Wine and cultural enjoyment at the Radebeul Wine Autumn

Around 38,000 visitors celebrated the interplay of wine, theatre and music in Radebeul at the weekend in beautiful late summer weather and a cheerful atmosphere. The decentralised, small-scale event format, which spanned Altkötzschenbroda and the vineyards, was successfully implemented despite a few compromises. The cultural office had deliberately decided against a large-scale event with 3G regulations in order to enable all interested visitors to enjoy the festival experience. The four event islands were already well attended on Friday evening. In between, festival-goers took a relaxed stroll along the village green and took advantage of the numerous offers from local restaurateurs and tradespeople.

Despite the reduced programme and the discontinuation of the travelling theatre festival and the associated awarding of an audience prize, this year's productions and performances by international artists were well received. The limited seats in the courtyard theatre were particularly popular. A highlight for many visitors was the Kabaret Kalashnikov from Berlin. With top-class acrobatics, quirky humour and banging beats, the variety show amazed the audience and made them laugh. On Friday and Saturday evening, the Danish band Brothers Moving rocked the church square and created a rousing and exuberant atmosphere for young and old alike. Even though the grand finale was cancelled this year due to coronavirus, a ride on Georg Traber's muscle-powered theatre carousel was a traditional highlight of the wine festival. The feedback from the participating artists was also positive. With enthusiasm and energy, they expressed their gratitude for having the opportunity to perform in front of an audience in these difficult times.

The organisers' hygiene and safety concept also proved its worth. Visitors were counted by a special registration system at the entrances and exits of the event islands, so that the permitted number of visitors on the individual event islands was not exceeded. Nevertheless, the organiser regrets the longer waiting times at peak times and would like to thank visitors for their responsible and considerate behaviour on the festival grounds.

Even though there were some critical voices, visitors mainly expressed their satisfaction and gratitude. "[...] A big compliment to the organisers and all the small wineries. Everyone was super friendly and hard-working. I'll be there again next year," was one of the comments on social media. The cultural office also received a lot of positive feedback by email: Mr and Mrs Wessela from near Bautzen wrote: "We have always enjoyed coming back for many years. The flair is simply beautiful. You have a heart for culture. You have shown that not everything has to be cancelled. We found your concept unique. Why don't you pass on your experience to other municipalities?"
The organisers hope to be able to hold an autumn and wine festival in Radebeul again in 2022 without coronavirus-related restrictions.

Special thanks go to all residents, partners, artists, helpers and visitors who contributed to the success of the event through their support and responsible behaviour.
Intensive evaluation rounds will now take place with the winegrowers, tradespeople and local residents.