The popular Idar-Oberstein street theater festival attracts numerous visitors to the city of jewelry every year. For the upcoming edition on the first weekend in August 2026, the cultural office has come up with a special promotion: Cultural associations and initiatives from Idar-Oberstein will be given the opportunity to present themselves to a large audience on August 1 or 2 and thus actively recruit new members.
Membership recruitment in front of a 'random audience'
Many cultural associations and initiatives face the challenge of finding new, active members and getting people interested in their work. This is precisely where the city's initiative comes in. "We want to offer local creative artists a stage to reach people who may not be specifically looking for cultural involvement, but who are spontaneously inspired by a great performance," says the idea from the Department of Culture. The aim is to win over the festival's 'random audience' for active cultural participation.
The venue for the local players will be the pitch on the Idar. It is located right next to Modepark Röther, which will be open on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the festival, the groups will be given time slots of around 15 to 20 minutes for their performances. Whether choral singing, theater scenes, readings, dance or instrumental music - the type of presentation is up to the participants as long as it is suitable for arousing the interest of potential new members. To reward the volunteers for their efforts, the city council pays each participating association an expense allowance of 150 euros.
The call is explicitly aimed at projects, groups and associations that are actively looking for new members and want to encourage others to participate in culture. It is not about pure entertainment, but about transferring the passion for one's own hobby - be it music, theater or cultural/social commitment - to the audience and motivating them to participate.
- For early planning, interested cultural associations and initiatives are asked to contact the Idar-Oberstein Cultural Office by Friday, February 27, 2026, by calling 06781/64-4000 or emailing kultur@idar-oberstein.de. More information about the project is also available there.