The biggest church fair in the district From summer to fall, people in Thuringia and Franconia celebrate the Kirmes or Kirchweih, Kermse, Kerwa. For Steinach, the Kerwa is not just any festival in the course of the year, it is the festival of the year. Even today, the people of Steinach have their own time management. They calculate until the kerwa and after the kerwa. Every year, on the third weekend in August, the inhabitants meet with their friends and guests from near and far for one of the most attractive folk festivals in the region. This unique combination of church consecration, market day and cultural events has been celebrated for over 100 years. The center of the festivities is the market square, restored in 1999 and the largest in the Free State. Numerous showmen and well over 100 merchants contribute to the success of the festival. After three turbulent days, the “Stänichä Kerwa” always ends on Monday evening with a magnificent high-altitude fireworks display – and then for the locals it’s back to the “Kerwa”.