Accessible Summer Festival “Celebrating Diversity" Hohenschönhausen

A Neighbourhood Festival Reimagined

The meadow between Schöneicher and Freienwalder Straße is located in the heart of Alt-Hohenschönhausen (Lichtenberg district) — an area with prefabricated buildings, many elderly residents, numerous families with migration backgrounds, and a significant number of Berliners with disabilities living in the surrounding housing projects of Cooperative Mensch eG. It is precisely here that the community centre “Living Together in the Neighbourhood" has been organising the summer festival “Celebrating Diversity" for several years, transforming inclusion from a buzzword into an experienceable neighbourhood festival.

What Makes the Festival Special

• Consciously Accessible: the entire site is wheelchair-accessible, with accessible sanitary facilities and a quiet tent equipped with mats and cushions for rest periods.
• Live Music: in 2025, Pinellis 90° and a saxophone ensemble performed — typically local bands, often with inclusive line-ups.
• Free Food: barbecue and drinks are provided by the community centre — no one is turned away due to lack of funds.
• Flea Market: free entry, original stall fee for vendors — cakes or muffins instead of money.
• Children's Programme: bouncy castle, games, face painting.
• Diversity Ethos: neighbours of different generations, origins, and life circumstances meet in an open format.

Who is Behind It?

The organiser is Cooperative Mensch eG, one of Berlin's oldest and largest social cooperatives for people with disabilities. The community centre “Living Together in the Neighbourhood" is one of the most accessible facilities for inclusive education and leisure in Alt-Hohenschönhausen — the summer festival is one of its flagship events and is supported by the Lichtenberg District Office.

Lichtenberg Beyond the Stereotypes

The Lichtenberg district is often associated in Berlin with the Stasi Museum and the residential areas of Karlshorst. “Celebrating Diversity" showcases a different side: vibrant, democratic neighbourhood life in an area that is often underestimated. Anyone wanting to discover Berlin beyond Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg should mark this date.