Freifeld Festival 2026 — Bielefeld

Festival of Independent Performing Arts in Ostwestfalen-Lippe

The Freifeld Festival is one of the young platforms for the Independent Performing Arts in North Rhine-Westphalia — and the most important format for this scene in Ostwestfalen-Lippe. Organized by Freies Feld – Network of Independent Performing Arts Bielefeld e.V., it presents theatre, performance, dance, and discourse for three days every one to two years, outside the established city theatre structures.

When and Where?

• Dates: Friday, July 10 to Sunday, July 12, 2026
• Venues: Nr. z. P. (Große-Kurfürsten-Straße 81, 33615 Bielefeld) and Ostblock Kulturhaus
• Organizer: Freies Feld – Network of Independent Performing Arts Bielefeld e.V.
• Funders: Ministry for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, City of Bielefeld

What does Freifeld Festival showcase?

Contemporary Theatre and Performance

The focus is on original productions from the Bielefeld and Ostwestfalen independent scene, as well as selected guest performances from NRW and beyond. Styles range from postdramatic theatre, performance art, documentary theatre, participatory formats, live art, to boundary-pushing forms between theatre and visual arts.

Dance

The region's independent dance scene is a key program focus: contemporary dance, improvisation, dance theatre. Featuring choreographers from Bielefeld and guests from Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Berlin, and international artists.

Workshops

Accompanying the festival are workshops for interested audiences, students, and professionals: performance techniques, voice training, movement improvisation, collective writing workshops. The workshops are often open to all age groups and experience levels.

Discourse and Discussions

The festival is also a discourse festival: conversations, panels, artist talks, and audience discussions on current topics in the independent scene — funding policy, fair pay, space scarcity, diversity.

Surprising Formats

A specialty of the Freifeld Festival are surprising formats: performances in public spaces, installations, guided tours through the venue, late-night programs. These curated "specials" make the festival an experience that goes far beyond classic theatre evenings.

Solidarity Pricing System

A central political decision of the festival: solidarity pricing that excludes no one.

• Single Ticket: €10 / €7 reduced
• Day Ticket: €15 / €10 reduced
• Festival Pass (3 days): €40 / €30 reduced

The festival pass is the most economical option — and the recommended way for those interested to experience the festival as a whole.

Venues

Nr. z. P. — Bielefeld's Off-Stage

Nr. z. P. (Nicht zum Programmieren – Not for Programming) at Große-Kurfürsten-Straße 81 is one of Bielefeld's most important off-stages — a theatre space, a black box, and a meeting point. This is the main location for the Freifeld Festival.

Ostblock Kulturhaus

The Ostblock Kulturhaus is another cultural venue in Bielefeld — hosting concerts, performances, and events from the independent scene. During the festival, it complements the program at Nr. z. P. and enables parallel program strands.

Bielefeld as a Stage

With around 340,000 inhabitants, Bielefeld is the largest city in Ostwestfalen — and a center for independent culture in the region. The Theaterhaus Bielefeld, the Stadttheater, the University of Bielefeld, and an active off-scene make the city a surprisingly vibrant theatre city. Freifeld Festival is the central platform for the independent voices of this scene.