A funfair in the middle of the old town? Every year at the beginning of November, Soest's city center is transformed into a large, glowing funfair for a full five days. The big festival begins on the first Wednesday after All Saints' Day.
At Europe's largest old town funfair, the hustle and bustle does not take place in impersonal areas outside the city gates, but in the middle of the historic old town with its idyllic streets, alleyways and squares. Every year, the brightly colored lights of the modern high-tech rides immerse the globally unique green sandstone ensemble of Soest's old town in an indescribable sea of colors and lights.
One million visitors a year
When almost a million visitors flood the city, it naturally gets crowded in the small town of Soest, which is inhabited by only 50,000 people outside of the funfair. But that is precisely what makes the All Saints' Fair so unique.
The 400 or so stalls, stands and rides are shown to their best advantage against the picturesque backdrop of the old town. Of the more than 40 rides, fairground rides and amusement rides, more than 15 are aimed solely at children, which gives the All Saints' Fair a reputation as a family funfair in addition to its cozy atmosphere.
Visitors big and small should be able to walk well if they want to explore the entire funfair in one day: If you were to line up all the rides and stalls, it would cover a front area of three kilometers.
Religious background
However, the All Saints' Fair has not always been this big. The fair goes back to a festival that was celebrated in honor of the oldest church in Soest. The church of St. Peter was once consecrated on All Saints' Day and to mark the occasion, the town held a large festival attended by jugglers, puppeteers, tightrope walkers, small traders and also large merchants who came to sell cattle, horses, wax and furs and to make contact with the merchants of the Hanseatic town of Soest.
The word "Kirmes" is actually derived from the Middle High German word "kirchwihmesse", which refers to the consecration before the first church service. Even in the years after the first consecration, towns often celebrated the consecration day as a church festival. This is how the church festival in Soest developed into a recurring fair.
Traditional horse market
The tradition of the old fair can still be experienced today at the horse market. Every year on the Thursday of the fair, around 100 traders come to sell not only horses, but also "livestock, agricultural machinery and stuff". When the "cheap Jakobs" come here as traditional market criers to sell their cheese, sausages or fruit, visitors feel transported back to times long past.
Back in the modern hustle and bustle of the funfair, another tradition awaits drink-loving connoisseurs: the Bullenauge is a typical drink at the All Saints' Fair and owes its strange name to its appearance, which is created by mixing mocha liqueur with a dash of cream.
