5. bobiennale - BoPolis

In the organizer's words:

Every two years, Bochum's independent cultural scene brings its art to the streets and into the heart of the city. From June 18 to 22, 2025 , the bobiennale will take place in one central location for the first time. On the site of the former Katholikentag railway station, behind Rotunde and Gleis 9 (formerly Riff), opposite Bermuda3eck, we are setting up the temporary city of the arts "BoPolis": we are coming together for democracy and cultural freedom in the heart of Bochum.

The public can look forward to around 80 events with over 150 participants over five days: workshops, concerts, performances, films, walk acts, readings, installations, exhibitions, a children's program, clowning... There will be well-known performance collectives such as äöü, notsopretty and WilderVerband, up-and-coming bands such as Kaprice, Lichtmaschine and Schummlaz, and visual artists such as Ralf Odermann, Katherine Tinteren-Klitzke and Mirjam Strunk. There will also be a talk on the topic of "Democracy needs participation" with high-profile guests, a temporary skate park, a zine exchange, a mobile miniature golf course, a walking tree avenue and much more.

The opening evening on Wednesday, June 18 from 7 pm with surprise performances by Miriam Michel, the author and spoken word artist Miedya Mahmoud and the artists' collective Die Manege was curated by Sabine Reich, the future artistic director of the Prinz Regent Theater. The evening will be hosted by the Care Bears.