Community Summer Festival at Osterdeich

Summer Festival on Bremen's Osterdeich

The Osterdeich is one of Bremen's most popular spots: a green dyke along the Weser river, where the whole city gathers on summer days. It is precisely here that the St. Petri Cathedral Parish celebrates its Community Summer Festival. It begins with an open-air family service on the riverside path at Osterdeich 87, musically accompanied by the sparrow choirs and the girls' choir.

The Osterdeich — Bremen's Summer Meadow

The name recalls the old Osterdeiche (Easter Dykes) on the right bank of the Weser. The approximately three-kilometer-long green space stretches as a promenade from the Tiefer in the Old Town, past the Wallanlagen, the Sielwall ferry, the Weser Stadium, and the Pauliner Marsch. On warm days, the dyke meadow becomes the city's largest meeting point — a Bremen institution. It is located in the Östliche Vorstadt, the district formed in 1951 with the sub-districts of Fesenfeld, Hulsberg, and Peterswerder, which together with Ostertor forms the famous 'Viertel': Bremen's liveliest scene and cultural quarter.

Street Festival for All Ages

After the service, the festival seamlessly transitions into a street festival: a colorful children's program with a bouncy castle and water slide, crafts and games, plus barbecue, coffee, and cake. For teenagers, there's a youth disco in the early evening, and singing together on the dyke rounds off the day atmospherically. The festival is open to everyone — parish members, families, and neighbors from the quarter.

Church in the Heart of the Neighborhood

The St. Petri Cathedral Parish, with its community centre at Osterdeich, is firmly anchored in the life of the Östliche Vorstadt. The summer festival makes this connection visible: faith, music, and community come together in one of the most beautiful places in the state of Bremen — right by the water, in the middle of the city. The annual festival is a fixed part of the parish life around Bremen Cathedral and is held under a different motto each year, thematically linking the service and the festival.