Culture calendar
August 29, 2012
Animated adventures in Frankfurt
From September 2-9, the German Film Museum in Frankfurt is inviting cinema fans young and old to the International Children's Film Festival LUCAS. The "little Hollywood" in Frankfurt will be showing features and shorts, documentaries, animations, and live action cinema for young people. There's also a competition - five schoolchildren are on the jury alongside five film experts. In the festival's movie theaters, the foreign productions are not just subtitled but voiced live by professional speakers. Among the many world premieres will be the sequel to the film adaptation of "Tom Sawyer," the German production "The Adventures of Huck Finn."
Electronic trends in Berlin
The biggest spectacle in the field of electronic entertainment begins on August 31: The 52nd International Radio Exhibition (IFA) will open its doors in Berlin showing everything that is guaranteed to get technology nerds' pulses racing. The IFA used to be a radio exhibition, but technological developments mean the show is now labeled "The world's leading fair for consumer electronics and home appliances." In other words, here you'll find computers, cell phones, televisions, stereos, navigation systems and digital cameras. The latest generation of increasingly intelligent electronic household helpers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and coffee machines will also be on display, as well as a jam-packed entertainment program including concerts and cabaret.
Beer, dirndls and pretzels in Munich
On September 22, the Bavarian capital of Munich will once again be swamped with revelers in time for when the mayor taps the first keg of beer and calls out the famous words "O'zapf is!" That signals the beginning of Oktoberfest, the world's largest folk festival. Every year, Oktoberfest attracts millions of visitors to the Wiesn - the Theresienwiese, where a large amusement park is set up. In the middle of all this you'll find beer tents from Munich's largest breweries. Just so you know what to expect, here are a few figures from last year's extravaganza: 6.9 million visitors drank 7.5 million liters of beer; 226,000 pitchers of beer were stolen and recovered, and the lost and found office amassed 4,750 items including a live spiny leaf stick insect, scores of camping stools, a walker, and a set of dentures.
A house full of music in Darmstadt
On September 5, composer and artist John Cage would have reached the grand old age of 100. He was one of the most important figures of the 20th-century avant-garde, blurring the boundaries between art and music. His work and that of his contemporaries and companions, is illustrated in the exhibition "A House Full of Music" in Darmstadt. The show has been open since May 2012 and has been incredibly successful, with journalists eager to lavish their praise on the show: "A firework for all the senses," "This exhibition suspends time and space," "A total artwork." Visitors experience a perfect interchange between listening and seeing. The unique show is just as interesting for art and music fans as those not so familiar with avant-garde sights and sounds.
A fine festival of pop in Baden-Baden
This year, 25,000 pop fans are expected to descend upon the New Pop Festival in the spa town of Baden-Baden. The small but fine festival for up-and-coming bands was established by colleagues from Southwest Radio (SWR) in Germany. The organizers have proved to have a good eye for talent in the past and this year's lineup promises to be just as good. From September 13 -15, indie rock band Kraftklub and rapper Cro will be appearing, as will top British newcomers such as soul singers Michael Kiwanuka and Olly Murs. Those who can't get tickets can view the concerts live on the digital broadcasting channel EinsPlus or as a live stream on the Internet at swr3.de. Along with all that, the largest video wall in the world will be erected in Baden-Baden, on which the concerts can be seen and heard.
Pop party on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg
From September 20-22, the Reeperbahn Festival will draw thousands of music lovers to Hamburg. Over 200 handpicked and international music newcomers will bring the breadth of modern pop music to life in unusual locations around St. Pauli - the city's party mile. There, 2,000 representatives from the music industry will come together and there'll be workshops on everything from songwriting to self-promotion. In addition, the Reeperbahn Festival offers a host of attractions from the arts with over 40 program entries from the genres of film, literature, street art, the digital arts and lots more.