CHARLIE — The GGG Children's Festival Chemnitz

When the Entire City Centre Becomes a Play Area

When on a early summer Saturday the Chemnitz city centre is closed to traffic and transformed into a continuous play area, CHARLIE is here — the big GGG Children's Festival. Unlike city festivals that focus on a market square, CHARLIE occupies the entire city centre: Düsseldorfer Platz, Marktplatz, Rosenhof, Innere Klosterstraße, Brückenstraße — everything becomes a grand stage for families with small and slightly older children. Admission is free, and most attractions are free of charge. The organizer is the event agency Exclusiv Events in cooperation with GGG Chemnitz.

Attractions for Children of All Age Groups

The program is broadly diversified: bouncy castles in various sizes and themes (Pirate Island, Fairy Tale Castle, Ship), bungee trampolines for the energetic jumpers, climbing attractions for the slightly older children, an archery range with suction cup arrows, a Viking skill game, plus giant building blocks, giant Bobby cars, a mini Carrera track. Balloon artists, face painting stations, fairy tale storytellers, and drawing and craft activities complement the physical program with creative participatory opportunities.

Blue Light Mile of the Chemnitz Police

A traditional highlight is the Blue Light Mile: The Chemnitz Police presents its patrol cars, motorcycles, radio equipment, and especially its police dogs — the police dog demonstrations are particularly popular with children every year. Alongside these are vintage police and fire department vehicles — children can usually sit in the cockpits, try out the sirens, and put on helmets.

Kaufland Family Moments World and Children's Cooking Class

The main sponsor Kaufland sets up the Family Moments World with games and hands-on activities. On Düsseldorfer Platz, a Children's Cooking Class Kitchen is set up, which teaches the topic of nutrition and healthy foods in an age-appropriate manner — children can cut vegetables themselves, mix smoothies, and prepare small snacks. This educational aspect makes the CHARLIE Festival more than just a fun event — it's a contribution to municipal child and family education.

«Mach was Neues!» — Career Field Fair for Young People

A special feature at the CHARLIE Festival is the career field fair «Mach was Neues!» (Do Something New!), which is aimed at young people and their parents. Companies, craft businesses, and educational institutions from Chemnitz and the surrounding area present professions, offer hands-on stations, and arrange internships. A very practice-oriented addition to the purely fun program.

Chemnitz — The Industrial City in Transition

The independent city of Chemnitz, with around 245,000 inhabitants, is the third-largest city in Saxony. It was the European Capital of Culture in 2025, which led to extensive restructuring and repositioning of the city. The city centre around the Roter Turm (Red Tower) and the Karl Marx Monument («Nischel») has undergone significant changes in recent years. The CHARLIE Children's Festival is one of the most important family events in early summer and a magnet for families from the entire Erzgebirge and Vogtland region.