Bocholt 2025 wine festival on St George's Square

The 29th edition of the Palatinate Wine Festival was celebrated in Bocholt this year - and once again, the people of Bocholt and their guests, as well as us from City Marketing with the winegrowers from the Palatinate, had a lot of fun experiencing and organising the wine festival in Bocholt. "We had a rather cloudy but dry Friday and Saturday with sunny spells, and we were also lucky with Sunday overall," summarises City Marketing Managing Director Ludger Dieckhues. Despite many clouds on Friday and Saturday evening, it was warm - and everyone was there again, St.-Georg-Platz was simply full throughout, the atmosphere was just great!" That was also the general tenor on St.-Georg-Platz and for the winegrowers from the Palatinate: everyone is always delighted and motivated to come to Bocholt. "Guests and winegrowers, restaurants, pubs and ice cream parlours really had a lot of fun and a lot to do around the historic town hall and St. George's Church - this year, our water games on the market square were also added to the wine festival. For us at City Marketing, it's a highlight of the holidays in Bocholt, where people meet up and chat about what they've experienced and what's coming up," says Ludger Dieckhues once again. "A festival where the celebrations are great and where this year once again a lot of wine was drunk in a great atmosphere, especially on Friday and Saturday evening."

The square filled up very quickly on Friday afternoon and there was a relaxed, almost Mediterranean atmosphere when the sun came out a few times. At the opening at 5.00 pm by Mayor Thomas Kerkhoff, Wine Queen Barbara I and City Marketing Director Ludger Dieckhues, all the tables and bar tables were already occupied, numerous guests of honour gathered in front of the stage, as did many former wine queens. Traditionally, the Spork musicians played on this day and an enthusiastic (regular) audience was on hand. People celebrated, danced and sang to the sound of wine. Wines were sampled and young and old enjoyed themselves with conversation, a tarte flambée, a snack and a glass or two of wine. Later, it was really crowded on St George's Square: bar tables, counters, chairs and benches on and around the fountain were filled.

A real wine party was then celebrated on Saturday evening - as it is every year: St.-Georg-Platz was already a destination for wine lovers and visitors to the city centre in the afternoon. And by early evening, the square was already so full that visitors were scrambling for tables and bar tables, forming groups and enjoying the evening in a wine-loving atmosphere. The rain stayed away except for a small shower, it was warm and nothing stood in the way of the wine party. Young and old mingled in a colourful mix, it was almost impossible to get through. "It's great how the Bocholters celebrate - over and over again!," enthused winegrower Gerd Pfaffmann from Impflingen. The wine flowed freely, the winegrowers gave their best - once again a wine-soaked Saturday evening on St.-Georg-Platz in Bocholt. And thanks to the start-up party band, there was dancing at the wine festival late into the night! - "People enjoy the wine, the atmosphere is great, in contrast to other festivals there are lots and lots of young people," said winemaker Ute Sommer from Klingen. Around 1.00 a.m., the big clean-up by winegrowers and town marketing began, because the square had to be tidy again for the first Sunday mass in St George's Church.

On Sunday, the festival began in bright weather at 11.30 a.m. directly after the end of Sunday mass in St George's. Father Matthias Hembrock had provided wine vouchers, so that the wine stands had guests right away. And so a cosy wine afternoon developed with the duo "Boogie & more" on St.-Georg-Platz while the children played in the large water fountain on the market square.

Coronation of the Wine Queen Mona I.

Mona I (Berghaus) is Bocholt's new wine queen. She was drawn from the large champagne bucket with a total of 57 applications on Sunday afternoon: 31 female applicants and - for the first time - 26 male applicants. This year, it was once again possible to apply digitally via barcode scan, as well as by filling in the slips of paper on display. As always, the winegrowers had drawn 3 application slips as a precaution in case there was a rejection. When city marketing manager Ludger Dieckhues called, Mona I said immediately and enthusiastically: "Yes, of course - finally, I've applied several times in the last few years and now it's worked out. I'm very happy! " Mona I. was born in Bocholt and went to school at the Euregio Gymnasium. She now works for an advertising agency in Düsseldorf. Mona Berghaus' hobbies are her family and her many friends, with whom she spends a lot of her free time: "Some of them will be celebrating with me, with us, during the course of the evening! "I'm definitely a wine lover, my partner and I like to have a glass of wine in the evening or at the weekend to relax," says Mona I. "And we like to go to the Bocholt Wine Festival again and again - as do many of our friends," she enthuses. Mona I. likes to drink white wine in summer - preferably Pinot Gris or Riesling - and a red wine in winter - the classic way. The new Bocholt Wine Queen is 32 years old. On Sunday evening, she went from wine stand to wine stand, chatted to the winegrowers and received many congratulations from visitors to the wine festival.

The previous wine queen Barbara I. took over the coronation of the new wine queen on Sunday at 6 pm together with city marketing manager Ludger Dieckhues on St.-Georg-Platz. Mona I received a voucher for a weekend in the Palatinate, a crate of Palatinate wine, a "precious surprise" donated by jewellers Hermeier (Max and Julia Bollwerk were there themselves), tickets for the Bahia concert in September and a bouquet of flowers - and as she walked around the square from stand to stand, she received many warm congratulations..... In the coming months, she will be present at the opening of the funfair and Christmas market, for example.