Schützenfest Cincinnati 2025 June 13, 14, 15 at The Kolping Haus. America’s Oldest German Festival!

Start: Sunday, June 15, 2025 1:00PM
End: Sunday, June 15, 2025 9:00PM

Schützenfest is a traditional German fest dating back to medieval times. It celebrates an alert and skilled marksman (‘Schütze’) saving a young child’s life from an eagle attack. The grateful townspeople crowned this person ‘Schützenkönig’. Schützenfest was brought to Cincinnati in 1866 by a group of German immigrants who fought in the Civil War. The Kolping Society crowns our ‘Schützenkönig’ each year by the marksman that shoots down the last piece of a hand-carved wooden eagle, perched high on a pole. Our tradition continues this year June 13-15, and we hope you can join us!