Queerbeet Kulturfestival Gelsenkirchen

Metropolengarten – a place with history

The Metropolengarten on the former industrial site of Dahlbusch in Gelsenkirchen-Rotthausen is one of the most atmospheric cultural spaces in the Ruhr area. Over decades, greenhouses, beds, and small pavilions have grown into the greenery on a former mining and industrial site. Today, the area is an urban garden and cultural space – with Steeler Straße 61 as its address, in a city that, more than most of its Ruhr sisters, visibly carries its industrial history in its urban structure.

Festival Concept: Diversity Instead of Mainstream

The Queerbeet Kulturfestival – the name is deliberately programmatic: queer as "diverse, varied," beet as what you find in a garden, queerbeet as the collection of different plants in a flowerbed. The festival accordingly collects different things: Indie, Blues, Jazz, Folk on the main stage, plus dance performances by contemporary choreographers, readings and slams as spoken word, art installations in the historic greenhouses. It is not a classically curated high-culture festival, but a collection of smaller formats that together make up a festival.

Free Admission – A Political Statement

The festival is free to attend – "umsonst und draußen" (free and outdoors), as it's said in the Ruhr area dialect. This decision is more than pragmatic: it is a statement by the city and the organizers that culture in Gelsenkirchen-Rotthausen – a district with an above-average unemployment rate and lower income – should not only be for those who can afford it. Whoever wants to come, can come.

About Ten Festival Days

The festival runs for about ten days – not continuous festival days, but spread over evening and weekend dates. This allows the city to develop the program in stages and give a platform to different artists without overloading one weekend. In 2026, the festival will run from July 3rd to 12th – a timeframe that includes high summer and the opening of the summer holidays.

Greenhouses as Venues

A special feature: part of the program takes place in the historic greenhouses on the grounds. Tomatoes, herbs, and ornamental plants usually grow here – during the festival, the houses become performance spaces for art installations, small concerts (acoustic, solo sets), and dance improvisations. The contrast between industrial architecture, living plants, and performance art is part of the festival's identity.

Discover Gelsenkirchen Differently

Gelsenkirchen is usually associated with Schalke 04 and the Veltins Arena – the Queerbeet Kulturfestival shows a different side of the city. The Zoom Erlebniswelt, Schloss Berge, the Konsumtempel experience at the Schlachthof, and the Industrial Culture Route around the former Hugo colliery form the backdrop for a different experience of the city.