WDR 5 Kabarettfest Paderborn

The Format: Tour Kabarett

The WDR 5 Kabarettfest is one of the most successful live brands of WDR radio: Every year, a selection of the most important German Kabarett artists tours through NRW, performing in the country's largest cultural venues. The concept is simple and precisely why it's successful: two hosts guide through the evening, three to five comedy acts each deliver a 20-minute set. The audience gets a cross-section — not a solo evening, but variety.

The Hosts 2026

Two familiar faces to WDR 5 listeners will host the Paderborn evening:

• Ingo Börchers — Münster-based punchline artist, regular guest on „Mitternachtsspitzen“ and feared for his spot-on linguistic wit.
• Matthias Brodowy — Hanoverian all-rounder, song Kabarett artist with a stylish penchant for self-irony.

Their motto for the evening is: „If it goes well, it's good. If it goes badly, it's better“ — an ironic self-description that shows even failure is Kabarett material.

The Guests

• Gina Walther — Young Berlin resident, comedy newcomer focusing on women's rights and everyday absurdities.
• Florian Wintels — Austrian linguistic acrobat, regularly wins Kabarett awards and has been a regular guest on WDR for years.
• Thomas Philipzen — Rhenish comedy veteran, political Kabarett with reliably good timing.

Tour Dates 2026

The WDR 5 Kabarettfest Tour 2026 runs from April 19 to May 21, 2026, with stops in several NRW cities. The Paderborn date on May 21, 2026 marks the finale — traditionally the most polished performance, as the artists have refined their sets by then.

The PaderHalle

The PaderHalle on Heiersmauer is Paderborn's multi-purpose hall and stage for congresses, concerts, and galas. Acoustically refined, with almost 2,000 seats in maximum configuration, it is excellently suited for text-oriented stage formats. For Kabarett evenings, the hall offers tiered seating — bringing the artists close to the audience even in the back rows.