Chemnitz (dpa/sn) - According to the organizers, the fifth hat festival attracted around 50,000 interested people to downtown Chemnitz at the weekend. "The people of Chemnitz accepted the festival after the pandemic, for the first time again without conditions, and were happy about the diversity of the program," said organizer and managing director of the executing C³ Chemnitzer Veranstaltungszentren GmbH, Ralf Schulze, at the end of the three-day spectacle. The changeable weather of sun, wind and rain did not detract from the good mood among visitors and artists.
From Friday to Sunday, the city center was transformed into an open-air stage for street art. 150 artists from nine countries showed their skills in more than 260 performances on several stages. These include clowning, juggling, acrobatics and stilt walking. In addition, arts and crafts and design were offered at a "market of beautiful things" as well as street food.
The name of the festival is borrowed from the saying "to take off one's hat to someone"; the hat should stand as a sign of appreciation and recognition for the respective counterpart. At the same time, visitors of the festival are invited to wear a hat. Admission is free. In the coming year, the festival will be brought forward by a week due to Pentecost and will cause a sensation and entertainment in its sixth edition from May 19th to 21st in Chemnitz.
