The Kieler Umschlag is a traditional folk festival celebrating the medieval city and its history every year at the end of February. Due to the unusual circumstances following the Corona pandemic, however Kiel decided to hold the festivities online. From February 25th to 28th citizens and other interested people can participate in a multitude of digital activities.

Central Hub

To give visitors a suitable experience, the city Kiel teamed up with vrendex. Vrendex is a company specializing in virtual reality and augmented reality. Together they created a virtual medieval market that visitors will be able to explore. The market will also be the central hub for all program items. On the marketplace visitors can meet the old major Asmus Bremer. The starting point will be a livestream on Thursday the 25th at 6p.m. in which Asmus Bremer will talk with the current mayor and guests like Fogelvrei or representatives of the lille brewery. In between the talk sections, the show will include videos of traditional events.

Program for children

After that, Kiel conceptualized a packed plan for the next days. Children can tune into a reading of fables by Octavia Kliemt. During the reading they will be able to get on stage and dive into the world presented in the tale. Another interesting event for kids is the pirate and firework show. Both are prerecorded videos that can be watched all festival long. One shows the pirate crew of captain Flunker, Klabauter Jan and Captain Schwarzbart on their adventures. The other one is a pyro show by the group FördeFeuer filmed in front of the Kieler Kloster.

History inspired events

If you are more interested in the historic side of things, you may want to join Gerd Hoelzner of the Geschichtswerkstatt Barockoko, which is a historic learning experience for students. He will take you on historical tours in fitting costumes. You can chose between „Oberst von Binzer führt durch das alte Kiel“ and „Führung durch das historische Kiel“. Another thing can be found on the market with a trade market by the ABK where people can trade, haggle in the spirit of medieval times. 

Food and beverages

The city also thought about those who are more interested in food and beverages. The bakery Backparadies Leefen sells their traditional Kieler Umschlags bread with a characteristic paprika and parmesan crust. Fittingly the lille brewery offers their special edition beer for sale and also host a live beer tasting on Saturday the 27th.

Additional information

These events give you a quick overview about the events during the festival. The completed list with all information can be found from the 25th on and forward by clicking on the link below. So, if you´re missing parties and traditional festivals during the Corona pandemic, come back on the 25th and explore the medieval market.