On the last Sunday before the summer holidays each year, the children's bird shooting event takes place for all children in the city of Bad Segeberg. It is organized by a nonprofit association that represents all social classes of the city. From the approximately 300 members, no membership fee is charged; they only need to contribute their labor once a year for the children to hold this festival.
On Sunday morning, the royal couple from the previous year is picked up from the town hall and led through the city in a colorful parade with about 30-40 festival floats, groups, and orchestras. The afternoon is dedicated to games. Around 1000 children, separated by boys, girls, and age groups, play on the racing green. Each game is about winning a tangible prize, which each child receives immediately after participating in the respective game.
In addition to these games, there are two royal games where the ticket number from the lottery ticket that each child previously bought becomes very significant. Boys of all age groups must shoot metal bolts with a crossbow at a wooden bird to bring it down. Girls of all age groups make a pick bird, hanging from ribbons, fly three times in a row at a target. The goal is to hit the center, that is, the 13, as many times as possible. The ticket number has the following significance in these games: each child plays or aims for a random number per round. Depending on whether 3x13 is chosen or a piece of the wooden bird falls and is caught, the ticket proceeds to the next round or remains excluded in the next round.
The girl who picks 3x13 for the last time is crowned shooting queen, and the girl whose ticket number is picked last becomes queen. Among the boys, the one who catches the last piece of the bird becomes shooting king, and the boy whose number is shot last becomes king. In this way, there is only one royal couple, which will understandably differ in age and size. When the new royal couple is decided in the evening, they walk back along the lake promenade to the city for the proclamation in front of the Dahlmann school.
Parade: Formation: 07.30 Burgfeldstraße
Start 08.15 Burgfeldstraße
Break 10.00-10.30 Keltingstraße, Moltkestraße
End 11.15 Market Square
Start of games 14.45 Racing green
Prize distribution age group games 17.30 Racing green grandstand
Prize distribution main games approx. 19.00 Racing green grandstand
Proclamation of the royal couple approx. 21.00 Dahlmannschule
