On the weekend of September 6 and 7, it's that time again: "einzigARTig - the festival of inclusive culture" starts for the second time in the Depot Talstraße in Aachen. Organized by the cultural department of the city of Aachen, the festival will be a living symbol of inclusion and creative diversity.

Lord Mayor Sibylle Keupen is looking forward to the inclusive festival with the telling name: "The diversity lived in Aachen is unique. It's great to bring this diversity to the stage, to make it visible and tangible. Culture has the unique characteristic that it connects. Culture lends itself like no other medium to developing enthusiasm for one another. We are setting the stage for this here."

einzigARTig is intended to set an example for diversity, solidarity and inclusion. The focus should not be on people's differences, but on what they have in common. Artists with disabilities from the entire spectrum of culture are offered a forum to present their art to a wide audience. Collaboration with people without disabilities is also expressly encouraged.

With the Depot as a festival venue, what belongs together comes together, says the Lord Mayor: "Creating a stage for inclusion in practice: that fits wonderfully in the Depot, as a place of participation, equal opportunities and justice. Where this building and the festival intertwine, the city is effective for the people who come together here."

A special feature of "einzigARTig" is that the participants in the individual community projects can influence the program at eye level, without rigid guidelines from curators, choreographers or directors. The festival's guiding principles are active participation and creation.

"Equal opportunities and participation are particularly important in culture. We want to set an example for inclusion and diversity," says Rainer Beck, Festival Director and Head of Municipal Event Management. In addition to the artistic acts, the festival management is particularly looking forward to the panel discussion under the motto "Everyone needs culture - culture needs everyone", which will explore the question of what needs to happen for inclusion in culture to become a matter of course. After all, "the best thing would be if the festival were no longer necessary at some point, if inclusion were a normal part of cultural life. Until then, it needs visibility, which we want to achieve here," says Beck. With the "einzigARTig" festival, this task is put into practice by many motivated people and contributors and staged with passion.

The following artists and cultural professionals will perform during the festival, talk about their work and answer questions:

CassMae, Felix Klieser, I AM REDO, open excess, Un-Label, Urban Elsässer, Theater SoSH, SchlagSaiteN2, Red Beauties, Nicole Erbe & Evelyne Verhellen, Lillien Hohenner, NeonGrau52, Die Schirmherren & LMT Kollektiv + Roman km/h

This will be accompanied by exhibitions of fine art by the Lebenshilfe Aachen e.V. art workshop, the Freie Alten- und Nachbarschaftshilfe Aachen e.V., KoKoBe and Marian Reguli. The program will be rounded off with a panel discussion and information stands from various institutions.

Admission is free for all interested parties.

Information and program at www.aachen.de/einzigartig.