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The Mainfest was not in jeopardy, but smaller festivals have problems with the increased costs. © Monika Müller
Many Frankfurt clubs have trouble financing their festivals. The city supports them, but their financial leeway is limited.
At the Bernemer Kerwe Society, everyone is rotating. The next Kerb will take place next Friday in the Frankfurt district of Bornheim – on the association’s website, a countdown counts down days, hours, minutes and seconds. It is the 417th church fair, which will be celebrated from August 9th to 14th. But how many more editions there will be is unclear.
Since Corona, there has been an extreme increase in prices, says chairman Dominik Müller. Costs for street cleaning and security have risen by 30 to 40 percent. It is difficult for the club to make ends meet. The membership fees only cover the club’s ongoing activities. The fair is always financed through the festival in the previous year.
The main source of income is the three evenings at the festival site at Bornheim’s Johanniskirche. The big Kerbe parade through the district on Saturday only costs money – and is financed through donations, says Müller. And on the so-called Bernemer Wednesday, when shops, bars and clubs party on the upper Berger Straße on the last Kerbe day, hardly any money is taken in despite the stall rentals. The chairman expects a loss for 2024 despite subsidies from the state, the Office for Multicultural Affairs and money from the city’s security fund. Thanks to reserves, the Kerwe society can only cope with this for one or two years at most.
The people of Bornheim are not the only ones in Frankfurt who are increasingly having to fight to organize district festivals. In 2023, the festival on Schweizer Strasse in Sachsenhausen was already canceled due to increased costs. The party on the lower Berger Strasse in Nordend at the end of May was in the balance until the end. Many local councils have recently called on the city to support the events.
Celebrate
The Bernemer Kerb takes place from August 9th to 14th in the Frankfurt district of Bornheim. It starts on Friday at 5 p.m. on the Kerbeplatz at the Johanniskirche. On Saturday morning the Kerbebaum is cut down in the Enkheim forest and set up at the festival site at around 11 a.m. There is a children’s festival there from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The big parade starts at 5 p.m. There is dancing in the evening.
Sunday begins at 10 a.m. with an ecumenical service. From 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. the children are the focus. In the evening Roy Hammer & the Pralinées play. On Monday the men’s evening begins at 4 p.m. in the “Zum alten Schlagbaum” and the women’s evening in the “Bornheimer Dorfstadl”. The street festival concludes on Wednesday. From 1 p.m. the celebrations will take place on the upper Berger Straße. Program at bernemerkerb.de/programm bos
They are aware of the problem. “Unfortunately, district festivals are currently threatened by increased security requirements and the associated rising costs,” says Alina Heinlein, a consultant in the economic department. The city council has therefore budgeted money in the double budget. The “Securing Frankfurt Festivals” funding pot has been endowed with 750,000 euros for 2024 and 2025.
The department is holding talks with event organizers and trade associations “to ensure sustainable organizational and financial security for the district festivals.” The city only approves requested funds “if the plausibility and effort have been checked against our funding criteria,” says Heinlein. “We only provide support once the costs are no longer economically viable due to conditions – such as safety – and the criteria have been met.”
The city is currently supporting the Berger Street Festival with 27,000 euros, the Höchst Castle Festival with 50,000 euros, the Bahnhofsviertel Night “Open Quarter” with 100,000 euros, the CSD with 150,000 euros and the Frankfurt Carnival Parade with around 70,000 euros, said Heinlein. How much the city will pay for the Swiss Street Festival at the end of September is currently being discussed. It could also help that the city has now purchased certified protective barriers through the Tourismus + Congress GmbH Frankfurt, which meet the increased security requirements and were already used during the European Football Championship. “We are currently checking whether these barriers can also be used for the district festivals.”
District festivals are of great importance to the economic department. “They act as an anchor and link, have a long tradition and stand for a strong sense of community in the districts,” says Heinlein. “In addition, they are an important attraction for many citizens and tourists.”
