Impulse Festival for Performance, Theatre & Dance 2026

For 35 years the IMPULSE FESTIVAL for Performance, Theatre & Dance, organised by the NRW KULTURsekretariat, has been the most important festival in the independent theatre scene in German-speaking countries. The festival presents outstanding productions from the previous season and IMPULSE has regularly introduced internationally renowned theatre greats to a wide audience. The IMPULSE FESTIVAL thus imparts a national and international visibility to the unique aesthetics of the independent performance, theatre and dance scene and consequently is an important factor in the constant renewal of theatrical aesthetics.

The focus of the festival is being steered into new directions under artistic director Franziska Werner. Kicking off in 2025, each festival city (Mülheim an der Ruhr, Cologne and Düsseldorf) will show selections from the three programmes: Showcase, Post-West and Impulse meets… in a weekly rotation over three consecutive weeks. In 2026, Bochum will join as the fourth venue city. The core of the programme continues to be the Showcase, which invites guest performances and co-productions from German-speaking countries. The Post-West focus is on promoting dialogue between eastern and western German artists and highlighting shared, as well as diverging, experiences of transformation – in this way the focus is broadened to include Eastern Europe and explore shared ideas for the future. At Impulse meets… the independent scene in NRW together with the co-organising venues Ringlokschuppen Ruhr, FFT Düsseldorf, studiobühneköln and Prinz Regent Theater Bochum, invites visitors to network with a focus on specific themes.

As well as attending the festival in Düsseldorf, the event trip offers opportunities for in-depth discussions with the festival director and the curatorial team from IMPULSE. Also planned are meetings with participating artists, companies and co-organising theatres. The programme is further complemented by visits to theatres and artists from the independent scene in NRW.