Africa Festival in Forchheim: Colorful spectacle for all senses!

Africa Festival in Forchheim: Colorful spectacle for all senses!

Last weekend, more precisely from July 4th to 6th, 2025, the historic streets around the Imperial Palace in Forchheim were transformed into a colorful festival of African culture. The Africa Cultural Days attracted large numbers of visitors and featured a wide range of music, dance, food and amazing magic shows. According to NN, the focus is on the colorful traditional costumes and the extremely diverse culinary delicacies.

As part of the Africa Cultural Days, which were launched in 2007 to showcase African culture, the festival made an impressive comeback this year. The organizers, the Pfalzmuseum Forchheim and the Junge Theater Forchheim e.V., were also responsible for the extensive music program, which ranged from Afro-folkloric sounds to modern rhythms. The concerts by the world music band were particularly well-attended highlightsTRIBUBUand the concert byK’Daansoas part of the evening events Forchheim.de.

A colorful bazaar and lots of activities

The participants are particularly fond of the hands-on activities and the African bazaar, which is a true paradise for young and old. Here you could find handmade jewelry, traditional musical instruments and many other cultural offerings. Children were able to let off steam by telling fairy tales and painting with sand. Ambassade Benin emphasizes that the bazaar is not only important for the participants, but also for the local economy: retail and restaurants benefited significantly from high visitor numbers.

The entrance fee for the festival was 5 euros per day. This increase compared to previous years could potentially have an impact on visitor numbers as many find the price a bit high. Nevertheless, the festival is known for its family atmosphere, which offers a small but nice alternative to large festivals such as the Africa Festival in Würzburg and creates a valuable space for intercultural exchange and education.

Special exhibition in the Palatinate Museum

Another highlight was the special exhibition “People in Africa – tradition and everyday culture”, which has provided a look into the everyday culture of various ethnic groups in Africa since May 23, 2025. This offer was particularly appreciated during the Africa Culture Days as it allowed visitors to delve deeper into the cultural background. The exhibition closed at the same time as the festival on July 6th, which encouraged the last visitors to stop by quickly before it was too late.

In summary, it can be said that the Africa Culture Days in Forchheim were a complete success, both in terms of visitor numbers and in the presentation of the diverse African culture. The mix of music, culinary highlights and cultural workshops has once again proven how important and enriching intercultural festivals are, even in times of social polarization.