Lullusfest Germany’s oldest folk festival casts shadows ahead

10/01/24 – It’s still autumnally quiet in the city, but in two weeks the city center will be a fairground and party area again. The oldest folk festival in Germany, the Lullusfest – or “Lolls” for short – begins on October 14th in the district town of Bad Hersfeld.

The fire master monument of “Mr. Lolls” Reinhard Rauche stands where the “Fierche”…

The Lullufest begins in Bad Hersfelder on October 14th.

The torchlight procession moves through the streets the evening before.

Every year in the week of the anniversary of the death of the city’s founder Lullus, the festival is celebrated, the symbol of which is the Lollsfeuer – or “Fierche”. The fire pit at the future festival site has already been dug and the chestnuts that are traditionally thrown into the “Fierche” are already rare among the chestnut trees. The first “Budewähn” (showmen) have already arrived and have already parked their stalls at “Aquafit” before they move to the market square from next Monday.

The entire marketplace will be closed from Sunday, October 6th. Access is controlled and is only possible with special permission. This can be applied for here. Only after the Lullus Festival has been dismantled will the market square be accessible and usable again from October 25th.

Laser show after the ceremony in the monastery ruins.

“Lolls from above”: You can also watch the Lullus Festival from the tower of the town church on certain dates…

The Lolls fire is lit at exactly 12 noon on Lolls Monday (October 14th). …

Torchlight procession and ceremony There will be a church service at the bumper car on Sunday evening, October 13th at 6 p.m. The torchlight procession then begins, which leads through the city center to the monastery ruins, where the ceremony begins at 7:45 p.m. with the traditional ringing of the Lullus bell. This year’s Lollslauf started at 9:30 a.m. with several routes through the city area.

Things really get going on Monday, October 14th: At 11:45 a.m. Mayor Anke Hofmann (independent) will give her Lolls speech before she and fire chief Mark Baumgardt light the “Fierche”, which will then burn for a week. It will be Baumgardt’s first Lullusfest in this role. The Lolls parade through large parts of the city center begins with the lighting of the fire. The motto this year is “350 years of mosquito strikers”. From 12 p.m. the hustle and bustle of the festival begins on the market square with numerous rides, stalls and a wide range of gastronomic offerings. An overview of the biggest rides this year can be found here.

Lolls highlights 2024 Highlights of the Lullus Festival this year include the Lulluskram market on Wednesday, October 16th, from 7 a.m. around the festival site, the Lolls festival with “hearing aid” on Thursday, October 17th, from 8 p.m. and the shopping Sunday (October 20th) for the Lullusfest in the city. The big free raffle on the last Lollstag (Monday, October 21st) also attracts numerous visitors every year. Tickets for this will be given out on the same day during “Family Day” when purchasing tickets for rides or at the catering stalls.

“Following the success of recent years, this year’s Lullus Festival will once again feature the popular church tower climbs “Lolls from Above”. 222 steps lead participants up to the city church tower and reward them with a unique view of the Lullus Festival. The church tower climbs will take place on the following dates: Tuesday, October 15th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday, October 16th, at 7 p.m., and Thursday, October 17th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets for the tours can be purchased at the prices are 6.50 euros for adults and 5 euros for children and young people aged ten and over. The number of participants is limited to 20 people per group.

A parking lot with parry-and-ride service in the city center is available to visitors on Wednesdays and Sundays at the “Aquafit” leisure pool. The “Lollsbuses” also run to the districts every day until later in the evening. An overview of the Lolls buses can be found here. Regional buses in the surrounding communities also run from until midnight during Lolls Week.

EAST HESSEN|NEWS will be at the Lullusfest again this year with several teams and will report on current events. From October 14th, there will be an absolute state of emergency in Bad Hersfeld for a week, when it will be said again: “Enner, twoon, dräi – Brother Lolls!” (cdg) +++