The 32nd PASSAGEN Festival for Design, Architecture, Urbanity and Living, the largest German design event, planned for January 18-24, 2021, has to be cancelled due to the current developments, intensifications and forecasts around the Corona pandemic.

After first the internationality of the festival was severely endangered due to the increased travel warnings and restrictions, now more generally the organization of a decentralized event program with many cultural actors throughout the entire Cologne city area – on the stage of the city – is more than endangered.

With probability bordering on certainty, a continuation or tightening of the lockdown in January is expected today, if only because of the yo-yo effect of the Christmas relaxations, but other projections also speak in favor of this. Accordingly, cultural events and festivals will remain prohibited in January 2021. For the retail sector, a complete lockdown can be expected in January at the latest.

Each and every individual and all together we have continued to develop Corona and hygiene scenarios, but no scenario is up to the current unplannability and also the danger posed by a JoJo effect with even higher incidences.

Plannability or even planning security are now no longer given, even with very flexible adaptation to current developments and state strategies, not for the exhibitors, participants and their partners, not for the festival as a whole and also not for the many visitors that the PASSAGEN usually attract.

Many beautiful projects and exhibitions, formats and partnerships have been generated, planned and organized in advance. Now we are all faced with the alternative of letting this concentrated creative effort fizzle out in an uncertain Corona event or even see it perish, or to save it in a pool for the PASSAGEN 2022 and continue to shape it or enrich and multiply it.

The decision for this second variant is now quasi compelling.Positively turned, one can say, the PASSAGEN 2022 stand alreadyin their foundations. All and everyone concerned, certainly also our large audience as well as us as the PASSAGEN team is very affected by this decision and especially me as the originator and founder of the PASSAGEN, whose history has never been interrupted in the last 32 years and which has never been endangered even in difficult times, this step to cancel the PASSAGEN 2021 is incredibly difficult – but it has to be taken.

Look forward with us to PASSAGEN 2022 from 17-23.1.2022.

Stay creative, stay confident, stay healthy.

Yours, Sabine Voggenreiter