ExtraSchicht — Night of Industrial Culture Bochum

ExtraSchicht in Bochum — the Night of Industrial Culture

The ExtraSchicht — Night of Industrial Culture is the world's largest industrial culture festival and has been the highlight of the summer calendar in the Ruhr area since 2001. On the night of June 27 to 28, 2026, it transforms 40 industrial monuments in 18 cities of the Ruhr region between Duisburg and Dortmund from 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM into open stages — with concerts, theater, light installations, performances, food trucks, and much more.

Bochum Venues 2026

In 2026, two venues will be participating in Bochum — one classic, one newcomer:

• Jahrhunderthalle Bochum — the iconic venue in Westpark, a former Bochumer Verein steelworks building from 1902. Today, it is one of the most important event halls in the Ruhr area, a venue for the Ruhrtriennale, and an industrial monument relevant to UNESCO.
• RUTTKOWSKI;68 — an international gallery that joins the ExtraSchicht lineup as a newcomer in 2026. The gallery was founded in Cologne in 2008 and has locations in several cities — its Bochum branch brings contemporary art to the ExtraSchicht stage.

Industrial Culture as Identity

In the 20th century, the Ruhr area industrialized Germany with coal and steel. After the structural change — the last mine closed in 2018 — industry remains as industrial culture: mines, coking plants, blast furnaces, and water towers have been converted into museums, concert venues, and art spaces. ExtraSchicht makes this transformation tangible once a year in a concentrated form — as an 8-hour marathon between 6 PM and 2 AM. Bochum, with the Jahrhunderthalle and now RUTTKOWSKI;68, showcases a spectrum ranging from monumental industrial architecture to contemporary galleries.

One Ticket — 40 Locations, Shuttle Included

The concept is brilliantly simple: One ticket is valid for all 40 venues. In addition, there are shuttle buses between the locations and free use of all VRR local transport until 7 AM. This makes ExtraSchicht a unique festival that considers mobility and programming as an inseparable unit.

Ticket Prices

• Early Bird Ticket: €15
• Box Office: €25
• Children under 6 free

Program at the Jahrhunderthalle

The Jahrhunderthalle traditionally hosts concerts, performances, and light installations in its monumental hall. The height of the steel beams, the historic machinery, the acoustics — everything becomes a backdrop for artistic productions. In past editions, the Bochum Symphony Orchestra, dance companies, and visual performances have graced the stage. The exact program for 2026 will be published before the festival on extraschicht.de and jahrhunderthalle-bochum.de.

Bochum — City in the Heart of the Ruhr Area

With around 365,000 inhabitants, Bochum is the second-largest city in the Ruhr area after Dortmund/Essen and is located right between them. Famous attractions include the Mining Museum, the Ruhr University (one of Germany's largest universities), the Schauspielhaus with its venerable Bochum theater tradition, and VfL Bochum. ExtraSchicht makes the city's industrial culture side visible.