Intercultural Days in Dresden

Trailer of the Intercultural Days in Dresden, © Nazanin Zandi und Kippelsteiner Filme

Dresden is a diverse and cosmopolitan city. Every year during September and October the people of Dresden gather to celebrate Intercultural Days. The festivities are held at different locations in the city. One of the highlights of Intercultural Days, for example, takes place at the Jorge-Gomondai-Platz, where the Intercultural Street Festival is annually celebrated.

The core purpose of Intercultural Days is to promote mutual understanding between the residents of Dresden regardless of appearance, gender, origin or religion. A large variety of different events during Intercultural Days offers the opportunity to discover the community we live in and create new ideas together. Moreover, they also encourage the collaborative spirit of working together and interactions from a position of equality as well as the reduction of prejudices and stereotypes.

Most of the events are free of charge and offer a great variety of activities for every taste and every age. From discussion forums, movie nights and concerts, to sport events and district festivals – any topic of cultural, social and political nature is appreciated. Intercultural Days are generally organised on a voluntary basis. All the people of Dresden as well as its institutions, who would like to contribute to an open-minded and tolerant attitude of people living here, are welcome to participate.

32nd Intercultural Days in Dresden
from 18th September to 9th October 2022

The motto of this year’s Intercultural Days is „Dresden. Gemeinsam. Gestalten.“ which roughly translates into „Creating Dresden together“. It means that we are all part of a common urban society and clarifies how important it is to treat each other responsibly. The aim of the event weeks is to create opportunities for people to meet and get to know each other.

This years colourful programme is currently being developed. Over 150 activities/events will take place during this years Intercultural Days, including concerts, lectures, film screenings with discussion and much more.

The activities and events will have the following main topics:

Shaping the neighbourhood
Migration and environment – acting against climate change together
Strengthen human and children’s rights
Giving a voice to stories of migration
Promoting linguistic diversity

The programme will be available citywide from mid-September. As in previous years, the magazine will appear in a German-English print edition. In addition, translations of the event programme in Arabic, French, Russian and Spain will be available online.

Please note:

Should there be any subsequent changes regarding the location, date or content of your event, please inform us as soon as possible in order to avoid any uncertainty or requests from visitors.

Please send changes to the following e-mails:

auslaenderbeauftragte@dresden.de and ikt@auslaenderrat.de

Participation in the Intercultural Street Festival

You can also participate in the Intercultural Street Festival. This is a family festival, which takes place on 24th September 2022 at “Jorge-Gomondai-Platz” in Dresden-Neustadt. You can contribute to the stage program with singing or dancing. If you're part of an association or initiative, you can also make an information stand about your group.

The deadline for applications is 31 May 2022. All important information about the Intercultural Street Festival and the application can be found at www.auslaenderrat.de/veranstalter

We are looking forward to your registrations!

More information about the Intercultural Days and the Intercultural Street Festival, who can participate and how to register, can be found further down this page.

Dates to reserve

18th September 3 p.m.	Dresden. Gemeinsam. Gestalten. Official opening ceremony of the 32nd Intercultural Days Neues Rathaus, Plenar-/Festsaal Rathausplatz 1, 01067 Dresden
24th September 12 – 5 p.m.	Intercultural Street Festival for the Whole Family Jorge-Gomondai-Platz, Nähe Albertplatz
29th September 5 - 8 p.m.	Peace Festival of the Children of Abraham Neues Rathaus, Plenar-/Festsaal Rathausplatz 1
9th October n.n.	Closing ceremony of the 32nd Intercultural Days Theaterruine St. Pauli, Königsbrücker Platz

Further information about Intercultural Days in Dresden

Why do we have Intercultural Days in Dresden?

Dresden is a diverse and cosmopolitan city. With Intercultural Days we would like to emphasize this diversity and promote mutual understanding among all inhabitants, regardless of appearance, origin or religion. A large variety of different events during Intercultural Days offers the opportunity to discover the community we live in and create new ideas together. Moreover, they also encourage the collaborative spirit of working together and promote equality through the reduction of prejudices and stereotypes. Intercultural Days offer the opportunity to numerous participants from Dresden to present themselves and their ideas, and to preserve the openness and diversity of Dresden.

How can I participate in Intercultural Days?

Participation is open to all Dresden residents and institutions that wish to contribute to an open-minded and accepting approach to all people living here. We consider a democratic and pluralistic worldview as a matter of fact.

This means specifically:

people and organizations that advocate civil engagement, democratic behaviour and diversity in the society can participate
people and organizations that act against the Liberal democratic constitutional Order of the german state as well as people and organizations that belong to extremist structures according to the §4 of the Federal Constitution Protection Act (Bundesverfassungsschutzgesetz) and the §3 of the Saxonian Constitutional Protection Act (Sächsisches Verfassungsschutzgesetz) or any others who are verifiable close to them are excluded

What types of events/activities can I apply with?

The programme of Intercultural Days is as diverse as Dresden itself. From discussion forums, movie nights and concerts, to sport events and district festivals – any topic of cultural, social and political nature that promotes mutual understanding and intercultural exchange in Dresden is welcomed.

How can I register my event/activity?

The registration for Intercultural Days takes place online from late February until mid-April on the registration platform. After that, late registrations or event changes can only be made in the online programme with the help of the office of the Commissioner for Integration and Foreign Nationals in Dresden and Ausländerrat Dresden e. V.

Please note that a binding registration is only possible if all general conditions of the event have been clarified. This means that each individual/group/organization is responsible for the organization of its own event (date, location, time, etc.).

All people and organizations that correspond to the conditions of participation can register.

All events will be published in a joint programme (DE/EN) and will also be available online in other languages.

Please note that the selection of events for the Intercultural Days program is at the discretion of the City of Dresden. There is no claim to the inclusion of an event in the program booklet.

Is there any financial support for my event/activity?

Yes, there is a possibility to get financial support for your event/activity. You can find out more information on this topic at www.auslaenderrat.de/ikt/veranstalter. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Ronny Geißler from Ausländerrat Dresden e. V. at ikt@auslaenderrat.de

Only people and organizations that are included in the program booklet and correspond to the conditions of participation can be financially supported.

Who are the contact persons for Intercultural Days?

Intercultural Days are coordinated by the Office of the Commissioner for Integration and Foreigners of the City of Dresden in cooperation with Ausländerrat Dresden e. V. If you have any questions, please contact the office of the Commissioner for Integration and Foreigners at auslaenderbeauftragte@dresden.de or Mr. Ronny Geißler from Ausländerrat Dresden e. V. at ikt@auslaenderrat.de

Further Information

Information on the annual nationwide Intercultural Week and the event programme in the other cities can be found at www.interkulturellewoche.de.
No closed events can be included in the program of the Intercultural Days.

Intercultural Street Festival

The Intercultural Street Festival takes place annually on the last Saturday in September from 12:00 to 17:00 at Jorge-Gomondai-Platz (at Albertplatz). The next Street Festival is scheduled to take place on 24. September 2022. A varied stage programme offers entertainment for every taste and every age. Gain insight into the diversity of Dresden by visiting various exhibition stands and by participating in different activities offered by the city´s numerous intercultural associations and initiatives, and enjoy culinary samples from all over the world.

Further information about the Intercultural Street Festival

What is the Intercultural Street Festival?

The Intercultural Street Festival is a festival for the whole family. Numerous associations and initiatives from Dresden and its suburbs introduce themselves and present informative and participatory activities. The event aims to promote respectful dialogue between people of all kinds of diverse backgrounds. A colourful stage programme featuring a diverse range of Dresden residents will also entertain festivalgoers.

The Street Festival takes place every year at Jorge-Gomondai-Platz (Albertplatz).

Who can register an exhibition stand for the Street Festival?

Associations, initiatives and people working in integration in Dresden can apply for an exhibition stand at the Street Festival. The registration form can be found at www.auslaenderrat.de/ikt/veranstalter. Please note the registration deadlines. You will receive a confirmation of participation and further information on the further procedure from the Ausländerrat Dresden e. V.

What can I present at my exhibition stand?

Preference is given to exhibition stands with an informative character (e.g. introduction of the association or initiative through flyers, presentations, etc.) and with ideas for participatory activities (e.g. handicraft offers, interactive games, puzzles, etc.).

What are the requirements for participation?

The Street Festival sees itself as a not-for-profit family event.

Food and other items may not be sold. Applications for stands of this type will be rejected.
Exhibition stands may offer traditional foods in return for a donation, but this should not be the sole purpose of the stand. Be sure the stand has an informative character. Purely culinary stands are prohibited.
If there are more registrations than stands, migrant organisations and first-time participants could be given preference.

Is there financial support for a stand?

Yes, there is. Associations and initiatives can apply for a small financial support for their exhibition stand using the registration form at www.auslaenderrat.de/ikt/veranstalter.

How can I register my contribution for the stage programme?

The application form for the stage programme can be found at www.auslaenderrat.de/ikt/veranstalter. You will receive feedback as to whether participation has been confirmed. When planning the stage programme, we reserve the right to adapt the duration of your individual programme to the stage schedule. If you have any further questions, please contact Mr. Ronny Geißler from Ausländerrat Dresden e. V. at 0176-42082008 or ikt@auslaenderrat.de