b° future festival
European Festival for Journalism and Constructive Dialogue
About b° future
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Where Journalism Meets the Public
The b° future festival is one of Europe's youngest and most distinguished media events. The organizer is the non-profit Bonn Institute, a research and dialogue center for constructive journalism founded in 2022. The idea: to merge a professional conference for media professionals and an open public festival on the market square into a single event. The result is a rare blend of an international industry conference, journalistic workshops, and a public festival for democratic discourse.
Three Days on Münsterplatz Bonn
The venue is Münsterplatz in the heart of Bonn's city center — against the backdrop of Bonn Minster, one of Germany's oldest sacred buildings. For three days, the square becomes a stage: a main stage for keynotes and panels, discussion corners for public conversations, workshop pavilions, a podcast studio, streaming corners, and catering stands. The conference rooms are spread across the Bonn Institute and partner locations in the vicinity.
Democracy, Diversity, Dialogue
The festival clearly positions itself as an antidote to polarization, hate speech, and disinformation. Sponsorship contributions are explicitly understood as a "statement against hate, incitement, and disinformation." In terms of content, the panels revolve around questions such as: How can journalism better represent society? How does the industry prevent polarization? What role does AI play in the newsroom? How can local media survive?
International Reach
The 2025 edition attracted around 700 journalists from 37 countries to Bonn — plus several thousand local visitors for the open public part. Within three years, the festival has become a fixed date in the European media calendar, comparable to the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, but with an explicitly constructive-dialogue profile.
Bonn as a Location
Bonn — the former capital of West Germany until 1999, now an independent city in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia — is an international media hub with the UN presence, Deutsche Welle, and numerous foundations. The b° future festival leverages this DNA by combining the UN city identity with Bonn's tradition of public discourse. A German-English podcast accompanies the festival year-round.
b° future — edition 2026
The 2026 Program
The b° future festival 2026 is designed as a three-day combination of an industry conference and a public festival. Key themes in the lead-up include: constructive journalism in times of disinformation, representation of diversity in newsrooms, AI in daily journalistic work, the future of local media, and the democratic mission in a polarized society.
Format
Over three days, several stages and pavilions will be set up on Münsterplatz: The main stage for keynotes and large panels, smaller workshop pavilions for hands-on sessions, a podcast studio for live recordings, and discussion corners for public conversations. The professional conference will run concurrently at the Bonn Institute and partner locations around Münsterplatz.
Tickets
Journalist tickets will be available from April 1st, 2026. Early bird tickets for media professionals can be booked until May 31st, 2026, and include access to exclusive conference formats and networking events. The public program on Münsterplatz is free of charge.
About the Organizer
The non-profit Bonn Institute (Bennauerstraße 60, 53115 Bonn) was founded in 2022 and is one of Europe's central research and dialogue centers for constructive journalism. It organizes the festival in cooperation with numerous media partners and the City of Bonn.
Programme b° future 2026
Thursday, October 1st, 2026 — Opening
- Welcome by the Bonn Institute
- Opening Keynote
- First panels on constructive journalism
- Opening reception in the evening
Friday, October 2nd, 2026 — Main Conference Day
- Full day on the main stage + three workshop pavilions
- Thematic areas: AI in the newsroom, representation, local journalism
- Podcast studio with live recordings
- Networking evening
Saturday, October 3rd, 2026 — Public Day and Closing
- Focus on the open public part on Münsterplatz
- Discussion corners and public conversations
- Closing keynote and awards ceremony
The full program and speaker lineup will be published in summer 2026 at b-future.org.
Highlights b° future 2026
Prices b° future 2026
Practical information — b° future
Getting There
By train: Bonn Hauptbahnhof (main station). From the main station to Münsterplatz is about a 4-minute walk. Accessible from all over Germany by ICE/IC trains.
Tickets
Journalist tickets available from April 1st, 2026. Early bird tickets for media professionals available until May 31st, 2026. The public part and open-air program on Münsterplatz are free of charge.
Accessibility
The Bonn Institute conference location is not fully accessible. Münsterplatz itself is accessible at ground level.
Contact
Bonn Institute gGmbH, Bennauerstraße 60, 53115 Bonn — [email protected] — +49 228 28653370
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Travel to this festival
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Sponsored link
Where it takes place b° future
Münsterplatz Bonn
Münsterplatz, 53113 Bonn