Dresden (dpa/sn) - Hundreds of people turned Dresden's Augustus Bridge into a happy banquet over the Elbe on Monday. At the sixth "Dresden is (s) colorful" banquet, 240 beautifully decorated tables set with dishes from all over the world lined the 340 meters from the old to the new town banks, where people ate and drank, painted and did handicrafts, chatted and discussed. In between, bands and small chamber ensembles played, tango was danced and sung.
With 113 cultural partners and 76 sponsors, more actors than ever before took part in the event: museums and theatres, educational and social institutions, clubs, religious communities, scientific institutes, city and state as well as companies. Dresden is sending a sign of diversity, togetherness and community into the world. "The banquet brings people together who get to know each other, get into conversation with each other, and it doesn't matter where you come from, what language you speak, you should be interested in the other person," said co-initiator Gerhard Ehninger from the responsible Cellex.
Mayors of the state capital and ministers also sampled the delicacies from all over the world that hosts or guests had brought with them. "The long table is a strong signal for cohesion and togetherness in our society," said Minister of Culture Barbara Klepsch (CDU), who was the host herself. "A wonderful idea." The special banquet was held for the first time in 2015 to counter Pegida's loud protests with the rather quiet coexistence - and has now become a tradition.
