The Schützenfest (, ''marksmen's festival'') held annually in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, the capital of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, is a
German cultural festival.
Schützenfests are held in Germany and also around the world. The Adelaide festival has been reputed to be the second largest Schützenfest in the world.
Soon after the
British colonisation of South Australia
British colonisation of South Australia describes the planning and establishment of the colony of South Australia by the British government, covering the period from 1829, when the idea was raised by the then-imprisoned Edward Gibbon Wakefield ...
, with settlers arriving from 1836, a large
migration of Germans occurred, especially after 1838.
[ ] The
Adelaide German Club was founded on 15 July 1854, and in the same year, the first Schützenfest was held.
[ The German Shooting Society founded in Adelaide in January 1861 was the first recorded in the colony.]
The festivals continued to be held in country towns, notably Hahndorf, Lobethal
Lobethal is a town in the Adelaide Hills area of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area, and is nestled on the banks of a creek between the hills and up the sides of the valley. It was once the centr ...
and the Barossa Valley
The Barossa Valley (Barossa German: ''Barossa Tal'') is a valley in South Australia located northeast of Adelaide city centre. The valley is formed by the North Para River. It is notable as a major wine-producing region and tourist destina ...
. The first public Schützenfest held in Adelaide was organised by the Adelaide German Club in 1865 in the suburb of St Peters, which drew a crowd of more than 5,000 people (when the total city population was only 27,000).[ The first event run by the South Australian German Association (founded 1886) was held in the suburb of Walkerville on 30 December 1889.][
It was not held again until 1964, when it started being held annually at Hahndorf, and in 1994 the event was moved to Adelaide,][ where it was held in ]Bonython Park
Bonython Park is a 17-hectare park in the north-west Park Lands of the South Australian capital of Adelaide. The park was opened in 1962 and named in honour of prominent South Australian politician and journalist, Sir John Langdon Bonython. It ...
in the western parklands over a weekend. The event included activities for children (such as Humphrey B. Bear
''Humphrey B. Bear'' is a fictional character first created in an Australian children's television series called ''Here's Humphrey'', which first went to air in 1965. Its fictional character namesake is an icon of Australian children's televis ...
and singer Peter Combe
Peter Charles Combe OAM (; born 20 October 1948) is an Australian children's entertainer and musician. At the ARIA Music Awards he has won three ARIA Awards for Best Children's Album, for '' Toffee Apple'' (1988), ''Newspaper Mama'' (1989) an ...
), music, dancing, food and drink. For some years the event took place in the height of summer, sometimes resulting in people suffering heatstroke
Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than , along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstroke, b ...
, such as in the middle of a heatwave
A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in th ...
in January 2001. In 2010 the festival took place at Ellis Park/ Tampawardli, after being moved by Adelaide City Council from Bonython Park
Bonython Park is a 17-hectare park in the north-west Park Lands of the South Australian capital of Adelaide. The park was opened in 1962 and named in honour of prominent South Australian politician and journalist, Sir John Langdon Bonython. It ...
owing to roadworks. By 2015 it was back in Bonython Park.
In April 2021 the first Schützenfest was held over two days at the German Club's new home in the western suburb of Brooklyn Park.[ ]
See also
*German Australian
German Australians (german: link=no, Deutsch-Australier) are Australians with German ancestry. German Australians constitute one of the largest ancestry groups in Australia, and German is the fifth most identified European ancestry in Australia ...
*German settlement in Australia
German settlement in Australia began in large numbers in 1838, with the arrival of immigrants from Prussia to Adelaide, in the then colony of South Australia. German immigrants became prominent in settling South Australia and Queensland. From 1 ...
References
Further reading
*
Festivals in Adelaide
Beer festivals in Australia
German-Australian culture
Shooting sports in Australia
Annual events in Australia
Summer events in Australia
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