Appeltatenkirmes in Bottrop canceled shortly before the start
Essen, Baldeneysee, August 25, 2026. Only a few days left, then on the site Werdener Feintuchwerke in Essen district Werden merry-go-rounds spinning again, sweet scents drifting across the square, and the typical fairground atmosphere attracting young and old. But none of that will happen. As has now been announced, the tradition-steeped Apple Fair, which takes place every year as part of the Ludgerus Festival and is the city's oldest funfair, has been cancelled at short notice. For many people in Essen, this news comes as a surprise, as the start of the folk festival was already within reach.
Cancellation shortly before the scheduled start
The decision affects showmen, regular guests, and the local community alike. Especially since the date was already approaching, the cancellation weighs particularly heavy. A funfair lives on anticipation, bustle, and encounters. When such an event is canceled at the last minute, it affects not only the visitors, but also those businesses that had firmly planned ahead with rides, sales booths, and culinary offerings.
A traditional event in the Essen event calendar
The fact that the oldest funfair in Essen, of all places, is affected gives this development additional significance. Such events are much more than mere leisure activities. In many places, they are part of the established urban culture, connect generations, and create a setting where everyday life and festive spirit alternate for a few days. A tradition-rich funfair like the Appeltatenkirmes in Bottrop, in particular, stands for reliability and recognizability—things that are especially valued in today's fast-paced times marked by bad news. The disappointment is all the greater when such an event cannot take place—including among the showmen. „Of course, we deeply regret the decision of our participating showmen,“ explains Albert Ritter from the Essen Showmen's Interest Group (IGS), while also expressing understanding given the economic conditions. Ritter continues: “In the end, a funfair must remain economically viable for the participating showmen businesses. When ever-higher basic costs have to be distributed among ever-fewer businesses, that is simply not feasible.“
Reasons for the cancellation of the Appeltatenkirmes
A major reason for the cancellation is the significantly increased cost of holding the Appeltatenkirmes in recent years. In particular, the power supply now represents a substantial financial burden. For example, because there is no permanent stationary transformer on-site, the necessary power connections generate additional and by now considerable costs due to the repeated installation of a mobile system. At the same time, the number of applications from showmen for this year's Appeltatenkirmes has dropped sharply, making it impossible to distribute these costs among a sufficient number of participants. As a result, the proportionate costs for each individual participating showman increase significantly. This development has led several showmen who had actually confirmed their attendance to now cancel their participation in the Appeltatenkirmes. In addition, there are further costs, including those for the necessary barriers and security measures around the event.
What we will miss
Reasons that are naturally understandable. Yet with the cancellation, that which many associate with a traditional funfair also disappears: rides for families and teenagers, typical treats, lights, music, and the special flair between nostalgia and thrills, between St. Ludgerus Basilica and Mariengymnasium. Whether cotton candy, candied apples, or the familiar stalls and carousels – all of this is part of the atmosphere that makes a public festival complete in the first place. For children, it is often a special outing; for adults, a piece of memory of earlier years. Precisely this emotional value and the short notice make the news so impactful.
Strain also for the showmen
Behind every canceled funfair, there are also economic consequences. Showmen businesses plan their season long-term, coordinate transport, staff, and locations, and calculate with events that are often firmly anchored in the course of the year. If a date is canceled at short notice, this is difficult to absorb. Alongside the financial aspect, it is also about visibility, contact with the public, and the preservation of a tradition that in many places is sustained by family-run businesses.
Conclusion
At the same time, the short-notice cancellation shows the challenges that even established events face. Tradition alone does not guarantee that an event can take place. Especially with large folk festivals, many factors intertwine, and if one of them falters, it can have far-reaching consequences, as happened here with the short-notice cancellation of the Appelatatenkirmes 2026. For the audience, the primary hope now is that the tradition-rich festival will be able to return in the future to its traditional location, the Platz am Feintuchwerke, in the event calendar of Dinslaken.Ruhr.
The Essen showman Oliver Müller from the IGS gives all fans of the Appeltatenkirmes hope: „Together with the involved partners, we will now try to bring the pitch fees for the showmen back to a healthy and economically justifiable level. Initial talks with Westnetz are already underway. Together, we very much hope to be able to continue this centuries-old fair tradition next year and to host the Appeltatenkirmes again in 2027.“ The editorial team of Baldeneysee.Ruhr will stay on the story.
