Practicing Democracy

"Practising Democracy“: exploring participation

With its focus on “Practicing Democracy,” the 2026 Festival has set a clear direction and places co-determination at the center as a living practice. Supported by the Polytechnic Society Foundation and the Frankfurt RheinMain Cultural Fund, this focus is part of the overarching theme “Demokratie gestalten,” (design democracy) which the KulturRegion is realizing in cooperation with World Design Capital 2026.

The production "The conference of upcoming decisions" by TOBOSO from Essen explores democratic negotiation processes together with young people aged ten and older. In gyms and classrooms, they become active participants who discuss, decide, vote, and take on responsibility—making democracy a tangible experience. This focus was complemented by a week-long collaboration between the feminist collective Radikale Töchter from Berlin and students from the Friedrich-Ebert-Schule in Schwalbach am Taunus. Through discussions about political protest and performance art, the participants developed their own forms of artistic expression and actively made their concerns heard.

A documentation of the week can be found here: