Vielfalt tut gut! Festival

A Summer Day for Diversity

The 'Vielfalt tut gut!' festival is Hagen's annual intercultural summer celebration – a format held in Dr. Ferdinand-David-Park, right next to the AllerWeltHaus Hagen. It is organized by Jugendring Hagen e.V., the association of the city's youth organizations, together with AllerWeltHaus Hagen e.V., the Municipal Integration Center, and several city departments. The event is funded through the federal program 'Demokratie leben!' (Democracy Lives!) – indicating that diversity here is not just a buzzword but receives structural support.

2026 Program: Stage, Workshops, Streetfood

The festival day, Saturday, July 11, 2026, starts at 3 PM. The stage will feature a mix of acts from the realms of Folk, Global Pop, Balkan Beats, Hip-Hop, and Dance; the program is intentionally international and multilingual. Additionally, there will be a free family program with games, creative activities, hands-on stations, and movement activities. International street food – from Turkish Pide to Syrian Kibbeh, Polish Pierogi, Kurdish Mezze, West African specialties, and vegan soul food cuisine – forms the culinary backbone.

The AllerWeltHaus as a Hub of Activity

For years, the AllerWeltHaus Hagen on Potthofstraße has been the most important forum for development and integration policy work in the city: Global Learning, One-World Shop, intercultural meetings, political education. During the festival, the house also opens its rooms for discussions, workshops, and exhibitions. This makes the summer festival more than just entertainment – it is embedded in a year-round practice of educational and participatory work.

Democracy-Promoting Program Structure

Funding from 'Demokratie leben!' – the joint federal program of the Ministry of Family Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior – gives the festival an explicitly political framework: diversity, tolerance, active citizenship, and democracy education are among the funding goals. In practice, this means: information stands on political education, initiatives against racism, inclusion activities, and a discussion space for current urban societal issues will have an equal place alongside the stage and street food.

Hagen, Gateway to the Sauerland

With around 190,000 inhabitants, Hagen is one of the largest cities on the southeastern edge of the Ruhr area – the 'Gateway to the Sauerland', often somewhat in the shadow of its larger neighbors Dortmund and Bochum. The city in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia has been shaped by migration and medium-sized industry for generations; the festival is an example of how a local civil society makes cultural diversity visible. Dr. Ferdinand-David-Park – named after the concertmaster born in Hamburg – is centrally located in the old town near Friedrich-Ebert-Platz and is easily accessible.