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FAVORITEN, the theatre, dance and performance festival of the independent scene in North Rhine-Westphalia, has been held in Dortmund since 1985. One of the oldest festivals of independent performing arts in Germany, it is aimed at people in the city and region, as well as a nationwide and international specialist audience.
For the 2026 edition of the festival, Jonas Leifert and Rika Sakalak have taken over the artistic direction.

The next FAVORITEN festival will take place in Dortmund from 1 to 11 October 2026.

This year, the artistic direction of FAVORITEN has been advertised directly for two editions. The longer-term perspective should enable a more sustainable collaboration with artists, partners and networks and support an even stronger anchoring of the festival in the city.

The next festival edition will take place from September 5-15, 2024 in Dortmund and digitally.