FAVORITEN Festival Dortmund

FAVORITEN — the Biennale of NRW's Independent Scene

The FAVORITEN Festival Dortmund has been the central stage for the independent performing arts in North Rhine-Westphalia since 1985. As a biennial, meaning every two years, it presents theatre, dance, performance, contemporary circus, and theatre for young audiences from the independent cultural scene. The next edition runs from October 1 to 11, 2026 — the first under the new artistic direction of Jonas Leifert and Rika Sakalak.

Theme 2026 — “public retreats”

The 2026 festival theme is “public retreats” — roughly translated as “public spaces for withdrawal”. The concept asks: How can public spaces become places of retreat? How can theatre spaces offer a break from constant external pressure? How can artistic productions create spaces for contemplation? In doing so, the festival addresses a central theme of post-pandemic and crisis-ridden society.

Open Call — Works from 2024–2026

The open call ran in the lead-up to 2025/26: Productions that premiered or will premiere between Spring 2024 and Spring 2026 could be submitted — until December 14, 2025. Limited to the independent scene of North Rhine-Westphalia. The 2026 programme is the result of this selection and will be announced publicly in Spring 2026.

Genre Diversity

The festival spectrum covers several genres:

• Dance — contemporary choreography, performance dance
• Theatre — acting, performative theatre
• Performance — interdisciplinary productions
• Theatre for young audiences — children's and youth theatre
• Installation — spatial productions
• New Circus — Cirque Contemporain with acrobatics and performance
• Object and puppet theatre
• Experimental performative formats

Venues — Theatres and Performance Spaces in Dortmund

The performances take place at various venues in Dortmund (North Rhine-Westphalia) — from established houses like the Theater im Depot and the theater fletch bizzel to off-spaces, warehouses, and unusual locations. Spatial plurality is programmatic — the festival aims to broaden the definition of “theatre”.

41 Years of Festival History

In Dortmund since 1985 — making it one of the oldest festivals of the independent scene in Germany. The city of Dortmund thus holds a special position in the independent theatre landscape of North Rhine-Westphalia: With FAVORITEN as a showcase and a dense off-theatre scene (Theater im Depot, fletch bizzel, Theater Dortmund independent scene), it is one of the most important centres for independent performing arts in the state.