About NORDEN Festival
» ABOUT US
From the idea to the festival
On a trip along the Baltic Sea to the Baltic States, the idea of celebrating the "North" was born. That was in 2016, after which the idea of atmospherically capturing the North and translating it into an event became more and more concrete - and so the NORDEN Festival was born. A unique cultural festival in the heart of Schleswig-Holstein, dedicated to the cultural diversity of the northern European countries: the nordic arts festival.
This original idea has been developed and expanded in recent years by a team of culture enthusiasts around the festival directors Manfred Pakusius and Marno Happ. The NORDEN team consists of people with a passion for NORDEN and its culture. And this shows in the finely curated sections with a selection of the most interesting and impressive artists inside.
We are a small crew of enthusiasts who spend the whole year organizing and programming the NORDEN Festival in an office in Hamburg-Eimsbüttel. In the six weeks surrounding the festival, the team from Hamburg grows together with the one from Schleswig-Holstein into one big family that gets bigger with each year. People who provide the special atmosphere at NORDEN with a love of detail.
We also receive valuable support from many other people and organizations. For example from our NORDLICHTERN, especially active fans, who made the festival known in the region from the beginning. As well as many regional companies and actors - thank you!
Come together and celebrate diversity: the NORDEN team is looking forward to seeing you!
On a trip along the Baltic Sea to the Baltic States, the idea of celebrating the "North" was born. That was in 2016, after which the idea of atmospherically capturing the North and translating it into an event became more and more concrete - and so the NORDEN Festival was born. A unique cultural festival in the heart of Schleswig-Holstein, dedicated to the cultural diversity of the northern European countries: the nordic arts festival.
This original idea has been developed and expanded in recent years by a team of culture enthusiasts around the festival directors Manfred Pakusius and Marno Happ. The NORDEN team consists of people with a passion for NORDEN and its culture. And this shows in the finely curated sections with a selection of the most interesting and impressive artists inside.
We are a small crew of enthusiasts who spend the whole year organizing and programming the NORDEN Festival in an office in Hamburg-Eimsbüttel. In the six weeks surrounding the festival, the team from Hamburg grows together with the one from Schleswig-Holstein into one big family that gets bigger with each year. People who provide the special atmosphere at NORDEN with a love of detail.
We also receive valuable support from many other people and organizations. For example from our NORDLICHTERN, especially active fans, who made the festival known in the region from the beginning. As well as many regional companies and actors - thank you!
Come together and celebrate diversity: the NORDEN team is looking forward to seeing you!
» ARRIVAL
NORDEN is sustainable and we support guests who travel by public transport (NAH.SH) or by bike. You can find different ways to get to us here.
Das NORDEN - The Nordic Arts Festival takes place at:
Stadtpark Königswiesen
24837 Schleswig
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ARRIVAL BY TRAIN: There are many bus lines from Schleswig train station to the festival area: You can find all departure info in the NAH.SH app or on the website www.nah.sh. Destination stops that are within walking distance of the festival grounds: Domschule or Strandweg Please note: Festival visitors with a train ticket in the Schleswig-Holstein-Tarif (NAH.SH) will receive a discount of 5 Euro when presenting their ticket. IC, EC and ICE are excluded. |
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ARRIVAL BY BIKE: Bicycle parking near the ticket offices (Strandweg / Luisenbad). |
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ARRIVAL BY BUS: Various bus lines to the ZOB Schleswig: See line network Schleswig and the timetable line buses Schleswig. |
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ARRIVAL BY CAR: Parking spaces can be found in the city area. Parking for people with mobility impairments can be found in Strandweg.
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Das NORDEN - The Nordic Arts Festival takes place at:
Stadtpark Königswiesen
24837 Schleswig
» OVERNIGHT STAYS
For overnight stays in Schleswig, we recommend our NORDEN partner hotels:
» OPENING HOURS
The box office opens 15 minutes before the official admission.
| THURSDAY | 6 - 11 PM |
| FRIDAY | 6 - 11 PM |
| SATURDAY | 2 - 11 PM |
| SUNDAY | 2 - 10 PM |
The box office opens 15 minutes before the official admission.
» ACCESSIBILITY
The NORDEN Festival should be accessible for all people and so our team is gradually working on the implementation of barrier-free measures on the Königswiesen.
Info booth and inclusion team
You can always contact our team at the info booth at the entrance of the festival area as soon as you have questions or need support. Our team is trained and can help you in different situations. Additionally, Philine, our accessibility and inclusion officer, can be reached by phone and WhatsApp at any time on +49 (0) 176 800 24 94 13. Philine also speaks German sign language.
Arrival
You have several possibilities to arrive barrier-free to the NORDEN Festival.
The regional trains of our partner NAH.SH are equipped with ramps and the train station in Schleswig is also barrier-free. From here you have the possibility to take a cab or to drive to the festival area on your own. The 2.5 km long path along the beautiful Baltic Sea fjord Schlei is also accessible for wheelchairs, although there is a slight downhill shortly after the station.
If you arrive by car, there are handicapped parking spaces directly at the festival area as well as in the nearby parking garage.
Barrier-free access to the festival area
The entire festival area is almost completely barrier-free and accessible for people in wheelchairs. There are ramps in the entrance area to overcome thresholds and the individual cultural venues can also be reached via ramps. Only the garden stage is located on a slope. Here other people can help you to stand directly in front of the stage or you can watch from the side - there you have a great view of the water at the same time.
If the lawn is too soft for wheelchair access due to heavy rainfall, we will try to lay out asap paving slabs to allow you access to the Cultural Tent, Atrium and Manege in the Park.
Barrier-free toilet
There is a barrier-free toilet on the festival grounds. This is integrated in the Luisenbad (blockhouse between the beach and the Königswiese) and can be reached via a ramp.
Mobile induction loop
In the culture tent and in the cinema we have installed a mobile induction loop. You can borrow a receiver from the information desk so that you can follow the readings and other events more easily. Our team can help you with the mobile induction loops and answer your questions.
German Sign Language
We are currently planning for 2025 and will soon be showing you here which events we can have accompanied in German Sign Language.
If you are particularly interested in an event, please send a message to Philine at +49 (0) 176 800 24 94 13 or to pb@hejnorden.com. We will try to book a sign language interpreter for exactly this event.
Subtitles
Some short films in the cinema tent have subtitles. Unfortunately, we can only tell you exactly which films are subtitled shortly beforehand, once we have the films.
For questions and suggestions regarding accessibility and inclusion at NORDEN, please contact Philine at pb@hejnorden.com.
Info booth and inclusion team
You can always contact our team at the info booth at the entrance of the festival area as soon as you have questions or need support. Our team is trained and can help you in different situations. Additionally, Philine, our accessibility and inclusion officer, can be reached by phone and WhatsApp at any time on +49 (0) 176 800 24 94 13. Philine also speaks German sign language.
Arrival
You have several possibilities to arrive barrier-free to the NORDEN Festival.
The regional trains of our partner NAH.SH are equipped with ramps and the train station in Schleswig is also barrier-free. From here you have the possibility to take a cab or to drive to the festival area on your own. The 2.5 km long path along the beautiful Baltic Sea fjord Schlei is also accessible for wheelchairs, although there is a slight downhill shortly after the station.
If you arrive by car, there are handicapped parking spaces directly at the festival area as well as in the nearby parking garage.
Barrier-free access to the festival area
The entire festival area is almost completely barrier-free and accessible for people in wheelchairs. There are ramps in the entrance area to overcome thresholds and the individual cultural venues can also be reached via ramps. Only the garden stage is located on a slope. Here other people can help you to stand directly in front of the stage or you can watch from the side - there you have a great view of the water at the same time.
If the lawn is too soft for wheelchair access due to heavy rainfall, we will try to lay out asap paving slabs to allow you access to the Cultural Tent, Atrium and Manege in the Park.
Barrier-free toilet
There is a barrier-free toilet on the festival grounds. This is integrated in the Luisenbad (blockhouse between the beach and the Königswiese) and can be reached via a ramp.
Mobile induction loop
In the culture tent and in the cinema we have installed a mobile induction loop. You can borrow a receiver from the information desk so that you can follow the readings and other events more easily. Our team can help you with the mobile induction loops and answer your questions.
German Sign Language
We are currently planning for 2025 and will soon be showing you here which events we can have accompanied in German Sign Language.
If you are particularly interested in an event, please send a message to Philine at +49 (0) 176 800 24 94 13 or to pb@hejnorden.com. We will try to book a sign language interpreter for exactly this event.
Subtitles
Some short films in the cinema tent have subtitles. Unfortunately, we can only tell you exactly which films are subtitled shortly beforehand, once we have the films.
For questions and suggestions regarding accessibility and inclusion at NORDEN, please contact Philine at pb@hejnorden.com.
Sponsored by the Rotary Club Schleswig-Gottorf and Aktion Mensch.
» SAFETY
In consultation with the relevant authorities, we have drawn up a security concept to ensure the best possible safety for our visitors, artists and staff.
This includes an elaborated hygiene concept for maximum protection against infection, a trained security team consisting of security guards and paramedics, as well as an escape route plan with 4 emergency exits. Furthermore, we maximize our number of visitors, with exact adjustment on the festival area.
» AWARENESS
Have you experienced inappropriate behavior or a distressing experience, do you feel discriminated against or uncomfortable, and need support?
We want our festival to be a safe place for everyone. That's why we have the Awareness Team for all visitors. All NORDEN Festival staff, security personnel, and bar staff can be approached if you observe or experience inappropriate, transgressive, and/or discriminatory behavior. You can also discreetly use the code word “WHERE IS HELSINKI?”. All affected persons will then be referred to the Awareness Team. The Awareness Team can also be reached by phone at +49 (0) 176 802 494 13. Please get in touch, regardless of whether you only observed the incident or were personally affected!
- Individual boundaries are respected: No always means no! And even more importantly: Only yes means yes!
- The person affected always determines where an assault begins and has the right to decide how to proceed after the incident.
- The perception of the person affected is not questioned – solidarity comes first.
LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER AND FOR YOURSELF!
» KIDS & TEENS
Children and adolescents under 16 years of age may enter the festival grounds of NORDEN - The Nordic Arts Festival without the accompaniment of a parent or legal guardian only with written permission and a copy of an ID from a parent or legal guardian.
» PETS
Assistance dogs are excluded from this regulation.
At the NORDEN - The Nordic Arts Festival it can get quite crowded and noisy, so we recommend that you do not bring your four-legged friends to the event. However, if there is no other way, it is compulsory to keep them on a leash. We reserve the right to issue a general ban in the event of excessive crowds and problems relating to safety and contamination.
Assistance dogs are excluded from this regulation.
» FOOD & DRINKS
We offer a wide variety of food options at several stands. Here we pay attention to a regional and sustainable offer as possible, there is a variety of vegan and vegetarian dishes.
We offer drinks at several bars. There is a large selection of non-alcoholic beverages and also alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine and cocktails. Here, too, we make sure that the range of drinks is as sustainable as possible.
Bringing food and drinks is prohibited! Exceptions: Drinking bottle to fill at our water stations, baby food.
We offer drinks at several bars. There is a large selection of non-alcoholic beverages and also alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine and cocktails. Here, too, we make sure that the range of drinks is as sustainable as possible.
Bringing food and drinks is prohibited! Exceptions: Drinking bottle to fill at our water stations, baby food.
» REUSABLE TABLEWARE AND DEPOSIT CUPS
All meals available with us are served on rescued porcelain tableware. After consumption, we collect the used plates and cutlery to clean it at our Spülbar. It then goes back into the cycle.
Our drinks are all served in reusable deposit cups. After they are returned, we rinse them as well to avoid excessive waste production.
» PAYMENT
You can pay in cash or by card at our ticket office, merchandise stand and beverage stands. Almost all food stands only accept cash. There is an ATM located 5 minutes from the festival ground.
» WASTE
On the festival site, we separate our waste with different labeled garbage cans. We separate between packaging waste, residual waste and cardboard and paper. We rely on the ecological understanding of our visitors and therefore ask them to implement the waste separation system.
With our partner of the waste management Schleswig-Flensburg the waste is disposed properly.
» SANITARY
There are sanitary facilities on the whole festival area. Of course, our sanitary facilities are signposted, but you can also take a look at our site plan and find the exact location of the toilets there. A barrier-free toilet can be reached via a ramp in the Luisenbad.
The sanitary facilities are cleaned by our staff at regular intervals.
» LOST & FOUND
Lost and found items can be handed in and collected at the cash desk in front of the festival area. If you notice later that you have lost something, please contact us at
info@norden-festival.com.
» FILM & PHOTO
Cameras and digital cameras are permitted on the festival grounds for private use. Video and sound recordings are prohibited. Professional photo and video equipment may only be carried with an appropriate accreditation.
» WORKSHOPS
There are a variety of workshops at the NORDEN - you can do arts and crafts, try things out and make music: There are no limits to the workshops on offer in the studio and workshop.
Some workshops may incur costs for consumables.
» BATHING SPOTS
Our festival area also includes a larger bathing area on the Schlei. During our opening hours this is supervised by trained DLRG staff.
» NORDEN FREUNDESKREIS E.V.
The NORDEN Freundeskreis e. V. has set itself the goal of promoting current artists and cultural workers from the region and Northern Europe. The association facilitates an exciting cultural program.
Special readings, theater and film performances, art exhibitions and musical events are only made possible by the financial commitment of the Freundeskreis. Members enjoy a number of benefits, such as discounts on the coveted EarlyBird tickets and on selected merchandising items.
VOLUNTEERS
The NORDEN Freundeskreis e. V. is looking for you to join the NORDEN festival team. Have you always wanted to work at a festival and find out what goes on behind the scenes? Who pulls which stunts? How do the internal processes work to run a festival successfully and safely? How do the artists even get to the festival site? Take your chance now and support us as a volunteer at NORDEN 2025!
» BLOCKING TIMES KÖNIGSWIESEN
During opening hours and overnight, the festival grounds are closed to the public.
CLOSING TIMES are as follows from August 28 to September 8, 2025:
Thursday 4 p.m. to Friday 10 a.m.
Friday 4 p.m. to Saturday 10 a.m.
Saturday 1 p.m. to Sunday 10 a.m.
Sunday 1 p.m. to Monday 10 a.m.
CLOSING TIMES are as follows from August 28 to September 8, 2025:
Thursday 4 p.m. to Friday 10 a.m.
Friday 4 p.m. to Saturday 10 a.m.
Saturday 1 p.m. to Sunday 10 a.m.
Sunday 1 p.m. to Monday 10 a.m.
