"Under full sail" - Capital of Culture in the final phase

At the start of October, Chemnitz is celebrating Jewish culture as the current European Capital of Culture. The occasion is the Feast of Tabernacles Sukkot, which Jews celebrate as their harvest festival at the beginning of the month. Not only two leaf huts will be erected in the Stadthallenpark. From October 5 to 12, there are also numerous events on the program: concerts from punk and rap to klezmer, cooking workshops, lectures and readings. The festival will also be celebrated in Mittweida as part of the Capital of Culture region - including with installations and exhibitions by 25 international artists at various locations in the city.

The Capital of Culture program is thus entering its final phase. It is scheduled to conclude on November 29 on the first weekend of Advent. Visitors should still get their money's worth until then. "We are still sailing under full sail," assures Managing Director Andrea Pier. "We are not yet in the throes of farewell pain."

Further growth for "Purple Path"

Several exhibitions are still running in the city's museums, such as the major show on Edvard Munch in the art collections on Theaterplatz, the "Tales of Transformation" exhibition in the Museum of Industry and a new addition is the presentation for the Gabriele Münter Prize 2025. In addition to works by the prizewinner Parastou Forouhar, the Gunzenhauser Museum is also showing works by the other finalists: Esra Ersen, Else Gabriel, Ana Prvački, Annegret Soltau and Hoda Tawakol. The prize is endowed with 20,000 euros and honors female visual artists over the age of 40.

The art and sculpture trail "Purple Path" will also receive another addition in October. On October 17, the sculpture group "Ghosts" by Polish sculptor Monika Sosnowska will be unveiled in a pond in Callenberg. The large-scale project will culminate on November 28 in Oelsnitz/Erzgebirge. The light sculpture "Ganzfeld - Beyond Horizons 2025" by US-American James Turrell will then be opened on the site of a former coal mine.

"Betonblühen" festival for young people

As a festival by young people for young people, "Betonblühen" will offer everything from music and art to sport, literature and a creative market during the first week of the vacation. The focus will be on the future prospects of young people in the East, upcycling, queer cinema formats and performances by young artists. The festival is aimed at teenagers and young adults aged 14 to 27.

The planting festival from October 19 to 26 will also be all about apples and around 600 more trees will be planted in Chemnitz and the surrounding area. According to the organizers, the aim is also to preserve the diversity of varieties. In addition, a family festival with twelve stages will be held in the Tietz cultural department store (October 19). At the end of the month, Chemnitz will then host the German-language poetry slam championship.