Even and especially in times of pandemic, conversations and encounters between theatre-makers are essential for your work for young audiences. That is why the festival’s opening day offers a safe and corona-compliant setting to meet colleagues, sponsors, children and teens.

The festivities will commence at 3 pm on Thursday, 19 August 2021. Festival organisers, presenters and sponsors will kick things off at COMEDIA Theater, the Cologne and NRW Cultural Centre for Young Audiences, with opening remarks. Minister Pfeiffer-Poensgen will attend on behalf of the state of NRW, Mayor Brigitta von Bülow will represent the city of Cologne and Wolfgang Stüßel, board member and director of Theater Strahl, Berlin, will speak on behalf of the national ASSITEJ association. Representatives of our sponsors and supporting foundations will also be present.

COMEDIA Theater’s ensemble and youth group members will lead visitors through the opening programme with musical accompaniment. The motto of the programme of accompanying events “Who Speaks for Whom?” will be the core focus of opening day and will set the stage for the topics and questions to be investigated in the coming festival week.

The evening of 21 August 2021 would traditionally mark the date of the WESTWIND party.

As everything is different this year, we are investigating possibilities to create an atmosphere of celebration and exchange in a corona-compliant setting. Probably without dancing, unfortunately, yet with lots of music and social distancing to allow participants to take a breather and go into the second half of the festival with renewed energy.