Carnival guild

“Obernarr” quietly says “Eber-Eber-Hoi” as he says goodbye

After a 22-year reign, the president of the Linz-Ebelsberg-Kleinmünchen carnival guild may not have lost his laughter, but the "romantic of customs" Wolfgang Harrer is now stepping down. The "sixth" season is now dawning for him.

As head of the Linz-Ebelsberg-Kleinmünchen carnival guild, the man from Eferding has helped shape the "fifth" season in Linz for over two decades. Now he is entering his sixth, retirement. "They were wonderful years that I wouldn't want to have missed," reflects Wolfgang Harrer, who calls himself a "romantic of customs". "Even though it was never easy in Linz, I never saw the work as work and I carried out my duties with great passion. The biggest highlights for me were the parades, especially the one in the Capital of Culture year 2009, but also the ones in 2014 and 2019," says the outgoing "head jester", looking back slightly wistfully.

"My wife was a guard girl"
How did it come about that he, an Eferding native, was able to become Linz guild president in the first place? "My wife was a guard girl when we met. The president at the time invited me to join. At first I couldn't imagine it, but now I've been involved for a good 30 years." Although his health has not been so good recently, Harrer emphasizes: "Regardless of that, I would have retired this year."