Twitter
Facebook
Kirchheimbolanden will host its 13th Kerchemer beer week today through Sunday. “Kerchem” is local dialect and is short for the word “Kirchheimbolanden,” which is the name of the city.
“The town has celebrated the event every second year since 1986 to honor the German brewing tradition and the strict brewing regulations, which emphasize the high quality and purity of German beer,” said Klaus Hartmüller, Kirchheimbolanden’s mayor.
The festival will take place on the Herrengarten festgrounds, an area next to the county administration office (Kreisverwaltung).
Mayor Hartmüller said they expect thousands of visitors, who will all take part in tasting the various kinds of beers.
More than 20 breweries will present more than 70 types of beer while an entertaining program will be performed. Mayor Hartmüller, the beer king and the hops queen will officially open the fest by tapping the first keg of beer at 7:30 p.m. today.
“The beer king and hops queen are official representatives of the event and attend activities on all three days,” said Timo Holstein from the Kirchheimbolanden event and press office. “All activities offered and all the musical performances are free.”
The band Hie & Do will provide the musical entertainment starting at 7 p.m. to be followed by an over 30 party with the renowned DJ Andy Clormann from radio station RPR 1 at 9 p.m. The regional band Snailshouse will take the audience on a musical time trip through the 1970s and 1980s playing songs by Abba, Frank Zappa, the Rolling Stones, Prince, and Earth, Wind and Fire.
Saturday entertainment will begin at 5 p.m. with a concert by the music group Batterie Fanfare from Kirchheimbolanden’s sister city Louhans-Châteaurenaud, France. The group Dannenfelser Dorfmusik will provide fun music starting at 7 p.m., before the show band Entertainers will play dance and party music at 9.
A so-called “musical Frühschoppen,” or early beer get-together, featuring German songs and folk music, will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.
“The highlight of the event is the fest parade with more than 1,000 participants,” Mayor Hartmüller said.
Starting at 2 p.m. Sunday, a parade with floats, horses, music and walking groups will proceed through the streets in the center of town, ending at the festival grounds in the historical old part of town. The beer majesties will make their appearance at 5 p.m. to crown the new malting barley queen.
The band Habachtaler will start playing at 7 p.m. and close out the beer week.
Local restaurants, butchers and bakers will serve beer-specific and Palatinate food specialties.
Visitors will find a taxi stand at the bus stop near the festgrounds “Im Herrengarten.”
“We hope a lot of Americans will come to our medieval town and join festivities,” Mr. Hollstein said.
Kirchheimbolanden is located north of Kaiserslautern, about 25 kilometers from Sembach on federal street B40.
Visitors coming from the Dannenfels/Rockenhausen direction should remember that there is an international bicycle race in and around Boldanden. The direct route is blocked. Motorists will have to go through Kirchheimbolanden-Haide via Marnheim, Bolanderhof and Ziegelhütte.
