The Dresden cultural highlight Palais Sommer is also firmly scheduled for 2025, as organizer Jörg Polenz announced on Tuesday morning. "Despite financial challenges and uncertainty about long-term plans, we have managed to secure the festival for next year," says Polenz. For the coming year, an agreement was reached with the Road and Civil Engineering Department regarding special use for the period from June 14 to July 20, 2025. The venue at Neumarkt is also to be secured in this way for 2026 and 2027, before a tender is expected to be issued from 2028 onwards.
The second venue, the Ostra Dome, has also been secured via long-term contracts. This year, the venue was used for 15 event days. Yoga events will also continue to take place in Alaunpark. However, the intensity of use at both venues depends largely on economic indicators, emphasized Polenz.
The willingness of visitors to donate remains a major challenge. During the Palais Sommer 2024, the average donation was 1.39 euros per person. Polenz still sees considerable potential here.
The festival, which does not require state funding, closed 2024 with a loss of 70,000 euros. This loss could be offset by provisions from previous years, explains the organizer.
A budget of 1.3 million euros is planned for Palais Sommer 2025. Currently, around 200,000 euros are still missing to break even. The majority of the budget comes from a long-term partnership with the Dresden housing cooperatives, AOK Plus and Radeberger. Polenz is also counting on TSMC as a potential new partner for the coming years.
In 2024, almost 64,000 people experienced the Palais Sommer at Dresden's Neumarkt directly, with around 200,000 people attending the event on site. Almost 8,700 people visited the Ostra Dome.
More cooperation for more culture in Dresden
In recent years, the challenges for the event industry have increased due to stricter requirements, tenders and the poor economy. For this reason, Polenz would like to see greater cooperation between event organizers in Dresden and the city administration. "Sometimes you get the impression that everyone is fighting for themselves and too much energy is lost for Dresden," says Polenz. He advocates pooling the strengths of the individual players and not playing them off against each other in order to further promote Dresden as a city of culture.
Background
The Palais Sommer has been an established cultural festival in Dresden for 15 years and sees itself as a platform for art, music and encounters in an urban environment. Admission is free. It is financed by private donations, sponsorship and charitable initiatives. The future security of the festival depends heavily on the willingness to donate, the commitment of the city and cooperation between the various stakeholders. Since its foundation, Palais Sommer has developed steadily and is now a permanent fixture in Dresden's cultural calendar. Despite recurring financial bottlenecks and organizational challenges, the organizers have repeatedly succeeded in getting the festival off the ground and attracting thousands of visitors. The ongoing professionalization and increased cooperation with municipal partners should now ensure that the festival remains successful in the future.
