NEUE WÄNDE is Germany’s largest festival of academic culture – because everyone participates! And there are many ways to become part of this great event:

Main Program
In principle, all cultural creators from Münster’s universities can perform in the main program of the NEUE WÄNDE Festival – whether it’s music, theater, dance, performance, and/or art, whether classical, modern, or avant-garde. To make the festival unique, everyone is invited to team up with other artists or groups and develop a joint program.

In the past, this has always worked wonderfully – for example, an a cappella choir sang dance music for a university sports course, a symphony orchestra immersed itself in a multimedia performance, or a jazz combo and an improv theater troupe teamed up. Anything is possible! Just come to the preparation meetings and meet new best friends.

Band Program
In addition, the festival offers young bands and newcomers a stage: short gigs with original pieces are followed by jam sessions focused on collaboration and experimentation. This is how new things emerge over the weekend! Apply with compelling sounds and/or images – or join the preparation meetings.

We will post information about the selection process here shortly.

During the festival days in May 2026, there will, of course, be plenty to do behind the scenes – at the 2023 festival, almost 600 artists performed in over 40 acts. To ensure everything runs smoothly over the three days, we need people to, for example, greet the artists, guide them to the dressing rooms and stage entrance, or take care of catering behind the scenes. If you’d like to help us bring order to the creative chaos, get in touch at: festival@neue-waende.de

It takes more than just many people to make a festival happen. It also takes money – for transporting musical instruments and props, renting equipment, and realizing all the creative ideas the artists will surprise us with in May 2026. And despite a lot of volunteer work, there are also professionals involved in the festival who make their living from their expertise, from lighting the stage and managing the sound to pouring the intermission champagne and showing people to their seats – all professionals!

If you’d like to support the festival with a donation, get in touch: the Förderverein Hochschulkultur is a non-profit and can issue tax-deductible donation receipts.

Contact: vorstand@neue-waende.de