Choir performances anchored every Sängerfest. In early years, most choirs were a capella Männerchors. Later, mixed, women’s and children’s choirs were added. Beginning in the 1880s, the large festivals of the regional Sängerbunds featured the Bundeschor or Festchor, a mass choir with hundreds or thousands of singers sharing the stage at the same time.
Preissingen: choir competitions for ever larger prizes, became popular, with some associations vying for the Kaiserpreis offered by German Emperor Wilhelm II.
Socializing: Sängerfests drew thousands of German Americans who celebra-ted their traditions and took part in special pro-grams, such as a “road trip by automobile for the visiting ladies” at the 38th annual Sängerfest of the Wisconsin Sängerbund, 1939, in Sheboygan. On the last day, a big pic-nic brought singers, visitors, and locals together one last time.
Parades by the societies and other German American clubs, such as the Turners (gymnasts) and Schützen (sport shooters), presented German heritage to the larger community, while orations by prominent German-Americans extolled the virtues of German musical traditions.
Community Reception — The festivals were attended by mostly German Americans, while community members of other ethnic backgrounds came to watch the parades. Some objected to singing, dancing, and drinking on Sundays. In the years after America had entered the two world wars no Sängerfests were held.