Next dates
2027 dates not yet announced — typically around September. We're watching and will update this page when they land.
Quick answer
Viehscheid Immenstadt is Immenstadt im Allgäu's annual cattle-drive-down and the only Viehscheid in Germany that runs through an actual town center rather than a village square. The 2026 edition took place as scheduled on Saturday, September 19, 2026: roughly 900 decorated cattle came down from ten named Allgäu alp groups — Schwanden, Mittag, Wildegund, Mittelberg, Seifenmoos, Alp + Kessel, Gund + Hinterkrumbach, Sederer, Starkatsgund, and Ehrenschwang, officially counted as eleven alps — and were driven through Immenstadt's streets to the Viehmarktplatz (the Scheidplatz), arriving from around 8:30 a.m. Each alp whose herd passed the summer without a serious accident crowned one cow in flowers and fir; it is not a judged contest between herds. Entry is free. The day drew a peaceful crowd of roughly 7,000 spectators combined across Immenstadt's and Wertach's Viehscheide, with police reporting only two minor, isolated incidents at the Immenstadt tent.
- Best for
- Travelers who want a genuine, still-working Alpine agricultural tradition rather than a produced festival — families and photographers drawn to the flower-crowned cattle, and anyone curious about a real regional custom (why some herds wear crowns and others don't) rather than a staged spectacle. A strong fit for train-based day trips, since Immenstadt is unusually easy to reach without a car for a rural Bavarian folk event. Less suited to visitors expecting a competitive pageant or a beer-festival-scale drinking event — the crowning isn't judged, and this is a cattle drive with a modest festival tent, not Oktoberfest.
- Booking urgency
- No booking needed — it's a free, unticketed event with no admission for watching the drive or the Saturday festival tent. The main practical consideration is the town's road closures during the parade: take the train (Immenstadt's Bahnhof is roughly five minutes' walk from the Viehmarktplatz on the München–Lindau line) or use the free shuttle buses running from the Bühl park-and-ride lots, rather than trying to drive and park in town. Arrive by 8:30 a.m. if you want to see the first alps come down.
Roughly 900 cattle are driven through Immenstadt's town center — Germany's only town-center Viehscheid — from ten Allgäu alps, with each accident-free herd crowning one cow in flowers for the season's end.
Each September, herders bring roughly 900 cattle down from ten surrounding alps — Schwanden, Mittag, Wildegund, Mittelberg, Seifenmoos, Alp + Kessel, Gund + Hinterkrumbach, Sederer, Starkatsgund, and Ehrenschwang, officially counted as eleven alps since a couple of those names share one procession banner — and parade them through Immenstadt's town streets to the Viehmarktplatz (the Scheidplatz). It's the only Viehscheid in Germany that runs through an actual town center rather than a village square or open meadow. Each alp that made it through the summer without a serious accident sends one animal down wearing an elaborate flower-and-fir crown; there's no judging between herds, so some alps arrive uncrowned in a given year. A festival tent with regional Allgäu beer, brass music, and hearty tent food keeps the celebration going well past the animals' arrival, which starts around 8:30–9am. The 2026 edition ran as scheduled on September 19, drawing a peaceful crowd of around 7,000 spectators across Immenstadt's and neighboring Wertach's Viehscheide that weekend.
The full story
Every September, Immenstadt im Allgäu closes its streets to traffic and opens them to cattle. Roughly 900 decorated animals come down from ten surrounding alps — Schwanden, Mittag, Wildegund, Mittelberg, Seifenmoos, Alp and Kessel, Gund and Hinterkrumbach, Sederer, Starkatsgund, and Ehrenschwang, officially counted as eleven alps since a couple of those names share a single procession banner — moving down the Steigbachtal and along Gottesackerstraße, Bräuhausplatz, Bahnhofstraße, Alleestraße, and Rothenfelsstraße before reaching the Viehmarktplatz, known locally as the Scheidplatz. It's a genuine local distinction: Immenstadt is the only Viehscheid in Germany that runs its herds through an actual town center rather than a village square or open meadow, so the parade passes shopfronts, cafés, and the Bräuhausplatz on its way in. The first alps typically arrive from around 8:30 in the morning, with the full procession usually complete by late morning.
The flower-and-fir crown that tops some of the cattle isn't a prize awarded to the "best" herd. Each alp's own herder picks one animal from that alp's herd to wear the Kranz, and only if the entire summer passed without a serious accident to a person or animal on that alp. There's no judging or comparison between alps — several can each send down their own crowned cow in the same year, and an alp that had a rough summer arrives without one, regardless of how well-kept its herd otherwise looks. In the afternoon, at 3:30, a separate tradition takes over: the Scheidschellen-Verlosung, where donated cow bells are raffled off among the participating herders. A Krämermarkt vendor market runs around the Viehmarktplatz all day, and a festival tent with Allgäu tent food and regional beer keeps the celebration going well after the last herd comes down.
Watching the drive and the Saturday tent are both free. Immenstadt's train station sits about five minutes' walk from the Viehmarktplatz on the München–Lindau line, and free shuttle buses now run from park-and-ride lots at Bühl straight to the Scheidplatz — worth using, since the town closes to traffic during the parade and there's no parking on the Viehmarktplatz itself. The 2026 edition ran exactly as scheduled on September 19, under sunny, mild weather, and drew a peaceful crowd of roughly 7,000 spectators combined across Immenstadt's and neighboring Wertach's Viehscheide that weekend — police reported only two minor, isolated incidents at the Immenstadt tent, describing the overall crowd as well-behaved. See the Viehscheid Immenstadt page or explore Swabia.
On Tap
- Local focus
- Viehscheid Immenstadt brings roughly 900 cattle down from ten Allgäu alps, paraded straight through the town center — the only Viehscheid in Germany that does — with each accident-free herd crowning one cow in flowers and fir.
- What to try
- Once the herds arrive, head into the festival tent for hearty Allgäu tent food and a regional beer, and stick around for the 3:30pm Scheidschellen-Verlosung, when decorated cow bells are raffled off among the herders.
- Food pairing
- Allgäu tent food and a regional beer are the natural pairing, with brass band music and the afternoon Scheidschellen-Verlosung cow-bell raffle running alongside.
- Best for
- Visitors who want a genuine Alpine tradition rather than a manufactured festival — the herds begin arriving around 9am and the tent celebration continues well after.
- Bavaria On Tap take
- It's one of the most visually distinctive Bavarian traditions on the calendar — flower-crowned cattle parading through town to mark the end of the alpine summer.
Frequently asked questions
- Did the 2026 Viehscheid Immenstadt happen?
- Yes — it ran as scheduled on Saturday, September 19, 2026. Police described the crowd, roughly 7,000 spectators combined across Immenstadt's and neighboring Wertach's Viehscheide that weekend, as peaceful and well-behaved, with only two minor incidents reported at the Immenstadt tent.
- Is the flower crown awarded to the best herd?
- No — this isn't a judged competition between herds. Each alp's own herder chooses one animal in that alp's herd to wear the crown, but only if that alp's entire summer passed without a serious accident to a person or animal. Multiple alps can each present their own crowned cow in the same year; there's no comparison or ranking across alps.
- How many cattle come down, and from how many alps?
- Roughly 900 cattle come down from ten named Allgäu alp groups — Schwanden, Mittag, Wildegund, Mittelberg, Seifenmoos, Alp + Kessel, Gund + Hinterkrumbach, Sederer, Starkatsgund, and Ehrenschwang — officially counted as eleven alps since a couple of those names share one procession banner.
- What makes Immenstadt's Viehscheid different from others in the Allgäu?
- It's the only Viehscheid in Germany that runs through an actual town center — past shopfronts and the Bräuhausplatz — rather than converging on a village square or open meadow like most of the roughly 30 other Allgäu Viehscheide.
- Is it free to attend?
- Yes. Watching the cattle drive and the Saturday festival tent are both free; there's no ticket for either.
- How do I get there without a car?
- Immenstadt's train station is about five minutes' walk from the Viehmarktplatz, directly on the München–Lindau line, and free shuttle buses run from Bühl park-and-ride lots to the Scheidplatz. Road closures apply through town during the parade, and there's no parking on the Viehmarktplatz itself, so train or shuttle is recommended over driving.
- What else happens besides the cattle drive?
- A Krämermarkt vendor market runs all day around the Viehmarktplatz, and at 3:30 p.m. the herders raffle off decorated cow bells in the Scheidschellen-Verlosung — a separate tradition from the flower-crowning.
- Free entry