Bielefeld's colorful parade: celebrating diversity despite the heat and thunderstorms!

Bielefeld's colorful parade: celebrating diversity despite the heat and thunderstorms!

On Saturday, June 14, 2025, the city of Bielefeld celebrated the 26th Carnival of Cultures with a colorful festival full of diversity and cosmopolitanism. Under the motto “Colorful Tomorrow”, numerous actors from the region and around the world marched through the streets of the city center. The parade started at 3 p.m. at the corner of Schlosshofstrasse and Melanchthonstrasse and covered a four-kilometer route that attracted numerous spectators, even though temperatures rose above 30 degrees and the air was humid.

The atmosphere was, as they say, relaxed and exuberant. Many visitors were desperately looking for shade while three friends, Martin, Julie and Lina, had set up shop in front of Julie's apartment. They offered passers-by a welcome way to cool off with water ice, cold drinks, a mini fan and a large parasol, including a spray bottle. The event was not only a feast for the senses, but also a sign of community, and the organizers were pleased with a high number of visitors, as event manager Frieda Wieczorek noted.

A celebration of diversity

The Carnival of Cultures enjoyed particularly international participation this year: over 2,000 artists from more than 70 nations took part. Despite the heat, the mood was calm. To ensure everyone's safety, the parade was kept shorter, with 39 groups marching through the streets with more than 1,000 participants. One of the most moving and creative actions came from Klaus Seliger, who painted blue hands for the audience as a symbol of peace and solidarity.

For the younger guests there was a children's arena at the Leineweberbrunnen, which offered a varied program. The kids had a lot of fun here, not least with the performance of Katinka and Katha, who lightened the mood with their hula hoop dance routines. Fernanda visited the carnival for the first time with her daughters Marina and Cecilia and enjoyed the joyful atmosphere that enveloped the city.

An unforgettable highlight

The climax of the parade was celebrated at the main stage around 5 p.m. The multicultural stage program started at 2 p.m. in front of the town halls and was organized by the Sparkasse Bielefeld Foundation in cooperation with the Bielefeld Cultural Office, while the Shademakers Carnival Club e.V. acted as organizer. The carnival thus once again shows its importance as an important part of the cultural landscape, which not only offers entertainment, but also contributes to identity formation and intercultural exchange, as the Bundesstiftung LiveKultur emphasizes in a recently published study.

Unfortunately the festival had to be ended early due to approaching thunderstorms, but that didn't dampen the great atmosphere. Many participants and artists left the parade a little early due to the high temperatures, but the memories of this colorful and life-affirming day will remain in the memory of visitors to Bielefeld for a long time.

Overall, the Carnival of Cultures not only filled the streets of Bielefeld with colors and music, but also set a strong example of diversity, which is very well received at a time when cohesion and cosmopolitanism are needed more than ever. The city can be proud of this festival, which, with its diversity and joie de vivre, is a real highlight in the regional event calendar.