Days of the Flyers Essen

Athletics in the City Instead of the Stadium

The Days of the Flyers in Essen are a special format: Instead of in a stadium before empty stands, the athletics jumping festival takes place in the middle of the city center — on Kennedyplatz, a central meeting point in the city, which is equipped with high jump, long jump, triple jump, and pole vault facilities. The audience stands directly at the run-up, sees the athletes up close, and experiences athletics presented in a kind of sports theatre.

150 Top Athletes, Four Jumping Disciplines

The field of participants is first-class: Around 150 international top athletes come to Essen for the two festival days. Disciplines 2026:

• High Jump — Men and Women
• Long Jump — Men and Women
• Triple Jump — Men and Women
• Pole Vault — Men and Women

Olympic participants, World Championship medal winners, and junior talents will compete — mostly in the run-up to the national championships or directly in the competition block of the summer season.

Program Over Two Days

• Saturday, June 20, 2026 — 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM: Morning children's expo and opening, afternoon first competition blocks, evening with a highlight of atmosphere
• Sunday, June 21, 2026 — 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM: Main competitions, finals of top disciplines, family program

An Expo Zone for Children offers hands-on stations, taster sessions, and meet-and-greets with athletes — the deliberately low-threshold family part of the festival.

Essen — Sports City in the Ruhr Area

With the Days of the Flyers, Essen is positioning itself as an athletics location and sports city. The independent city in the heart of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia has a tradition in athletics, alongside football (RWE) and basketball. Kennedyplatz is symbolically central — directly at the main train station, easily accessible by spectators from the entire Ruhr Area. The format is one of the most unusual athletics events in Germany in terms of size and concept.