"Kosmos": Chemnitz Celebrates a Festival of Culture and Democracy

The city of Chemnitz hosted its “Kosmos” culture and democracy festival for the fifth time. According to the organizers, there were around 250 events on Saturday’s program. These ranged from panel discussions on AI and democracy to DJ sets and a participatory activity zone. Sports activities ranging from boxing to Zumba were also offered.

Tens of thousands of visitors were expected at the “Kosmos” festival in downtown Chemnitz. Among the program highlights were the concerts with free admission. In the evening, the indie-pop band ok.danke.tschüss, singer Alexander Marcus, and 01099 were scheduled to perform on the “Kosmos” stage, among others. 

Its origins date back to the #wirsindmehr concert

“Kosmos” traces its roots to the #wirsindmehr concert, which was held in response to riots by right-wing extremists in the summer of 2018. This year marks its fifth edition. There were interruptions, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the organizers, the festival attracted about 70,000 people two years ago and as many as 115,000 during the 2025 Capital of Culture year. Unlike usual, however, it spanned three days. 

Due to the large number of visitors expected at the festival, the Central Saxony Public Transportation Authority reports that additional trains and buses will run at night—for example, to Leipzig, Dresden, and Zwickau, as well as Döbeln, Stollberg, and Limbach-Oberfrohna.