Stuttgart is an incredibly diverse city, and the annual Summer Festival of Cultures is a free, city-wide party to celebrate the variety and joy that such diversity brings to a place.
Summer Festival of Cultures
Wherever you are from, you are welcome in Stuttgart! Over 70 different migrant organisations take part in this festival, cooking food, arranging dance displays, and volunteering at the kid's tent. The premise of the festival is very simple - show off your culture! Show us your favourite food, the clothing you love, the songs you sing at home and let us all enjoy, celebrate and learn together.
The music at Festival of Cultures
World music is the only way to describe the whole lineup at the Summer Festival of Cultures, but that doesn't really do it justice. You need to dig into the programme and discover a need you didn't know you had to hear some Vietnamese retro-soul, Peruvian Chicha or Persian electronica.
The music starts at 6pm on weekdays, 2pm on Saturday and 11am for the early risers on Sunday. On Friday and Saturday nights, it continues until midnight, and until about 10.30pm on the other nights.
There are both international superstars booked, and some of the finest musicians from the surrounding Baden-Württemberg area. It is guaranteed to get you dancing in the streets!
Food and drink
Food and drink are more than just a necessity to keep you from going hungry at this festival. Explore the world and discover new flavours at the 30 different food stalls. Some stalls change each day, so you need to keep coming back to see what new cuisines might have appeared.
Food and drink stalls are set up on the market square at Kirchstrasse and Hirschstrasse, and open late every day.
The Market of Cultures and Raffle
Along the streets of Kirchstrasse, Hirschstrasse and Münzstrasse you will find the Market of Cultures. Here people will be selling handmade crafts, jewellery and fabrics, as well as edible items to take home and cook with, such as teas and spices.
There are also amazing prizes to be won throughout the festival. A large part of the festival is funded by ticket sales for the raffle, so you can do your part to keep the festival going and maybe win a great prize at the same time. There are daily draws, as well as chances to win one of the big prizes that will be drawn before the final concert of the festival.
Children's activities
In between Kirchstrasse and Schillerplatz is the children's area, with a puppet theatre, a radio station they can take part in and a carousel! There's also loads of smaller things for the kids to do, like crafting, colouring, face paints and bubble-blowing.
Attending the Summer Festival of Cultures
The event takes place in the heart of Stuttgart, just a 10-minute walk from the central train station. The whole event is free, with money from food stalls going directly to the migrant organisations and money from the raffle going to cover the costs of the festival, so no tickets are needed. You can find out more about the festival and see the whole lineup on the Summer Festival of Cultures website.