Weingarten - Welfenfest

The Welfenfest is an annual public festival in Weingarten, which is held over several days in summer and includes a parade of pupils from Weingarten's schools.

The home and school festival began in 1764 as a one-day festival for schoolchildren on St Catherine's Day (25 November). In gratitude, the abbot of the monastery donated bread and cakes and later also wine to the participants. Originally organised as a festival for Catholic residents alone, Protestant citizens were also admitted from 1872 onwards. At the same time, the school festival was moved to 15 August (Assumption Day) and enriched with other events such as a sports competition, gun shooting, etc.

In 1923, the second Monday in July was set as the new date for the event and the duration was extended to several days of festivities. After a break from 1939 to 1947 due to the Second World War, the first children's festival after the war was held in 1948.

Until the 1960s, it was customary for the schools in the two neighbouring towns of Ravensburg and Weingarten to give their pupils time off to attend the Heilig-Blut-Ritt in Weingarten and the Rutenfest in Ravensburg. Presumably due to local political animosities, this practice was discontinued.

In the 1970s, pupils up to the 10th grade received food and ride vouchers worth 2.50 German marks each to help them attend the Volksfest. The vouchers were usually exchanged for a Schübling sausage in a Wasserwecken at the Red Cross stand (Weingarten local branch).

In 2011, the pupils' and local history festival was renamed the Guelph Festival.

Over a thousand schoolchildren and accompanying persons now take part in the parade, with a five-figure number of spectators.

Source: Wikipedia: Wikipedia

Travel information:

By public transport:

- By train: Weingarten railway station (distance to the festival site approx. 1500m)

By car:

- Venue: fairground (Brechenmacher Straße / Abt-Hyller-Straße)

Parking facilities:

- no information available