USAG BAVARIA – HOHENFELS, Germany – To give the youngest members of U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria – Hohenfels a special day, Child and Youth Services threw Kinderfest May 30, 2026 at the School Activity Center.
The event brought on-post organizations, military units, garrison offices and directorates and more together to give Families with children a day out to enjoy sun, fun and one another’s company.
Christine McConnell, outreach services director for Child and Youth Services explained Kinderfest.
“Kinderfest is typically celebrated during Month of the Military Child as a thank you to our military and civilian children here in Hohenfels,” she said. “It’s CYS’s way to bring the community together and give back to children.”
Normally Kinderfest, an annual event, would take place during April, which the Army celebrates as “Month of the Military Child.” This year’s fest, however, took place at the end of May.
“Because this event is focused on Families, we wanted to make sure that Families could come together,” McConnell said. “There were a lot of rotations in Hohenfels during April that would have kept Families separated during this time. So we wanted to make it that as many Families could come as a whole.”
Local national employees were also welcome to bring their Families to the event.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for Families to come out and see what Child and Youth Services does with the community and how we support each other,” said Beth Payne, CYS coordinator for Hohenfels. “It is a CYS event; it is an MWR event; but more than that, it’s a community event. Kinderfest gives the entire community a chance to come into one place, meet new people, reach new Families, and make a difference for them.”
The event also brought Families from other garrisons. Rachel Faulkner, the director of the Child Development Center at Tower Barracks, came to support the event bringing her Family in tow.
“I’m here with the kids; they enjoy it,” Faulkner said. “It is a nice day, so we took a drive out.”
And there was much for Families to see and do. Military units brought their personnel carriers and unmanned aerial vehicles. The Falcon Team landed their helicopter on the field to give young children, and their parents, the opportunity to sit inside and take their photo. Outdoor Recreation gave some children their first archery lessons. The American Red Cross brought their dogs to take photographs with Families. The Religious Support Office held face-painting. Fire and Emergency Services had children play a game where they pushed small emergency vehicles with the blast of a fire hose. The on-post financial institutions gave away snacks, water, juice, stationery, fidget spinners and much more. Morale, Welfare and Recreation marketing from the garrison headquarters came down to hold a raffle.
Children had fun bouncing in large inflatable structures, riding a mechanical bull, kicking balls into novelty inflatable nets, and more. Because it was late spring, weather permitted the use of a large inflatable waterslide with mist spraying over its young users.
And indeed, the weather was clement for three of the four scheduled hours of Kinderfest. In the final hour a stormfront rolled in from the northwest, and concern for the safety – and enjoyment – of those attending precluded Kinderfest’s normal conclusion. Organizations pulled their awnings down, collapsed their tables, and bagged their ungiven giveaways. Parents held their children’s hands, pushed their strollers, cradled their toddlers and speedwalked to their automobiles as the rain started falling and the wind whipped petals off the early blooming trees in an airy swirl rich with ozone and petrichor.
To learn more about Child and Youth Services, visit their page at https://hohenfels.armymwr.com/categories/cys-services.
To see more photos from Kinderfest, visit the photo album here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usagbavaria/albums/72177720334010599.