With the Opening on 18 January 2025, tens of thousands of Chemnitz residents will celebrate a cosmopolitan, colourful and diverse European Capital of Culture
- Bosse, Paula Carolina, Fritz Kalkbrenner, Dilla, Heavysaurus and many Chemnitzer locals perform in the opening programme
- Deutsche Telekom supports the infrastructure of the opening weekend as a Gold Sponsor
- 450 volunteers support the event
C the Unseen is the motto of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025, which will open on Saturday, 18 January 2025 with an all-day programme. Tens of thousands of people are expected in the city centre. They will show that Chemnitz is a cosmopolitan and diverse city. Chemnitz 2025 offers an eleven-month celebration of European togetherness starting this weekend.
The centrepiece of the programme on 18 January is the opening show staged by director and Grimme Award winner Lars-Ole Walburg and his artistic team at 19:00 on the large stage at the Karl Marx Monument. With the show, Walburg presents artists from Chemnitz and all over Germany who are committed to socio-political change beyond their art and position themselves against revanchism, xenophobia and nationalism. The internationally and nationally renowned musicians Bosse, Paula Carolina and Fritz Kalkbrenner are among many others.
From 14:00 to 18:00 in the afternoon, three stages in the city centre will host a programme that changes every half hour. There will be 23 acts, including mainly Chemnitz artists such as the ensembles from Studio W.M. and the Chemnitz Municipal Music School. The New Chemnitz Orchestra will also be performing, as will the bands Baumarkt and Me&T. The Dancing Neighbours, an intergenerational dance project by Chemnitz 2025, will present a joint choreography by young dancers and older people. The programme also includes well-known stars such as the family metal band Heavysaurus, Alexander Scheer and Andreas Dresen as the Gundermann Ensemble, the songwriter Dilla and the Argentinian bandoneon player Omar Massa.
The after-show party with DJs Tereza, Lokführer Andi and DJ Spotify begins at 20:00 with an open-air rave at Neumarkt in the city centre. The Chemnitz clubs Atomino, Brauclub, Satir, Transit, Weltecho and the Opera House will also be open from 20:00 with free entry. Many other clubs in the city will be open, and catering and retail outlets will also be offering a varied programme for guests.
All programme information can be found on the opening website at opening.chemnitz2025.de.
Deutsche Telekom supports as a Gold Sponsor
Deutsche Telekom is supporting the technical realisation of the opening weekend with a Gold Sponsorship. Among other things, Telekom will provide the stages with high-performance fibre optic connections with the necessary bandwidth and provide OB vans in the TV compound so that the images produced by the stage can be distributed to the TV stations in real time via satellite. Telekom will also expand its existing mobile network with an additional mobile transmission mast on the opening weekend.
Chemnitz 2025 volunteers lend a hand
The opening weekend will also receive significant support from Chemnitz residents. Around 450 people from the Chemnitz 2025 volunteer programme are involved in a wide range of activities, from looking after information stands and welcoming guests to organisational tasks. The volunteers will be highly visible around the city.
Information for visitors to the opening programme
Access to the opening show on Brückenstraße
- Admission to the opening show is free of charge. The area on Brückenstraße is fenced off and access is possible from both sides of Brückenstraße. Admission is from 17:00. Catering and toilets are available in the Brückenstraße area.
- Only bags up to a maximum size of 20 × 30 cm may be taken onto the site. For larger bags there are baggage points at Johannisplatz and on Theaterstraße. Glass bottles, weapons, large umbrellas or political symbols may not be taken onto the site.
- The site is largely barrier-free. There are wheelchair-accessible entrances to Brückenstraße, barrier-free toilets and a designated wheelchair platform on Brückenstraße. Helpers will also be on hand to provide support if required.
- The opening show will be translated into German sign language.
General information about the opening weekend
- Public viewing screens will be set up in Innere Klosterstraße to broadcast the programme from the stages and the ceremony from the opera house.
- In order to create a non-discriminatory and safe space, an awareness team will be out and about, recognisable by purple waistcoats.
- There will be information stands at Neumarkt and in the Stadthalle. Chemnitz 2025 merchandise will be sold at Neumarkt and in the Hartmannfabrik. The programme book is available in the Stadthalle, in the Hartmannfabrik and at the tourist information office.
- Visitors can find the current programme for the opening weekend at opening.chemnitz2025.de, as well as on printed flyers.
Press contacts
Mareike Holfeld
Tel. 0371 33563110
Mobile: 015151291178
mareike.holfeld(at)chemnitz2025.de
Federico Antonelli
Phone: 0371 33563117
Mobile: +49 151 2950 4373
federico.antonelli(at)chemnitz2025.de
