As part of the review of the "Sustainable inner cities and centers" (ZiZ) funding program, the focus was on the events in the inner city, which have been real success stories.
The after-work events organized by the city's business development department on Schleiferplatz were a particular focus. A total of seven events were organized with different styles of music, presented either by larger bands from the region and beyond, with smaller ensembles or with a DJ. All of the after-work events appealed to a large number of people. This shows "that people look forward to going into the city centers when something worthwhile is on offer," says Sarah Wagner from the city's business development department. Last year, there was also the Advent glow, a Christmas market with a varied program on Schleiferplatz. The timing before the third Advent and from Thursday to Saturday was a good choice; this year, the Advent glow will take place from December 11 to 13. In mid-September, a colorful family festival with many hands-on stations for young and old took place on Schleiferplatz and along Idar's pedestrian zone under the motto Citymood & Friends. The Schleiferplatz square offered a wide range of culinary delights from clubs and local restaurants. Pupils from the district music school presented their skills, while the IKG-Garde and the ITV cheerleaders rounded off the program with their dances. The magician Jakob Mathias and the Happy Tones of the Dezibel music school also delighted the audience. There were play and craft stations as well as two bouncy castles on the Maler-Wild-Platz. The projects implemented as part of the funding program were also presented at this event.
In addition to the events organized by the economic development agency itself, other events were also supported thanks to the financial opportunities provided by the funding programme, such as the "Bachwagge meets SpeedBottles" project, a concert of completely contrasting musical styles that delighted many visitors. Both the musicians and numerous members of the audience immediately expressed the wish for a repeat performance. The Rose Monday parade, the St. Martin's parades in Oberstein and Idar and the Kultur Canapées were also supported. "Together with the city marketing association, the economic development department sees it as a central task to revitalize the city centres and create additional spaces for encounters through events. Events should help to make the city more attractive for citizens, businesses, tourists and employees," says Caroline Pehlke, describing the intention behind the plans.
Shortly after the start of the funding program, a center management team was set up in cooperation with the Stadt & Beratung Sven Fries office to create an interface between citizens, business development agencies and interested stakeholders from the retail and service sectors. In several network meetings, criticism was voiced, new ideas were collected and a wide variety of stakeholders were able to network with each other. This has resulted in a good community of interested stakeholders who are prepared to carry the ideas and concepts beyond the end of the funding program. In addition, there were also information events on specific topics, such as the situation for property owners in the city center, which was the focus at one point. From May 2023, Samira Faust was the local city manager until Lara Paulus took over as contact person during her parental leave. An office with fixed office hours for the city manager was set up in the pop-up store in the Oberstein pedestrian zone for almost the entire duration of the funding program. All stakeholders agree that the successfully installed events should definitely be continued - in particular the After Work series, for which the following dates in 2026 have already been reserved: May 7, June 11, August 13 and September 3.