Acceptance Festival Potsdam

Festival for Acceptance and Inclusion in Schiffbauergasse

The Acceptance Festival is one of Potsdam's youngest and most politically clear festivals. It is organized by the association Einzelfallhilfe-Manufaktur e.V., which is active in educational and social work in the state of Brandenburg. The festival's goal is to make a visible statement for acceptance, diversity, and inclusion – low-threshold, free of charge, intergenerational, and accessible to all.

Three Stages, One Action Island

The festival utilizes the Waschhaus area in Schiffbauergasse with three program strands: Fun for Kids with its own children's music program, The Sunny Afternoon as the afternoon stage, The Big Evening as the main stage with evening headliner sets. In parallel, the Action Island is divided: twelve local stakeholders from the social, cultural, and inclusive sectors present their work, invite participation, and offer discussions.

Headliners 2026: ok.danke.tschüss, Yu, Bruckner

The musical profile is broadly positioned: ok.danke.tschüss, Yu, Bruckner, Treptow, the Tanzorchester Paschulke, Power Plush, VIMA, Daada, as well as children's music acts Senta and Ena Kinderlieder. Moderation: Inga Brakopp. The festival combines indie, pop, singer-songwriter, hip-hop, and children's music in a dense two-day program.

Free Admission — Financed by Grants and Donations

Admission is free or by donation. The festival thus consciously positions itself as a socially inclusive format without financial barriers. The festival is financed by grants from the state capital Potsdam, the state of Brandenburg, foundations, and donations. The Acceptance Festival 2026 is one of the festivals supported by the City of Potsdam within the framework of festival funding.

Waschhaus Potsdam — Sociocultural Center

The Waschhaus Potsdam in Schiffbauergasse is one of the most important sociocultural centers in East Germany. Concerts, theater, readings, flea markets, festivals, and the independent scene shape its program. For the Acceptance Festival, the area with its hall, courtyard, and outdoor spaces is the ideal venue – and symbolic of the open, pluralistic city that the festival advocates for.

Schiffbauergasse: Cultural Mile on the Tiefen See

Schiffbauergasse on the banks of the Tiefen See is Potsdam's cultural mile – a former military industrial wasteland where Waschhaus, Fabrik (Hans Otto Theater), Reithalle, Schinkelhalle, and the Museum Barberini's external location now operate. Festivals like the Acceptance Festival benefit from this dense cultural neighborhood.