St Martin’s Procession
These days, Düsseldorf is all about St Martin. In keeping with the old tradition, St Martin’s processions are once again making their way through the state capital. The highlight of the St Martin’s celebrations is the evening procession through the streets and alleys of the Old Town on Tuesday, 10 November 2026.
Behind Saint Martin on horseback comes a crowd of children, many carrying lanterns they have made themselves. The Saint Martin’s procession took place for the first time, albeit in an unorganised manner, as early as 1871.
In the two weeks around St Martin’s Day, a St Martin’s procession takes place almost every evening in at least one of Düsseldorf’s districts, with children and adults following the horseman and his horse carrying lit lanterns whilst singing the traditional songs. Whilst in the individual districts schools, nurseries or shooting clubs often organise the St Martin’s processions, the Association of Friends of the St Martin’s Festival (Vereinigung der Freunde des Martinsfestes e. V.) was formed in 1925 for Düsseldorf’s Old Town.
Bands and heralds set off on Tuesday at 5 pm from Stiftsplatz, proceeding along Ratinger Straße and Neubrückstraße; after crossing Mühlenstraße, they pass the St Martin’s stele and continue via Andreasstraße and Kurze Straße to the market square in front of the town hall. Around 5.30 pm, the first ‘sharing of the cloak’ takes place there. The procession then continues along Marktstraße and through ‘Rheinort’ to Burgplatz, where the second sharing of the cloak will take place by the Ferris wheel at around 6 pm. The procession will then disperse. Branco Alvermann will once again be playing the role of the beggar. Sven Hövelmann will ride in the procession as Saint Martin. To set the mood, the story of Saint Martin will be read out in front of the town hall from 5.00 pm.
The customs associated with St Martin’s Day date back to the Middle Ages. This is certainly also due to the fact that St Martin’s reputation had already spread from Franconia to Saxony by the 11th century. As early as the 5th century, churches, monasteries and hospitals had chosen him as their patron saint. Martin’s uncompromising defence of Christianity may well have contributed to this. The son of a pagan Roman officer, born in western Hungary in 316, he was baptised at the age of 18. Prior to this, whilst still a pagan, he had shared his soldier’s cloak with a beggar out of compassion near Amiens. Shortly after his baptism, Martin left the army and became a hermit. He lived in various monasteries and was eventually elected, against his will, as Bishop of Tours in France around 370. He is said to have died in 397. (Source: City of Düsseldorf)