From flop to find: Advent swap meets take off
In Dresden and Leipzig, dusty objects are turned into new treasures. If you leave something, you can take something else in return. What and where you can swap in December.
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Dresden Striezelmarkt opens for the 591st time
Shortly before the first Advent, the oldest Christmas market in Germany reopens in the heart of Dresden. Tens of thousands will flock there every day in the coming weeks - with consequences for traffic.
Dresden Music Festival practices the "lightness of being"
Special guests around Hollywood star Bill Murray are once again gracing the Dresden Music Festival. With its motto and new genres, the festival aims above all to radiate optimism. What can the audience expect?
What visitors can expect at the Dresden Striezelmarkt
Over 200 traders and millions of guests from all over the world: the construction of the oldest Christmas market in Germany is almost complete. In addition to well-known traditions, a large parade returns to the city.
Dresden wants to strengthen security at Christmas markets
While security concepts are still being discussed in Magdeburg, Dresden's Striezelmarkt is sticking to its plans. Other Christmas markets in the city are also to be better protected.
Preparations for the Striezelmarkt underway
It's not even November yet, and the Christmas spirit is already spreading across the Altmarkt: The construction of the 591st Dresden Striezelmarkt begins.
Christmas tree for Leipzig comes from Vogtland again
A 21-metre-high spruce from the Vogtland region becomes the focal point of Leipzig's Christmas market. More than 3,000 lights and 300 baubles adorn the tree.
German-Czech Cultural Days in Dresden
Concerts, readings, puppet theater: the German-Czech Culture Days offer a wide variety of events.
German-Czech Cultural Days in Dresden
Concerts, readings, puppet theater: the German-Czech Culture Days offer a wide variety of events.
Dixieland Festival Dresden with 33 bands from nine countries
The festival in Dresden wants to make good old traditional jazz more appealing to young people. That is why new formats are constantly being sought. But there are also challenges.
Dresden Christmas market traders are looking for staff
Five weeks to go until the start: If you fancy a Christmas market atmosphere and a job, there are now plenty of vacancies in Dresden - from sales to logistics.
Hollywood star Sandra Hüller receives important film award
Oscar-nominated and soon to be live in Braunschweig: the actress, who lives in Saxony, is to accept the main prize "Die Europa" in person at the film festival - and invite people to talk to her.
Parade for the finale of the State Harvest Festival
Saxony's farmers have harvested most of their crops. Harvest festivals are now coming up in many places. The biggest is celebrated in Hoyerswerda.
Plauen applies for "Day of the Saxons" 2027
After 30 years, Plauen wants to host the "Day of the Saxons" again. Why the festival only takes place every two years and what the city hopes to gain from it.
Day of the Saxons ends with a grand parade
Sebnitz celebrated the 30th Day of the Saxons with a parade lasting several hours and many guests. The police reported a peaceful event and only a few traffic problems.
Day of the Saxons overcomes borders
90s party, freefall tower and a parade with 1,800 participants: In Sebnitz, the "Day of the Saxons" becomes an XXL event - and the border with the Czech Republic disappears for a weekend.
"Day of the Saxons" opens in Sebnitz
Eleven stages and a varied program: The "Day of the Saxons" has begun in Sebnitz. 250,000 visitors are expected this weekend.
"Day of the Saxons" starts with rain - 250,000 guests expected
From music and funfair to a parade: the "Day of the Saxons" celebrates its anniversary - for the first time with symbolic border crossings and encounters on the "Democracy Mile".
Neisse Film Festival seeks entries for 2026
Filmmakers from Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic can once again submit their works for the film festival in the border triangle.
8,000 guests at the start of Festival Ibug in Chemnitz
For the 20th time, Ibug is revitalizing Saxony's industrial wastelands with urban art. After a bumpy start in Chemnitz, the organizers are satisfied.
Moritzburg Festival for Chamber Music with record attendance
Fans of chamber music get their money's worth at the Moritzburg Festival. Once again, hardly a seat was left empty at the latest edition. The audience was able to embark on a musical journey through Europe.
"Unconscious": Festival in Lusatia focuses on the "we"
Music, dance, theater - the Lausitz Festival offers a diverse program starting this Sunday. Ten thousand guests are expected.
Lausitz Festival starts with "Sonettfabrik" in Domsdorf
Music, dance, theater - the Lausitz Festival offers a diverse program starting this Sunday. Ten thousand guests are expected.
From electropop to Schlager - program for Sachsenfest is set
250,000 visitors, eleven stages, a cross-border folk festival: the "Day of the Saxons" 2025 is set to bring Sebnitz and the neighboring Czech town of Dolní Poustevna together to flourish.
Lots of people at the music picnic at Proschwitz Castle
Every year, the Moritzburg Festival whets the appetite for chamber music in a special way. Young musicians set the tone at the music picnic in Proschwitz Castle Park.
Relaxed summer feeling at the Highfield Festival
After last year's Ferris wheel fire that left 16 people injured, tens of thousands of people are once again celebrating at Highfield near Leipzig. For those responsible, it was the most relaxed festival in years.
Summer feeling at the Highfield Festival after last year's fire
Summer, sun, beach and lots of live music. The Highfield Festival once again attracts almost 30,000 people to Lake Störmthal near Leipzig. The 2024 Ferris wheel fire didn't stop them.
Chamber music festival invites you to Upper Lusatia
The Oberlausitz Chamber Music Festival is still a young festival. But the fourth edition is already scoring points with renowned performers.
One year after fire disaster: Highfield Festival begins
A year ago, the gondolas of the Ferris wheel at the Highfield Festival caught fire - 16 people were injured. Now the three-day music spectacle at Lake Störmthal is starting again - with a new Ferris wheel.
These are the sugar cone trends
Filled with sweets, toys and school supplies, sugar cones are the highlight for every new school starter. It all depends on the design. Which ones are the bestsellers this year?
Highfield Festival with Ferris wheel again this year
A year ago, the Highfield Festival was overshadowed by the fire on a Ferris wheel. The investigation is still ongoing. The organizers are looking ahead.
Shostakovich Days in Gohrisch meet with great response
A small festival with a big impact: the Shostakovich Days in Gohrisch in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains enjoy an excellent reputation in the music world. Everything here revolves around the great composer.
25th Leipzig Wine Festival: For the first time all the way to Petersstraße
Visit the 25th Leipzig Wine Festival from July 2 to 13 in the city center and discover new wineries and culinary highlights.
Young musicians from 20 countries at Moritzburg Academy
The Moritzburg Festival for Chamber Music exudes a special flair. Music is mainly performed on a terrace of the baroque Moritzburg Castle. And sometimes the next generation sets the tone.
Stelzen presents itself as a Gallic village at the festival
The Stilt Festival near Reuth in the border triangle of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia enjoys cult status among its fans. Even though the era of the land machinery symphony is over, the sound frenzy continues.
Bach Festival in Leipzig attracts around 75,000 visitors
Every year, the Bach Festival delights visitors from all over the world. This year, there was even a virtual encounter with the famous composer.
Human rights activist Sherbakova opens Shostakovich Days
The composer Dmitri Shostakovich always had a vision of a better Russian homeland. The human rights activist Irina Scherbakowa also has this dream of the future.
Dresden Music Festival draws positive balance
This time, the most famous classical music festival in eastern Germany was all about love. The organizers of the Dresden Music Festival struck a chord with the audience - once again.
Meissen Castle Festival celebrates anniversary - Biennale in the future
The place is over 1,000 years old and the scene of Saxon history. In summer, the courtyard of Albrechtsburg Castle Meissen becomes a theater and concert stage - for plays and music.
Lusatia celebrates international folklore festival
For the 15th time, the Domowina - the Lusatian Sorbs' association - is inviting people to the folklore festival. Visitors can expect performances from dance and music groups - and not just from ensembles from Germany.
Positive results at the halfway point of the Dresden Music Festival
The Dresden Music Festival is enjoying a sustained response. Once again, the top-class program of the most famous classical music festival in eastern Germany is well received - and the proceeds are needed.
Ovations for the London Symphony Orchestra in Dresden
The Dresden Music Festival is the best-known classical music festival in East Germany. Even before the fall of the Berlin Wall, stars from the West performed here. Even now, the festival scores points with big names in the industry.
Seniors look for German gymnastics champions
"Gymnastics always works!" is the motto of the German Gymnastics Festival in Leipzig. Athletes in the 70+ and 80+ age groups also prove this.
Flickflack in Leipzig - Visitor magnet German Gymnastics Festival
Professional and popular sports mix at the German Gymnastics Festival in Leipzig. On the first day, the competitions are already well attended - and the offers for sports fans are crowded.
Gymnastics festival opens in Leipzig - "Signal of fairness"
Many thousands of athletes meet at the German Gymnastics Festival in Leipzig. As patron, the Federal President has a wish for the event.
Lausitz Festival: Citizens' choir on stage in Forst
Shakespeare, Brecht and the Roman general Coriolanus - they all play a role in a production for the Lausitz Festival. The director is a well-known Berlin theater and radio personality.
Brentano String Quartet delights at music festival
For one month, everything at the Dresden Music Festival revolves around love - that is the festival's motto. A string quartet from the USA quickly wins the hearts of the audience.
Karl May Festival Radebeul - Real Lakota in elementary school
Every May, Radebeul's Lößnitzgrund is transformed into the Wild West for three days. Real indigenous people from North America make the journey into the fantasy world of author Karl May authentic.
Neisse Film Festival awards prizes - novel adaptation wins
The festival takes place in three countries every year and focuses on Eastern European films. This year, a film from Germany came out on top.
Dresden Music Festival kicks off - motto: "Love"
Japanese sound culture at the Dresden Music Festival. The artistic director also takes up the instrument. For one month, everything revolves around love at the most famous classical music festival in eastern Germany.
Dresden Music Festival under cost pressure
The Dresden Music Festival can point to a high level of popularity. Nevertheless, the best-known classical music festival in eastern Germany has to cope with shrinking subsidies.
Leipzig Asparagus Festival celebrates regional delicacies on May 16
Experience the Leipzig Asparagus Festival on May 16 with fresh asparagus, delicious dishes and more on the market square. Celebrate regional products!
Cuts plans cause problems for Neisse Film Festival
More than just films: The Neisse Film Festival also has concerts and a reading in its program this year. However, cutbacks planned by the Saxon government are causing the organizers concern.
Hundreds of thousands of guests expected at the gymnastics festival and European Championships in Leipzig
Leipzig will be the venue for a major sporting spectacle at the end of May - with the German Gymnastics Festival and the European Gymnastics Championships. Visitors and residents must be prepared for this.
Top orchestras play under the banner of peace in Dresden
Two top international orchestras perform together in Dresden. In the run-up to the music festival, they are setting an example of reconciliation - in memory of a dark past.
Kick-off for new "Elblandia" festival
Saxony's provinces also offer plenty of art and culture. Now a new festival has premiered. It has a predecessor and can therefore count on a large audience.
Several hundred people at Easter marches in Saxony
Easter is traditionally the time for peace marches. The Netzwerk Friedenskooperative (Peace Co-operative Network) also called for this in Saxony - but there was initially no major protest.
Several hundred people at Easter marches in Saxony
Easter is traditionally the time for peace marches. The Netzwerk Friedenskooperative (Peace Co-operative Network) also called for this in Saxony - but there was initially no major protest.
Shostakovich Days Gohrisch on the 50th anniversary of his death
The small village of Gohrisch in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains is a place of pilgrimage for fans of the composer Dmitri Shostakovich. He composed an important work here in 1960.
Festival to increase security measures due to terror threat
The Dixieland Festival attracts tens of thousands of fans from Germany and abroad every year. In the short term, the festival is faced with considerable additional costs due to anti-terrorism measures.
Lausitz Festival brings Shakespeare and Krabat to the stage
Whether it's an old glass factory or a former mine: this year's Lusatia Festival is once again taking place in very special locations. Saxony's Minister President Kretschmer is particularly looking forward to an opera.
Neisse Film Festival presents around 100 films and extras
More than just films: The Neisse Film Festival also has concerts and a reading in its program this year.
Moritzburg Festival offers musical journey through Europe
Vienna, Paris, Prague, Rome or St. Petersburg: Europe has many musical centers. The renowned Moritzburg Festival for Chamber Music invites you on a tour of the continent.
Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2025: Tips and information for visitors in Leipzig
The Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2025 will once again bring thousands of fans of the black scene to Leipzig. Find out everything you need to know about the start of the festival.
Dierks new head of the Tag der Sachsen board of trustees
Once a year, the Free State's clubs and associations are in the spotlight. The Day of the Saxons in the fall is the largest folk festival in the state - always in a different city.
Frukas: cult chewy sweets with a secret identity
Every year, as many frukas are produced as about 200 adult elephants weigh. But unlike them, the carnival doughnuts are not vegetarian. This is set to change in the future.
Days of contemporary music
New sounds from Dresden: the Days of Contemporary Music were founded here in 1987. The festival has long been an internationally acclaimed stage.
Kretschmer promotes openness and cohesion in Saxony
The Minister President is confident - despite economic problems. His New Year's address focuses on the opportunities and hurdles facing Saxony in the new year.
Historic train travels to the Leipzig Christmas market
A nostalgic train from Hamburg to Leipzig is a reminder of the golden era of the railroad. However, the locomotive from the 1960s is unlikely to have traveled this route at the time of the division of Germany.
Wineries in Saxony focus on the mulled wine business
Whether white or red - mulled wine is in demand in the run-up to Christmas. More and more domestic producers are turning to the sweet hot drink.
Dresden Music Festival 2025 under the sign of love
Classical, pop, jazz - and even poetry: next year's Dresden Music Festival will focus on diversity. The festival motto is intended to send a message of understanding.
No nationwide ban on cannabis at Christmas markets
It is the first Advent season in which the new cannabis law applies. No general regulation is planned for the Christmas markets in Saxony.
Dresden Advent traffic: more parking spaces, additional streetcar line
According to the city, the best way to get to Dresden's Striezelmarkt is by bus and train. Because: due to the partial collapse of the Carola Bridge, an important traffic artery is out of action.
Record attendance for euro-scene Leipzig: 4,800 participants at 36 events
Socio-political issues were the focus of the euro-scene Leipzig dance and theater festival. The organizers draw a positive balance.
DOK Leipzig Film Festival reaches audience record
Almost 10,000 more visitors attended the DOK Leipzig film festival in 2024 than a year ago - more people than ever before.
Christmas tree for Leipzig comes from the Vogtland region
After a Douglas fir from Torgau, this year a tree from the Vogtland region towers over the Leipzig Christmas market.
Dominique Cabrera wins Golden Dove at the DOK Leipzig Festival
The DOK Leipzig festival focused on documentary and animated films for a week. Now the best films have been chosen. One of the main prizes goes to France.
DOK Leipzig celebrates 67th edition with 209 films and world premieres
For one week, the DOK Leipzig festival focuses on documentary and animated films. The opening is all about the phenomenon of light.
Focus on wars and crises: DOK Leipzig presents a multi-layered festival program
The DOK Leipzig documentary film festival is about to enter its 67th edition. For the festival director, the complexity of the world shapes the film selection.
International productions dominate the awards ceremony at the "Schlingel" children's and youth film festival
The "Schlingel" film festival has awarded its main prizes - and this year all the winners are from Europe.
euro-scene Leipzig Festival combines artistic forms of expression with socio-political issues
The conflict in the Middle East and the Russian war of aggression: the dance and theater festival euro-scene Leipzig focuses on socio-political issues.
Saxon schoolchildren can take part in the 'film ab!
Young film talents in Saxony have the chance to win an award for their projects at the "film ab!" film festival. Pupils can submit their films until November.
Oktoberfest in Saxony: beer, brass band music and a sense of home
Oktoberfest is no longer just for Munich. Saxon breweries have recognized them as a sales hit - and use the spectacle to promote their beers.
Most successful edition of the Lausitz Festival attracts record number of visitors
The Lausitz Festival aims to establish itself as a cultural institution in the coal-mining region - and seems to be well on its way to doing so.
Festive opening of the apple season in Saxony canceled
The late frosts in spring had already caught flowering fruit trees cold. As a result, the apple harvest in Saxony was catastrophic. The association reacts.
30th "Day of the Saxons" 2025 in Sebnitz reaches out to the Czech Republic
The Day of the Saxons is the largest folk festival in the Free State of Saxony. Associations, clubs and alternating local authorities always present themselves there - but interest in hosting the event has waned recently.
Hoyerswerda hosts the 2025 State Harvest Festival
Mittweida is followed by Hoyerswerda: the town in Lusatia will host the harvest festival next year.
Arthouse cinema industry records visitor growth in the first half of 2024
Strong festival films attracted more people to arthouse cinemas at the beginning of the year. The industry hopes that this will continue in the fall.
Record attendance at the Chemnitz art festival "Begehungen"
The 21st edition of the Chemnitz art festival "Begehungen" was all about protest. The theme of resistance proved to be a magnet for visitors.
Actor Götz Schubert gives theater priority over film and television
He is known as the Görlitz TV detective and from popular crime series such as Tatort, Wilsberg, Bella Block and Kolleginnen. Götz Schubert is equally present in the theater - and at festivals.
Yo-Yo Ma, Leonidas Kavakos and Emanuel Ax give a concert at the Dresden Music Festival
Their names make the hearts of classical music fans beat faster. Yo-Yo Ma, Leonidas Kavakos and Emanuel Ax are renowned soloists and in demand worldwide - and will soon be performing as a trio for Beethoven in Dresden.
Lusatia Festival in East Saxony offers a diverse program
The European art festival aims to culturally revitalize the lignite mining region during structural change. With a diverse program, it attracts guests every year - even from afar.
Ibug street art festival expects up to 10,000 visitors
Every summer, the Ibug street art festival transforms an industrial wasteland into a temporary art exhibition. This time, the artists are coming to Riesa.
Cause of the fire at the Highfield Festival: Investigators are making progress
Thousands of people celebrate at the Highfield rock festival near Leipzig. Suddenly the gondola of a Ferris wheel goes up in flames and several people are injured. The first results of the investigation are now available.
Moritzburg Festival 2024: music, nature and friendship in a unique atmosphere
The Moritzburg Festival at the baroque castle of the same name not far from Dresden is one of Europe's top addresses for chamber music. It not only attracts musicians to the idyllic pond landscape in summer.
Highfield rock and pop festival starts at Lake Störmthal
It's party time again at Highfield on Lake Störmthal near Leipzig. Around 30,000 people come to the lake to party, dance and relax. The line-up includes many music greats.
30,000 visitors expected at the Highfield Festival
It's party time again at Highfield on Lake Störmthal near Leipzig. Around 30,000 people come to the lake to party, dance and relax. The line-up includes many music greats.
CDU defends military technology at Dresden city festival
Bouncy castle and rocket launcher: the German Armed Forces want to show off heavy military equipment at this year's Dresden City Festival and are meeting with resistance. A petition has now been launched.
Protest against military technology at Dresden city festival
Bouncy castle and rocket launcher: the German Armed Forces want to show off heavy military equipment at this year's Dresden City Festival and are meeting with resistance. A petition has now been launched.
Highfield Festival at Lake Störmthal: rock music, swimming and camping
It's party time again at Highfield on Lake Störmthal near Leipzig. Around 30,000 people come to the lake to party, dance and relax. The line-up includes many music greats.