Summer Festival by Roter Stern Köln e. V.
Once a year, Roter Stern Köln e. V. invites everyone to a solidarity summer festival in the spacious courtyard of the Allerweltshaus Cologne, because sport and culture bring people together! That’s why we work to build relationships of solidarity with other actors and organisations. We always think from the perspective of the neighbourhood (because in Cologne, we stick together). We believe that the world can and must change and become a friendlier, more beautiful and, above all, more supportive place.
As a sports and cultural association, we want to contribute to this and at the same time defend our city – against attempts by right-wing extremists to take over space. In a city where sport and culture are becoming increasingly non-committal, anonymous and, above all, expensive, we want to create an alternative. Our club thrives on the fact that we shape it. We organise the activities we want to do, from knitting groups and games evenings to competitive league teams and rehabilitation sports. We get together at parties, enjoy good food and hold tournaments to raise money for charity.
The varied programme attracted around 500 people to the courtyard of the Allerweltshaus in Cologne’s Ehrenfeld district throughout the day: face painting, bracelet making, stands run by various local political groups and cultural associations, a stage with great bands and, of course, delicious drinks and good food. Whether it was a small workshop run by the local cultural association, simply strolling around and taking in the many impressions, romping around on the playground equipment and climbing frames, chatting with familiar and unfamiliar people from the neighbourhood, sinking into the groovy beats in front of the stage or simply lingering in the beautiful courtyard – there was something for just about everyone.
Collective regional-ecological catering at the summer party
Our values also shape our catering: regional, mainly vegan and affordable for everyone. We have decided to offer mainly vegan products and dishes because it makes sense: it is ethical towards animals, reduces greenhouse gases and makes more efficient use of food – around 70–80% of the global soy harvest is used as animal feed. If these plants were used directly for human consumption, more people could be fed. In addition, working conditions in the meat and dairy industry are often precarious, especially in slaughterhouses. Only a departure from this industry can pave the way for fairer working models.
Our values also shape our catering: regional, predominantly vegan and affordable for everyone. We have decided to offer predominantly vegan products and dishes because it makes sense: it is ethical towards animals, reduces greenhouse gases and uses food more efficiently – around 70–80% of the global soy harvest is used as animal feed. If these plants were used directly for human consumption, more people could be fed. In addition, working conditions in the meat and dairy industry are often precarious, especially in slaughterhouses. Only a shift away from this industry can pave the way for fairer working models.
Given the ecological and social conditions, it goes without saying that we organise the catering for a festival as a collective and ensure that it is socially and ecologically sustainable and affordable for everyone – Care! In the run-up to the festival, a planning group was therefore formed – the Küfa-AG (‘Küche für alle’ or ‘Kitchen for All’). Unfortunately, all this cannot be achieved free of charge. Thanks to the financial support of Care for Future, we were able to offer festival guests delicious Küfa food free of charge or on a donation basis. The food was delicious and the festival was a great success, not least because of this! We are already looking forward to the next festival.