Da-Bach-na-Fahrt (Journey Down the Stream)

Da-Bach-na-Fahrt (Journey Down the Stream in the local dialect) is a unique parade in which whimsical wash tubs race down the stream. The entertaining event was founded in 1936 in opposition to the established carnival clubs.

Three weeks before the event, which takes place on the Monday before carnival, called Rosenmontag in Germany, the teams are announced. They must then decorate their wash tubs with the same extravagance with which people decorate carnival floats. The teams have to use the provided wash tubs, as other floatation devices like bathtubs have been outlawed since 1951.

On the Sunday before carnival, the participants are baptized in the stream’s cold water. Then, on the morning of the event, the decorated wash tubs are presented at the race’s end point. An hour later, they transport their wash tubs through the streets of Schramberg to the start point, where a temporary slipway is installed to bring the vessels into the water.

Actual Da-Bach-na-Fahrt, which is attended by up to 30,000 spectators, starts at 1:00 p.m. The ride down the Schiltach lasts, depending on the state of the wash tub and the water level of the stream, between five and 12 minutes. Not all wash tubs survive the trip down the waterway.