Intercultural Week Potsdam

A week for diversity and encounter

The Intercultural Week (IKW) is one of the oldest and largest nationwide weeks of action for integration, cultural diversity, and against racism. It was initiated in 1975 by Christian churches and Orthodox communities, and is now supported by municipalities, welfare associations, trade unions, and migration organizations. Potsdam has been participating since 1991 — making the city one of the longest-involved participants in Brandenburg.

September 27 to October 4, 2026

The national IKW 2026 will take place from September 27 to October 4. Potsdam is once again putting together a packed program with an expected over 30 events: concerts, theater evenings, readings, film screenings, exhibition openings, workshops, city tours, sports programs, and get-togethers with international gastronomy. The motto for 2026 will be announced in the summer by the national organizing alliance — previous years had mottos such as “Dafür!” (2025) and “Neue Räume” (2024).

Venues throughout the city

Instead of concentrating on a central festival site, the IKW Potsdam is spread across dozens of venues throughout the state capital — the Bürgerhaus am Schlaatz, the socio-cultural center freiLand, the Alte Druckerei in Sellostraße, churches, schools, libraries, galleries, migrant organizations, and trade union spaces. The diversity of venues reflects the diversity of the organizers: the City of Potsdam, the Migrant Council, the Office for Equal Opportunities, Christian and Muslim communities, the Jewish community, initiatives from Ukrainian and Arabic-speaking communities, welfare associations such as AWO, Diakonisches Werk, and Caritas, as well as numerous associations are involved.

Recurring program elements

Program pillars familiar from previous years, which will likely return in the 2026 edition: Opening reception at the Town Hall with contributions from migrant choirs and city leaders; HeimatArt exhibition featuring works by artists with migration and refugee backgrounds on the themes of home, identity, and belonging; Ukrainian Culture Days with literature, music, theater, film, and workshops; Street Art Festival at Schlaatz as a cultural weekend at the Bürgerhaus; sports programs with a street soccer tournament and inclusive sports festival; intercultural city tours to places of diversity; film series in art-house cinemas; Open Stages for music and spoken word.

Potsdam and its diversity

With a population of around 187,000, Potsdam is the state capital of Brandenburg and one of the fastest-growing cities in the Berlin metropolitan region. Around 14% of Potsdam's residents have a migration background (as of 2023), with concentrations in the districts of Schlaatz, Drewitz, and Stern. For three decades, the IKW has been the most important annual event that makes this diversity visible to the entire city population.