Disclaimer: Fluid Festival 2023 postponed to summer 2024
Dear Fluid friends and supporters, unfortunately we have to postpone this year's edition of the Fluid Festival by one year. We already know this feeling, and we will try to explain the reasons:
Despite your enormous help, we have not found a suitable site that meets our requirements and / or is available. However, this does not mean that we have stopped the search - on the contrary: we would like to find a site as soon as possible that is suitable for 2024 and further years and that can become firmly established. We would also like to use the time to set up alternative formats like events, exhibitions and workshops for this year, prepare the festival year 2024 and develop further as an organisation.
We explicitly thank you for your trust, your support and the moments created so far! We are confident that we will be able to share positive news in autumn and ask for your patience and continued support. If you have any further ideas - please do not hesitate to contact us!
Intention
With Fluid Festival we want to create a meeting space for subculture. A space where dance enthusiasts and progressive electronic dance music lovers can come together to experience a carefully selected line-up of DJs, live acts and artists. Organic rhythm selections, the finest house, technoid ecstasy and moving art installations are the focus this weekend. Our goal is to create a place that breaks with social conventions and provides a space where everyone can feel comfortable.
Our Space
Spaces are fluid, which means they are moving. Everything that happens in spaces is carried on in and to the minds and hearts of other spaces. Energies are charged, passed on and shared.
A space can be created between two or more people: online, through walls, through communities - your actions are always essential. Space can be real or fictional, open or closed. Space can create a feeling of comfort and safety. It can be yours or someone elses. You yourself can be a guest or a listener, actively or passively helping to shape the space.
We, the Fluid Festival, want to create room for people and their communities to feel safer, to come to peace and to simply be. We know that we cannot design every space. However, we can make space available for others, in the sense of powersharing, even without entering it.
Our Space wants to create space for you, and is meant to stand for change and process, for being and for feeling safer - in a society where marginalised groups receive and occupy little space(s). Thus, spaces of encounter and exchange are to be created at the Fluid Festival, by collectives of the communities for the communities.
As a host of a FLINTA+ and/or BI_POC collective, you can design a programme of your choice for your Our Space. At the same time, defining a space also means setting boundaries that should be respected and not crossed. You can decide who will build and fill this space with you.
We, the Fluid Team, try to sensitize and educate ourselves, to reflect on our own voids in order to support all spaces, all people, in their being and identity.
Awareness
This text addresses intersectional discrimination and structural violence. Therefore, while reading, pay attention to your physical and mental well-being, take breaks and take the time you need.
We have worked with the concepts of Safe the Dance, rundum Club, awarenetz, Reclaim Club Culture and many other collectives and are grateful for an open exchange.
Together with people who have accumulated knowledge of awareness and anti-discrimination in theory and/or speak from personal experience as affected persons, we are working on a concept that aims to make the Fluid Festival as protected and discrimination-free as possible and to create safer/braver spaces.
In our understanding awareness is being attentive to situations where a person's boundaries and sense of safety are crossed. Our awareness work is built on the consciousness, that space is constructed by the people in it. Every person shall get and enhance the possibility to meet and interact with respect so that everybody feels as safe as possible.
We want to be attentive and sensitive to individual boundaries and needs. It is about supporting each other and creating a place, where people are aware of their different positions and privileges in the white, hetero-dominated society. For this reason, we want to act anti-racist and will not tolerate discriminatory and/or encroaching behavior. The transgression of a boundary sis always defined by the people affected. We would like to be there for them as contact persons and offer a protected space to rest.
Any homophobic, transphobic, anti non-binary or misogynistic act or statement will result in expulsion from the (festival) site. We are against any form of discrimination and racism at our festival. We speak up against: Anti-Black racism, Jewhate/ Jewphobia, Anti-Muslim racism, Anti-Romnja and Sintizze racism, Anti-Asian racism, Slavism, Cissexism, Ableism, Ageism, Adultism, Lookism and Colorism. Discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender construction, race, nationality, socio-economic living conditions, and religion.
If you don't feel comfortable or safe, or if you notice an inappropriate situation at the festival, you can confide in all visible team members of the festival (awareness team, bar team, toilet team, psycare team, security, paramedics and all persons wearing a crew shirt).
We always act according to the principle of the power of definition. We believe you, we are always there for you and you never have to sort it out on your own. If you have a concern, you'd like to share with us before the festival’s beginning so that we can make our festival a place where you feel as safe and comfortable as possible, feel free to email us at awareness@fluidfestival.de. Our approach to awareness is always changing, as the language we choose is always linked to social discourses. If a community or person is excluded or discriminated against by the current state of language in this text, please feel free to bring it to our attention. It's great if you share your thoughts with us, we love to learn and are in constant process!
Here you can read our complete awareness concept and our awareness work for Fluid events.
The development of an awareness concept and Code of Conduct means a lot of work, reflection and critical engagement with power dynamics and structural discrimination in our society. For this reason, we would like to see our Awareness Concept and/or Code of Conducts being actively discussed and visibly referenced at the Fluid Festival when it is reused.
Code of Conduct
We would like to set up a code of conduct on how we interact and communicate with each other at Fluid Festival. Please take these guidelines seriously and follow them so that together we can create a space that is as non-discriminatory and non-judgmental as possible. A mindful and respectful interaction is important to us so that everyone can feel comfortable at Fluid Festival.
Respect individual boundaries: Only yes means yes! No always means no! Act according to the consent principle.
The definition power always belongs to the affected person. The person affected defines for themselves when and what form of violence or discrimination they have experienced. This definition is taken seriously and for real and is not questioned.
The practice or threat of psychological and physical violence is never permitted.
Forms of discrimination, cissexism or racism are not tolerated.
Outward appearance says nothing about a person's gender identity. So always ask about pronouns.
Physical freedom means a kind of empowerment for many, for others it is not possible to enjoy this privilege in the heteronormative, sexist society. Therefore, the open showing of nipples is not tolerated on this festival site. This excludes the pool area and the camping site.
Any form of cultural appropriation is not welcomed. Do not adopt or copy elements of a culture (clothing, hairstyles, make-up, jewellery, symbols, etc.) that are not your own.
Filming and photography (on) the dance floor is not allowed. Elsewhere, do not take photos or make films of people you do not know without asking for permission first.
The open consumption of illegal drugs is prohibited on the entire festival site.
Lack of acknowledgement for any assaultive or discriminatory behaviour will result in exclusion from this event.
Here you can find our Code of Conduct and our glossary.
In these two glossaries you can find definitions of the terms used above:
Neue Deutsche Medienmacher*innen e.V.
Sustainability
Sustainability and festivals: a paradox? Perhaps. For us, sustainability is a constant process and not a target state.
We strive to continually explore and implement options that will make Fluid Festival a more socially and environmentally sustainable place. For us, sustainability means future viability based on conscious thought and action. As organizers, we want to take responsibility for the impact of our activities on environment and society. Social aspects such as awareness and accessibility are just as important to us as the integration into local economic cycles and the lowest possible ecological impact. These include the impacts on the festival site and the surrounding natural environment, but also the impacts on the climate. To keep an eye on these, we calculate the carbon footprint of our event and develop appropriate climate protection measures. We also see culture as a driver for sustainable development: we need societal change that is culturally accompanied. As part of the event sector, we want to live, share and promote creativity, balance and cooperation together with a network of different stakeholders.
If you have specific ideas or suggestions, we would be happy to receive your feedback.
Art
In addition to the musical program, the Fluid Festival offers an exhibition on the theme of fluid spaces/borders/identities that can be freely walked through and experienced. Artists show their projects and works at various locations on the grounds. What is special about this is that all works are integrated into the scenery of the festival. In this way, visitors can enter into a dialogue with nature and the grounds through art, and experience and discover them.
How do art, culture and nature come together?
In addition to a tour in the form of a scavenger hunt on Friday, a round of talks with the artists is also planned for Sunday. We would like to discuss their work as artists and the question of how art, culture and nature come together and what different perspectives the artists take in their works. Together with you we would like to observe and explore the relationships between people, space, culture and art.
Food & Beverages
In addition to music, art and culture, the festival naturally also includes a culinary dimension. Sustainability is also important to us when it comes to food and drink. We focus on regional and sustainability-oriented offerings. We also try to use only disposable tableware made from sustainable materials and, where possible, introduce a deposit system. The culinary selection is exclusively vegetarian and vegan.
For the thirst in between, we cooperate primarily with social enterprises, such as DÜSEN and LEMONAID. This means that with every beer purchased, an amount is donated to selected projects. Of course, there will not only be beer; there will be something for all tastes, from soda to sparkling wine to non-alcoholic beer. Since we are also financially dependent on the sale of drinks, we are happy about every drink purchased.
We depend on your help when it comes to sustainability
Please question your own actions at the festival and kindly point out environmentally harmful behavior to your fellow human beings. Only together we can make the Fluid Festival as sustainable as possible. By sustainability we do not only mean the ecological aspects, but also social justice. That's why we have set up donation opportunities on the festival grounds. Speaking of donations: Since we cooperate with social enterprises like DÜSEN and LEMONAID, you also donate an amount to selected projects with every drink you buy.
Corona
At this point in time, we firmly assume that the festival can take place despite COVID-19 and are in close exchange with the responsible authorities and organizers who have already held festivals of this size in 2020 and 2021. At the same time, we are working on an appropriate safety and hygiene concept.
We are aware of the residual risk, but still find it important to give hope and perspective to the art and culture industry – therefore we are planning further. If the festival cannot take place due to the pandemic, the ticket will remain valid for an alternative date or you will be refunded the ticket price minus the fees. If the cancellation of the festival becomes concrete, we will provide you with all information.
FAQs
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