Regimental Queens are traditionally honored in a celebratory event by The Bilker Schützen, and this year marks their inauguration of the first such queen.
Düsseldorf-Bilk's Traditional Shooters' Festival Returns with a Celebration
The historic Bilker Shooters' Festival, a cherished local event in Düsseldorf-Bilk, made a grand comeback in 2022 after two years of cancellations and restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival, held annually in late May, is a celebration of marksmen (shooters) in the Bilk district, featuring parades, shooting competitions, and traditional music.
The festival comprises two main events: the main Shooters' Festival and the Children's Shooters' Festival. The main festival spans several days with a schedule of events including a grand parade, shooting contests, music, dancing, and community celebrations. The Children's Shooters' Festival, held as a separate event, is designed for young participants with age-appropriate activities, smaller parades, and fun shooting games.
This year's Children's Shooters' Festival was particularly exciting as Leyla Daun, a 9-year-old, became the first Children's Queen by shooting down a bird in the parade. The new Young Shooters King, Leon Halder, was determined at the shooting range in Ubierstraße. The reigning majesties, Regimental Queen Sarah Walterbach and the Young Shooters King Pair Ben and Natalie Altenberg, waved to spectators from a carriage.
The main Shooters' Festival kicked off on Friday evening, June 27th, with the opening of the funfair and a concert by Guildo Horn and the orthopedic stockings. The actual festival program continued with enthusiasm, bringing back the full-scale parade, shooting competitions, and community gatherings, with enhanced safety measures as needed.
One of the highlights of the main festival was the 100th anniversary celebration of the Andreas Hofer - Hubertus Hunters of 1925 and the Freischütz Company. The societies paraded through Bilk and visited Café Grenzenlos as a sign of good neighborliness.
In the shooting contest for the new regiment king, Jan Kasparek from the Germania Company emerged victorious. The Freischütz Company, a neighborhood society, started their activities on Saturday, June 21st. The Shooter's Festival program included a church service and a parade on Saturday afternoon, followed by a show program of the young shooters in the evening.
The festival was also marked by a double celebration for Ben and Natalie Altenberg, who got married during their king's year. Oberst Axel Uebels was among those on horseback during the parade, and the Regimental Tambour Corps St. Martin led the parade for the Children's Shooter's Festival.
The new regiment king and queen, Jan Kasparek and Laura Breuer, will be crowned in the fall. Lienne Tressin from the Schill'sches Korps Bilk is the student queen, Paula Krombholz from the 5. Schützen Gesellschaft is the page queen, and Lea Klawikowski from the Hohenzollern Bilk is the picket queen of the royal household.
The Bilker Shooters' Festival continues to be a cherished tradition in Düsseldorf-Bilk, bringing together the community in a celebration of local history and culture.
At the main Shooters' Festival, the annual event in Düsseldorf-Bilk, participants enjoyed a variety of sports such as shooting competitions and archery, showcasing their skills and camaraderie. Leyla Daun, the newly crowned Children's Queen, exemplified the sporting spirit during the festival, by shooting down a bird in the parade.
