The urban lifestyle is alive and well in Cologne. The metropolis on the Rhine is today a hotbed of creativity, with a lively urban scene that offers residents and visitors alike everything that makes a city special. This includes trends that leave visible traces on the urban landscape, but also a distinctive traditional feel in each of the city’s quarters that offer Cologne’s citizens ample opportunity to identify with their home city. The cathedral city’s broad range of activities and strong creative industry makes it the ideal place to be for lovers of design, fashion, culture, music, festivals, food and more. Newcomers from many different industries have joined traditional stores and established recurrent events in contributing to Cologne’s urban feel. A major startup and off scene completes the picture.
Focus on urban Cologne
In 2016/2017 the Cologne Tourist Board will showcase the city as a creative centre of immersive experiences with its central them “#urbanCGN – cologne urban lifestyle”. With its central theme, “#urbanCGN – cologne urban lifestyle”, the Cologne Tourist Board will showcase 2016/2017 the city as a creative centre of immersive experiences. The theme is a response to the ongoing trend for travellers to other cities to experience them as temporary residents rather than tourists. In doing so, it will tell stories not found in most tourist guides and also address niche topics related to fashion, design, festivals, art, culture and music. All themes are communicated directly to the target group through the #urbanCGN theme blog www.visit.koeln and the cohering social media channels.
Cultural Highlights 2017
c/o pop festival
The c/o pop festival is widely regarded as the pacemaker for the latest newcomers in pop music. During five days from August 16 to 20, 2017, Cologne will become a mecca of pop culture. www.c-o-pop.de
CityLeaks
At the urban art festival CityLeaks international, artists leave their artistic marks in the city from September 1 to 24, 2017. The interdisciplinary program shows for the diverse variety of contemporary urban art for the fourth time. www.cityleaks-festival.de
Museum Night Cologne
Exhibitions, DJ sets, concerts and performances – November 4, is when more than 40 museums, art studios large and small, as well as previously hidden off-spaces open their doors to the Museum Night. Between 7 pm and 2.59 am, you can choose from 200 events to put together your very own program. www.facebook.com/museumsnacht.koeln.de
Annual cultural highlights:
Passages – Interior Design Week + Cologne Music Week (January), Festival of Early Music, lit.COLOGNE (March), Art Cologne + <FAR OFF + Kölner Liste (April), Sommerblut Festival of Multipolar Culture, ökoRausch, EIGHT BRIDGES (May), Romanesque Summer, phil.cologne (June), platine festival (August), DC open, Night of Music (September), Night of Theatre, FilmFestival Cologne (October), Cologne Fine Art (November)
Target groups:
Inhabitants of Cologne and the metropolitan area, tourists from worldwide, independent travellers, art and online affine.
Cultural facts and figures:
Cologne Opera with its Children’s Opera, 70 municipal and independent theatres, more than 40 museums and related institutions, approximately 30 archives and documentation centres, over 130 galleries and art dealerships, 12 auction houses, three international art fairs, over 1,100 visual artists living in Cologne, more than 300 local Cologne authors, more than 250 publishers, 9,000 listed buildings including the World Heritage Site Cologne Cathedral and 12 large Romanesque churches, the WDR and Gürzenich orchestras, more than 200 music ensembles and orchestras, over 1,000 pop musicians and bands, over 90 recording studios, six TV stations, over 600 TV production companies.
