How do we want to live together in the future - in our city, in our society? On 29 August 2026, Chemnitz city centre will once again become a place for exchange, ideas and encounters. At the KOSMOS Festival , streets, squares and urban spaces will be transformed into stages for discussions, sports events, art, experiments and new perspectives.
Initiatives, associations, organisations, committed individuals and companies are invited to submit their ideas for the KOSMOS Festival 2026 and then implement them on 29 August. We are looking for formats from the fields of society, art, sport and business that bring people together, inspire reflection or open up new perspectives. This year, the event area extends between Hartmannplatz, Schmidtbankpassage and Bierbrücke, including the streets An der Markthalle and Fabrikstraße. Both public spaces and urban spaces will be part of the festival - from streets and squares to courtyards, shops or temporarily used empty spaces.
There are no limits to your creativity - perhaps you are planning a reading in an unusual location, a sporting record attempt, a discussion to have your say, a workshop, a hands-on activity, an experiment or a future workshop for children? No matter whether your idea is big or small: if it brings people together, opens up perspectives or invites people to join in, we want to get to know it.
How to submit your idea: This year, submissions will be made via an online portal. You first register as a participant and can then submit your idea for the festival.
→ All information about the Open Call on the KOSMOS website
→ to the online application portal
Submission deadline: 28 April 2026 23:59 CET
What happens afterwards: The KOSMOS Festival is organised by various curation teams. These deal with the respective subject areas of society, art, sport, business and music (there will be a separate procedure for musical applications in the near future). The curation teams are made up of KOSMOS team members + external experts. The curation teams will review all submissions, evaluate them based on the guidelines, their expertise and the resources available for the festival and then contact the selected participants to further develop possible implementations together. Feedback will be provided by 30 May 2026. If your project is selected by the jury, you will receive a contract shortly afterwards. The contract must be signed by both parties to be legally binding.
Still have questions? If you have any questions about the Open Call, please contact the KOSMOS team: programm(at)kosmos-chemnitz.de.
Topics - what we want to discuss
The following topics are intended to provide guidance for your submissions. They are intended as an invitation - not as fixed guidelines. The central question of the festival remains at the centre:
How do we want to live together in the future?
- Many current developments can be summarised under the term transformation. In East Germany in particular, change has been characterising people's lives for over 30 years - socially, economically and culturally. Questions of participation, justice and representation have repeatedly taken centre stage. At the KOSMOS Festival, we want to make these experiences and perspectives visible and think them through together.
- Generations: Our society thrives on dialogue between generations. Different experiences and perspectives characterise our view of the present and the future. We look forward to formats that bring generations into dialogue with each other, strengthen young voices or enable new forms of exchange.
- Digital transformation: Digital change is rapidly transforming our everyday lives - most recently in particular through the development of artificial intelligence. These changes bring opportunities, but also raise new questions for society, work and democracy. At the KOSMOS Festival, we want to discuss these issues in an open, critical and nuanced way.
- Pop culture: Pop culture shapes social debates, identities and communities. Music, internet culture, games and club culture create spaces for new perspectives and forms of expression. We welcome formats that utilise pop culture as a place for exchange, creativity and social issues.
- Democracy and social cohesion : #wirsindmehr has characterised our set of values since the KOSMOS Festival was founded. Openness, solidarity and democratic commitment remain central principles. Especially in times of social tensions, we want to create spaces in which democracy, dialogue and cohesion are strengthened.
- Inclusion and sustainability: The topics of inclusion and sustainability have already been discussed together in the KOSMOS workshop. We would like to build on this dialogue. We welcome ideas that show how participation can be strengthened and resources used responsibly.
Formats - what you can submit. Possible formats are, for example
- Workshops or participatory formats
- Talks, discussions or panels
- Readings or performances
- Sports activities or challenges
- Installations, exhibitions or interventions in the urban space
- participatory projects with visitors
The formats can take place indoors or outdoors.
The Open Call is being carried out by Kulturhauptstadt Europas Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH, which is responsible for developing the KOSMOS 2026 programme. The organiser of KOSMOS 2026 is the City of Chemnitz.
