Dortmund gemeinsam!

Dortmund gemeinsam! — the participatory festival in the districts

Unlike the large city center festival DORTBUNT, "Dortmund gemeinsam!" is deliberately spread across the entire city area. From May 29th to 30th, 2026, the event will take place under the programmatic motto "Colorful – Strong – Together" and is Dortmund's largest participatory festival — a citizen format, not a headliner festival.

Over 70 activities in the neighborhoods

More than 70 activities are spread over two days in Dortmund's districts. These include, among others:

• Mengede — district activities in the north
• Eving — cultural activities in the north
• Brackel — neighborhood participation in the east
• Huckarde — initiatives in the northwest
• plus numerous other districts (Hörde, Aplerbeck, Innenstadt-West, Lütgendortmund, etc.)

Concept: Citizens shape the city

The idea behind the format is citizen participation: clubs, initiatives, religious communities, schools, sports clubs, and neighborhood groups register activities. This creates a weekend program that makes the joint commitment of the city's society visible. Hands-on workshops, concerts, dance performances, discussion rounds, communal cooking, sports tournaments — the range is deliberately broad.

A response to the city's identity

Since the structural change — away from coal and steel — Dortmund has developed a very polycentric identity. Unlike Munich with its clear center or Cologne with its cathedral, Dortmund has many active districts with their own identities. "Dortmund gemeinsam!" turns this polycentricity into a strength: instead of a festival in the city center, the entire city becomes the stage.

City event — free and accessible

The City of Dortmund (independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia) coordinates the format. All activities are generally free of charge, low-threshold, and explicitly designed for families and seniors. Anyone who wants to register their own activity can do so via the city's website — the open call is the core element.