Events
Dialogue draws thousands to the b° future festival 2026
Dialogue? Yes, please! From October 1 to 3, more than 300 media professionals from around the world and thousands of local citizens came together at the b° future festival 2026 in downtown Bonn to share their ideas about journalism and its future.
The fourth edition of the b° future festival, organized by the Bonn Institute, took place under the motto "Volume down. Dialogue Up." Media professionals from Germany, Europe and around the world came together with local and regional citizens to discuss the pressing issues facing society and the media. What do we value? What challenges do we face, and what is changing? What should journalism and our future look like?
"In the digital age, people rightly expect journalism to be more than a one-way street. They expect to have a say, to be heard and to be able to contribute. This is the goal of the b° future festival,” said Ellen Heinrichs, CEO of the Bonn Institute and festival founder.
Three days of inspiration
The festival kicked off on October 1 with eleven pre-conference workshops for media professionals. On October 2 and 3, events opened up to the public, with Bonn’s Münsterplatz transformed into a pop-up media hub. Media organizations, initiatives and other groups hosted more than 200 events, most of them free of charge, in tents across the square, as well as in eventmanufaktur and the civic center Haus der Bildung. Around 300 contributors from nearly 30 countries took part. Topics ranged from AI and new developments in journalistic techniques to press freedom and the everyday realities of Ukrainian media professionals, among other many other things.
Visitors also had the opportunity to get hands-on through activities such as reading the news in front of a green screen booth, playing interactive games and taking part in practical workshops. One event highlight was "One Hour, Many Voices," the Bonn Institute’s discussion game that provides participants with a structured setting to engage in constructive discussions and gain insights into different perspectives.
The b° future festival left us with a lot to think about. About journalism, about society, and about the role we want journalism to play. Because when society is changing, journalism needs to change too.
Partnerships in politics, media and civil society
The Bonn Institute would like to thank the main partners of the b° future festival: the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Regional Representation of the European Commission in Bonn, the European Parliament Liaison Office in Berlin, the regional bank Sparkasse KölnBonn and local newspaper General-Anzeiger Bonn.
The City of Bonn also supports the festival by providing the Haus der Bildung as a central venue, among other contributions. In addition, the b° future festival is supported by a broad network of partners from the media, politics, academia and civil society, as well as numerous museums in Bonn.
"Building bridges" in 2027
The fifth edition of the b° future festival will take place next year in Bonn from October 7 to 9, under the motto “Building bridges.”
“I look forward to coming together for the b° future festival for the fifth time next year. The very fitting motto ‘Building Bridges’ is relevant not only here in Bonn but far beyond. At a time when we feel that many parts of society are no longer talking to one another, it is all the more important to create spaces where we can engage with different opinions,” said Nathanael Liminski, Minister for Federal and European and International Affairs and Media of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and Head of the State Chancellery.
More information and details about the festival can be found at the b° future festival website.