What's on in the Bremen city-state this weekend of July 4 and 5? It's the weekend when the Breminale draws to its big close. For five days the festival has turned the Osterdeich on the Weser into an open cultural mile, and now it heads for the finish. Around it, the small city-state simmers with variety: open-air culture right next to the cathedral, a children's festival on the Vahrer See, an arts-and-crafts market in the Überseestadt and a flea market by the water in northern Bremen. Our pick this time is clearly the Breminale, the heart of Bremen's festival summer. Bremen is small. Yet this weekend it is surprisingly densely programmed. Here are eight outings worth the trip.
Breminale on the Osterdeich: the heart of Bremen's festival summer reaches its finale
The Breminale is the heart of Bremen's festival summer, and this weekend you catch its final two days. Since 1987 the Osterdeich on the Weser has turned into an open cultural mile for five days each year. From July 1 to 5 you'll find indie, electro, rock, soul, funk and hip-hop here, alongside theatre, circus, readings and comedy. More than 120 concerts on eleven stages, free admission for all and an audience of around 200,000 make it the biggest festival of its kind in the city. Anyone spending the weekend in Bremen can hardly avoid the dyke. Saturday and Sunday are the last chance before the stages come down for the year.
Open Space Domshof: free open-air culture beside St Petri Cathedral
The Open Space Domshof turns one of the most central squares of the Hanseatic city, right next to St Petri Cathedral, into a creative open-air spot every summer. Since June 10 and on until early August it hosts a dense programme: concerts, DJ evenings, dance classes, tastings, pub quizzes and children's activities, all free and under the open sky. A garden café with the Ratskeller pavilion invites you to linger. This weekend the Domshof is the ideal meeting point for a break between the Breminale and a stroll through the centre: central, free and with the cathedral as a backdrop. Check the day's line-up to see what's happening on the square right now.
Irgendwo-Festival in Bremen-Neustadt: a self-run cultural free space
The Irgendwo-Festival is a self-managed summer festival run by the Kulturbeutel e.V. association. It runs all summer long, from May to the end of September. The site? A roughly 5,000-square-metre patch of wasteland on Amelie-Beese-Straße, between the OHB space centre and the airport. Around 100 volunteers turn a slice of Bremen-Neustadt into a cultural free space, with concerts, open-air cinema, theatre, readings, yoga and DJ workshops. It's Bremen at its uncommercial, do-it-yourself best, and the programme grows out of the neighbourhood itself. Anyone after something idiosyncratic away from the dyke and the centre will be in the right place this weekend. It's worth checking the current schedule, as the offering changes almost daily.
Kukoon im Park on the Leibnizplatz: a socio-cultural summer hub
Kukoon im Park is the summery open-air offshoot of Bremen's Kukoon cultural centre. From May into late summer the collective pitches its yurts in the park on the Leibnizplatz in the Neustadt and serves ice cream and coffee alongside a dense cultural programme under the open sky: political evenings, readings, talks, concerts and activities for children. It's a low-threshold, socio-cultural summer hub, Bremen in the green, with attitude and no admission barrier. This weekend it's a fine spot for anyone who would rather experience culture in a park than on a big stage. Families will find a corner here just as easily as anyone after a relaxed afternoon with a programme and a picnic blanket.
VAHRinale on the Vahrer See: the big children's festival in eastern Bremen
The VAHRinale is the big children's festival on the Vahrer See in eastern Bremen, and this weekend it heads towards its close. From July 2 to 5 the Neue Vahr community centre turns the lakeside meadow into a playground for children and teenagers: plenty of creative activities, craft sessions, a stage programme, games and outdoor fun. The whole thing is carried by the community centre's volunteers, and admission is open to all. It's neighbourhood culture in the green, a family-friendly festival far from the big festival stages. Anyone out with children will find the right weekend destination here: plenty of space, fresh air and a programme aimed at the youngest. Saturday and Sunday are the final two days.
Speichermarkt in the Überseestadt: craftwork in front of Speicher XI
The Speichermarkt is a popular arts-and-crafts and gourmet market set against the historic backdrop of Speicher XI in Bremen's Überseestadt. Once a year in summer, this year on Sunday July 5, around 80 exhibitors present jewellery, ceramics, handmade soaps, glass art, fashion, plants and home accessories. Add food trucks and market stalls with culinary treats to enjoy on the spot or take away. The long brick warehouse gives the market its special atmosphere. Anyone still after a souvenir on Sunday, or simply keen to wander through the Überseestadt, is in the right place. A relaxed spot for browsing that fits the wind-down of the festival weekend nicely.
Vegesacker Weserflohmarkt: browsing right by the water in northern Bremen
The Vegesacker Weserflohmarkt turns the Weser riverside promenade in northern Bremen into a long browsing mile twice a year. Private sellers set up their stalls, unpack their boxes and offer bric-a-brac, antiques, clothes, books, music and décor, all second-hand and right by the water. With a view of the Weser and food stalls for a break, the flea market in the Vegesack district is a popular summer destination. Anyone who enjoys bargain-hunting with a breath of harbour air gets both here. Vegesack, with its maritime flair, is worth the trip north in any case. A leisurely morning among crates of odds and ends before heading on to one of the big festivals.
Bremerhavener Musiksommer at the Schaufenster Fischereihafen: live bands by the water
The Bremerhavener Musiksommer is the free open-air concert series at the Schaufenster Fischereihafen. On 15 Thursdays between June and September it brings live bands to the waterside market square. June belongs to local heroes from the region; from July, international tribute bands from the Beatles through ABBA to Queen take over. Up to 4,000 guests an evening enjoy the music free of charge in a maritime setting. Anyone spending the weekend in Bremerhaven or wandering around the fishing harbour should keep an eye on the coming days' programme. The series is a fixture of the Bremerhaven summer, a sociable evening right by the water, in the heart of the historic harbour quarter with its old warehouses.
For more events across Germany, see our this weekend's agenda. Enjoy the summer in Bremen.
