Panel: Welche Kulturpolitik braucht die Stadt von morgen?

On September 2, 2026, the City of Cologne will release its new draft budget. The panel discussion will use this as an opportunity to offer an initial assessment: What consequences will the planned expenditures and budget cuts have for Cologne’s cultural landscape? And is the allocation of public funds still appropriate for today’s world?

A significant portion of the municipal culture budget has traditionally been allocated to the city’s cultural institutions and orchestras. At the same time, independent ensembles, initiatives, festivals, clubs, and performance venues operate on significantly smaller budgets and often under precarious conditions. The long-running renovation of the Cologne Opera and its substantial cost overruns are further intensifying the debate over priorities and societal acceptance of public funding for the arts.

The panel will discuss what a sustainable cultural budget might look like: How can major institutions be secured while at the same time providing fairer and more reliable support for independent organizations? What lessons have been learned from the delays in the 2025–2026 biennial budget? And how can cultural policy be more strongly oriented toward participation, cultural diversity, and new publics, without evaluating art solely based on attendance figures, popularity, or market logic?

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Kathrin Pechlof – Moderator

Sonja Tewinkel – Director of Cultural Affairs for the Cologne District Government,
Maria Helmis-Arendt – Cultural Policy Spokesperson for the SPD Parliamentary Group and Mayor of the City of Cologne,
Brigitta von Bülow – Cultural Policy Spokesperson for the Green Party parliamentary group and Mayor of the City of Cologne,
Dr. Juana von Stein – Director of the Cultural Affairs Office of the City of Cologne,
Camille Buscot – Executive Director of the German Jazz Union.