Move and Groove — Sport and Family Festival Mönchengladbach

A City on the Move

'Move and Groove' is the annual sports and family festival of the city of Mönchengladbach – organized by Marketing Gesellschaft Mönchengladbach mbH (MGMG). The concept is simple yet effective: sports clubs, initiatives, and schools from the city on the Lower Rhine present themselves on a central summer day in the grounds of the historic Hugo-Junkers-Park, the inner-city green space between the city center and the Volksgarten. Free admission – everyone can participate.

Sports Taster Activities: More Than 25 Disciplines

Over 20 sports clubs showcase their disciplines with taster sessions: American Football, Basketball, Boxing, Hockey, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Archery, Fencing, Climbing, Trampolining, Inclusive Sports – as well as Esports, which is now included in many sports federations. This means the festival covers classic club sports and digital competition formats simultaneously. The Mönchengladbach Hockey, Football, and Tennis Club, as well as the Borussia VfL Park area, will also be present with activities.

Four Runs for All Age Groups

The sporting highlight is formed by four runs across Mönchengladbach and to Rheydt. There is the Kids aktiv Charity Run (400 m) for the youngest, the Sparkassen Schülerlauf (1.5 km) for children under 12, the 5-km-'Eine Stadt'-Lauf for all age groups, and the 10-km-Dreambig-Lauf – also open to everyone. Registration is online via raceresult.com. The routes connect Mönchengladbach (Hugo-Junkers-Park) with the district of Rheydt – a deliberate emphasis that symbolically connects the historic twin city after the incorporation in 1975.

Focus on Inclusion 2026

In 2026, the festival will place a clear emphasis on the theme of inclusion: the cooperation partner is Lebenshilfe Mönchengladbach, which will be represented with sports activities for people with disabilities and joint participation formats. The Hugo-Junkers-Park will become the first point of contact for visitors with special needs, with accessible paths, designated disabled parking spaces, quiet retreat areas, and several contact points. In this way, MGMG shows that sports festivals and participation can be conceived together.

Mönchengladbach on the Lower Rhine

Mönchengladbach, with around 260,000 inhabitants, is one of the largest cities on the Lower Rhine and is located in the western part of North Rhine-Westphalia, at the interface with the Netherlands. Known for Borussia Mönchengladbach, the Museum Abteiberg (Hans Hollein), and the textile location Schloss Rheydt, the city is expanding its family- and sports-oriented city brand with formats like Move and Groove. The Hugo-Junkers-Park, named after the Mönchengladbach aircraft designer Hugo Junkers (Junkers Ju 52), offers the ideal stage for this.