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Germany’s largest funfair along the Rhine takes place in Düsseldorf on the Oberkasseler Rheinwiesen for two weeks in July each and every year. Stretching across 165,000 square meters and welcoming over 4 million visitors each year, the Rheinkirmes is a huge celebration for locals and visitors.

But, if you haven’t been to the Rheinkirmes before, you’re probably eager to find out what to expect and everything that’s going on during these exciting times!

Similar to Düsseldorf’s Karneval, Christmas Markets, and Japan Day, you can expect the Kirmes to be packed with people, so make sure you come prepared.

The Rides

There is certainly no lack of rides at the Rheinkirmes. You’ll have your choice between heart-thumping drop towers or merry-go-rounds. There are rides for young children and rides for the daredevils. There are fun houses and terrifying horror houses. Regardless of what tickles your fancy, there will be a ride for you here at the Kirmes.

Note: All of the rides differ in the price – some are affordable and some are extremely overpriced – you will buy tokens ahead of time and be able to price out if it’s worth it to hop on or not.

The Beer Tents & Live Music

Don’t be fooled when I say the word “funfair”, this is certainly not just a place for kids. Every year the Rheinkirmes opens up a handful of amazing beer tents and hosts some of the best live music – both traditional folk music and modern rock/pop/techno/etc. To be completely honest, I’m usually there for the beer and then try and enjoy a couple of rides while I’m around.

TIP: If the beer tents are all packed and you’d rather find somewhere else to celebrate the evening, head to one of Düsseldorf’s traditional Altbier breweries just across the Rhine River in the Altstadt. You can even take the ferry across.

Super Fireworks

Similar to Japan Day in Düsseldorf, the Rheinkirmes celebrates another successful year by lighting off some super fireworks to end the last Friday evening of the funfair. Even if you’re not at the funfair to enjoy the fireworks, you’ll be able to grab a spot anywhere along the Rheinpromenade to enjoy the spectacular evening show.

Schutzenfest

What many people actually don’t know is that the Rheinkirmes is also known as one of the largest German folk festivals and comes into town to celebrate two major occasions:

The feast of the city patron, Apollinaris of Ravenna
The Kirchweihfest, a religious festival of the catholic basilica of St. Lambertus in Dusseldorf

The entire festival is organized by the St. Sebastianus Shooting Club – Düsseldorf 1316 e.V. (not as seen in this photo – this is another Shooting Club celebrating their traditions in the streets of Unterbilk).

Pink Monday

Pink Monday is a relatively new tradition of 40 years (compared to that of the Schützenfest) that has recently started picking up popularity and is now celebrated annually while the Rheinkirmes is in town. You can expect more than 50,000 gays, lesbians, transgenders, and bisexuals (and of course, heterosexuals) to be in attendance and celebrating proudly with rainbow flags.

There is also a ferry that will take you across the river from the Altstadt to the Funfair throughout the day that costs 2,50 Euro per person* or 1,00 Euro per child* (up to 9 years of age). Strollers and bikes cost an additional fee.

(* prices are always subject to change)

Are you just visiting Düsseldorf for the Rheinkirmes?

There are a number of really cool hotels, hostels, and bed & breakfasts in Düsseldorf that you can choose from. If you would prefer to compare your first options first, feel free to scroll through the map below for your dates.

Booking.com

For more information about the Rheinkirmes, you can check out the main Rheinkirmes website. You will find a bit of information in English as well.