.0 km)

- by bus: Rathaus stop (lines 1582, 1705, 1706)

By car:

- Venue: Festival grounds at the Goldberg (Franz-Heinrich-Straße)

Parking:

- at the Goldberg near the playground (Wunsiedler Straße)

- Schützengarten (Hohenberger Straße)

- Walter-Gropius-Gymnasium (Hohenberger Straße 90)

- Realschule (Jahnstraße 61)

- Heidestraße

- Zeppelinstraße

- Rosenthal Theatre (Hohenberger Straße 9a)

- Multi-storey car park (Burgstraße)