Sports & Culture meets Rochdale Festival: Bewegen. Begegnen. Begeistern.

On Saturday, September 5, 2026, Freiraum Rochdale (Oldentruper Straße 65, 33604 Bielefeld) will be transformed into a venue for sports, culture, and community from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Under the motto “Move. Connect. Inspire,” the organizers invite you to the “Sports & Culture meets Rochdale Festival.”

A day full of sports, culture, and music

From 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., the action alliance behind “Wir machen Sports & Culture” will offer a wide range of hands-on activities. Beach volleyball, basketball, soccer, and a Pilates introductory class invite you to give them a try. The TSVE Bielefeld’s Urban Sports Challenge will take place in the Hangar. In addition, there will be games and physical activities for families, culinary highlights, and workshops on healthy eating, graffiti, and street art.

On the Culture Stage, dance performances, panel discussions, and presentations, among other things, will provide cultural highlights. Musically, the Rochdale Festival’s program kicks off in the afternoon at 2:00 PM. More than eight DJs will present their sets on two stages. The Rochdale Festival is organized by Leises Rauschen, a collective that has been promoting electronic music culture in Bielefeld since 2011.

Why “Sports & Culture meets Rochdale Festival”?

This cultural festival combines sports and culture with a social focus on preventing racism, promoting democracy, and fostering integration. Through accessible sports, cultural, and social activities, people from diverse backgrounds, generations, and social circumstances come into contact with one another. The goal is to break down prejudices and exclusion, strengthen mutual respect, and foster a sense of social belonging.

At the same time, the event creates spaces for dialogue and democratic coexistence. It also facilitates access to clubs, initiatives, and existing support services. In this way, the “Sports & Culture meets Rochdale Festival” makes a concrete contribution to diversity, integration, the promotion of democracy, and a discrimination-free coexistence in Bielefeld.

Strong Partners for a Strong Program

The entire cultural festival is supported by a broad coalition of organizations: Afrika Wakati e.V., AWO-Kreisverband Bielefeld e.V., Pink gegen Rassismus, DRK Bielefeld, Leises Rauschen, Johanniter Bielefeld, TSVE 1890 Bielefeld, the German-Ukrainian Society of Bielefeld, and V3 Event Network Bielefeld have jointly put together a fantastic program.

The event is funded by the City of Bielefeld through its Democracy Support Program as well as by the federal program “Integration through Sports.”

Free admission, and the program is aimed at families, young people, and adults alike.