What You Need To Know About Kerwe in Germany

Original Post August 31, 2023 || Updated August 10, 2025

If there’s a word that I love hearing in German, it’s “Kerwe.” Our village just recently finished celebrating another Kerwe this year, and it was almost a weeklong celebration that always brings a smile to my face. What’s Kerwe, you ask? Simply put, it’s a German festival. Kerwe is a time for celebrating, and the Germans know how to celebrate well. Here’s what you need to know about Kerwe in Germany.

Kerwe

First, let’s delve into what the German word Kerwe means. Kerwe, pronounced “care-vay,” is a time for festivals, especially among the villages. It derives from the Medieval word Kirchweih, meaning a religious fair/fest. It’s when the villages/towns come together to celebrate all the good things that have happened in the current year.

Things to Know About a Village Kerwe

In Germany, small villages have their festivals during the Fest Season. However, regions may differ in celebrations, but it all means the same: just celebrating all the good things the year has brought. For this blog post, I’ll be sharing my village’s Kerwe in the Rhineland-Pfalz region, based on my understanding and research, along with facts from my local neighbors. Without further ado, here are some things to know about the village of Kerwe.

↠ From Thursday to Monday (sometimes maybe even longer), in August for one week, our village throws several awesome festival celebrations in the Stadtplatz (aka the city center) that can last all night to the wee hours of the morning.

↠ Each village & city has its own Kerwe and may celebrate in their own way. For the most part, in Rheinland-Pfalz, the fests are typically the same and held right about the same time each year.

↠ From my understanding, it’s the villages’ way of celebrating another good year before the Holidays begin.

↠ Kerwe also celebrates the coming of age/bridging of adulthood of the local young men and women (Straußjugend), finally old enough to drink at 16 years old.

↠ A “kerwestrauß” is also hung up to hang in the village all year round. The kerwestrauß, pronounced “care- vay- strauss,” is a large pole made of a thousand different colored paper cuttings that has been put together all year by these same young village folks and finally hung up on one of the fest days. To me, it looks like a huge feather duster once complete.

The process of making this papier-mache-looking pole starts around May, with some drinking in between, and is finished just as the festival season begins in August. During the Kerwe celebration, a day is chosen (usually on a Sunday of the Kerwe week) to hang this pole in the local Gasthaus. After the Kerwestrauss is put in place, a spokesman for the town’s Straußjugend, or “Kerweburschen“, stands on a ladder and gives a speech poking fun/or roasting village residents for anything funny that had happened throughout the year while the entire village listens and laughs.

↠ These young village folks (the Straußjugend) are also responsible for protecting the kerwestrauß from the nearby villages from stealing them.

↠ Kerwe is one of the highlights of all the villages! Some locals take time off during this period because the party often goes on late into the evening and early morning. Sometimes, we can still hear singing and dancing from our balcony as early as when we wake up, as we live up a hill in our village. Like I said, the Germans know how to party.

↠ At the Kerwe, there are lots of festive foods, such as crepes, bratwursts, pommes, beer, wine, and more. Small carnival rides are set up in the city center, along with fest games. Bands are invited to perform for the weekend. But don’t worry, not all songs are in German; there are many classic American songs performed that lots of Germans sing to, so there is lots of singing and dancing. It’s quite fun!

Final Thoughts

Kerwe is always a fun time! It marks the start of the Fest Season for our village and is always a great way to celebrate the end of Summer. It’s also a fun way to celebrate the Fest season with neighbors and locals in the village and a time for coming together. If you have been to a Kerwe, leave a comment below. Let me know how your experience was and if I’ve missed anything in my post. Until next time, friends! Bis zum nächsten Mal, Freunde!