From May 8 to May 10, 2026, it will once again be: Curtain up! Around 600 students enthusiastic about music, theater, dance, and art, together with lecturers, university staff, and alumni, will invite you to the NEUE WÄNDE Festival at the Theater Münster. From early morning until late at night, they will present the full diversity of academic culture in Münster on the venue’s large and small stages. No particular genre or artistic direction takes center stage – all disciplines, all kinds are welcome. The festival is open to diverse cultural contributions and is shaped by those who create it. This makes the festival a great example of the city’s profile – as the festival’s creator, Klaus Baumeister, puts it:

In “Münster – City of Science and Lifestyle,” the NEUE WÄNDE Festival is the “and.”

In 2010, “NEUE WÄNDE” was included as an external project in the official program of the European Capital of Culture Ruhr 2010 as part of the “National Heroes” initiative.

The “NEUE WÄNDE” concept was part of Münster’s successful application as “City of Science” in 2012.

“NEUE WÄNDE” 2013 provided the platform for hosting the German Championship in Science Slam.

The “NEUE WÄNDE” 2013 poster was selected as one of the top 100 posters in the German-speaking world by the association “100 Best Posters”.

The Bürgerstiftung Münster awarded the Förderverein Hochschulkultur Münster e.V. with the Citizen Award in 2015.

“NEUE WÄNDE” 2017 carried the widely communicated subtitle: “Germany’s largest festival of academic culture.” No other university city challenged Münster for this superlative.

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