Kassel's art fair festivities

The biggest international art fair, dOCUMENTA(13), will start on June 9 in Kassel and continue for 100 days. More than 150 artists from all over the world will present an array of different artistic mediums, ranging from creative to classical styles of sculptures, performances, paintings, photography, film and video, text and audio works. Objects and experimenets of art, politics, literature, philosophy and science will also be on show at the fair. One million visitors are expected to come to Kassel for dOCUMENTA(13). More than 750,000 people visited the last fair five years ago.

Sun, mud and rock 'n' roll

The two big rock festivals "Rock am Ring" and "Rock im Park" attract 160,000 visitors each year. The gigs take place concurrently, June 1-3, in Nuremberg in Bavaria and along the Nuremberg in Eifel, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Some of the most renowned rock, pop and indie bands will perform at these spectacular open-air-festivals - among them, Metallica, Motörhead, Linkin Park, Gossip, Billy Talent, Marilyn Manson, Die Toten Hosen and Deichkind. Visitors needn't go home or book a hotel as they can pitch a tent on site. Increasing in popularity each year, it seems fans are addicted to these festivals and attend come rain, hail or shine. One thing is certain though: A lot of beer will be consumed.

Euro 2012

This year the European Football Championships will take place in Poland and the Ukraine - it's a wonderful opportunity for both countries to present themselves to the world and where political tensions will be forgotten. In Germany, many cultural events will take place in connection with the games. In Berlin, the Polish Institute, in cooperation with the soccer magazine "11 Freunde“ or "11 friends" has come up with a varied 12 day cultural program consisting of live concerts, film presentations, lectures, cabaret and exhibitions. One of the highlights will be the Foa Hoka band from Kiev who are known for their lively, but at the same time melancholic sound. The band which has produced more than twenty records since the early 1990's forms part of the Ukrainian alternative scene. Foa Hoka itself refers to its music as "uneasy listening." The Club der polnischen Versager 'Club of Polish Failures' offers a cabaret show entitled “No problem! There are other kinds of sports in which Poles might be successful!” Of course, all Euro 2012 games will be broadcast on superscreens across the city.

Electro-Sounds in Cologne

Some time ago, the city of Cologne - a music hub - was hit hard by the disappearance of the music festival PopKomm. But now, a smaller music festival has made up for that loss: The c/o pop has already gained an international reputation. This year, it will take place from June 20 - 24. Electro bands from the 1980s such as Palais Schaumburg and Yello, as well as newcomers Katzenjammer, Tim Bendzko und the extraordinary singer-songwriter Joan as a Policewoman will perform at the Cologne festival. A lot of music will be played right around the city - and whoever wants to get into the clubs, should definitely be there on time, because venues are bound to sell out fast. The main stage of this year's c/o pop festival will be the Millowitsch-Theater, a theatre named after renowned Cologne actor Willy Millowitsch.

Film Festival Excitement

The Munich Film Festival starts June 29 in the Bavarian capital. This year the festival is celebrating their 30th anniversary as Germany's second largest film gathering after the famous Berlinale. Its new director, Diana Iljine, has created a new slogan for the festival: "We want to make the film festival fit for the future.” This year's program is very varied: The series "New German Television“ will present some exciting productions. The Children's Film Festival will focus on productions from Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, Iran and Turkey -  a colorful mixture of real and animation films. A special homage will be made to some cult movies from the 1980's such as "American Gigolo", "Top Gun", "Scarface" and "Flashdance." The series "Special Screening" focus' on works by crime writer Ferdinand von Schirach. If you like glamor and red carpets, you certainly shouldn't miss the Munich Film Festival.

Author: Jan Bruck / ad
Editor: Jessie Wingard