Obervielander Vielfalt

A Festival for the Neighbourhood and its People

The Obervielander Vielfalt explicitly positions itself not as a sales fair, but as a stage for all non-commercial, social, and voluntary actors in the Bremen district of Obervieland. It brings people from the four districts of Arsten, Habenhausen, Kattenesch, and Kattenturm together for an afternoon – a format rarely found among neighbourhood festivals in the state of Bremen in its consistently advertising-free form.

Participate and Get to Know Each Other

The police, fire brigade, churches, sports clubs, and youth organisations present themselves at information stands. There are hands-on activities and craft workshops for children. On stage, only groups from the neighbourhood showcase their talents – dance, music, and sports demonstrations, for example, by TuS Komet Arsten. There are deliberately no commercial sales stands; the focus is on interaction, not turnover.

Somewhere Different Every Year, Always Voluntary

The Obervielander Vielfalt originated at the Bürgerhaus Gemeinschaftszentrum Obervieland (BGO) in Alfred-Faust-Straße in Kattenturm, which is considered a socio-pedagogically supported meeting point for all generations. The festival has been organised entirely on a voluntary basis for over two decades, with a different local institution taking responsibility each year – a task that requires months of preparation. The annually changing venue is also part of the concept, ensuring that the festival takes place in all corners of the neighbourhood in rotation.

Obervieland on the Weser

Obervieland in the south of Bremen was formed as a district in 1962 and is one of the most populous in the Hanseatic city. Its four districts have very different characters: Arsten is an old village settlement with winding streets around St. Johannes Church, Habenhausen owes its fruity name to former strawberry plantations and appears village-like with single- and multi-family houses, while Kattenturm and Kattenesch are significantly more urban in character. The Obervielander Vielfalt makes this colourful social fabric visible and strengthens cohesion across the boundaries of the individual districts.