Grand Opening

January2026

16:00

WDC 2026

Centralstation Darmstadt

Im Carree

64283 Darmstadt

Partyfree of charge

It all begins on 16 January: With the festive Grand Opening at Centralstation Darmstadt, WDC 2026 officially kicks off. We’re excited to celebrate with everyone who joins us.

Important: The Opening is fully booked and registration is closed. We expect things to ease up from 21:00 onwards for the party, so feel free to drop by then without registering. Delicious soup, snacks, and drinks will be available – of course at fair prices.

The Programme for the Grand Opening

17:00 – Entry & Warm-up

17:30 – Opening remarks by:

Carolina Romahn (CEO WDC 2026),
Boris Rhein (Minister-President of the State of Hesse),
Hanno Benz (Mayor of the science city of Darmstadt)
Andréa Springer (Acting Managing Director, World Design Organization)

18:00 – Choreography by Paula Rosolen / Haptic Hide (Excerpt from 16 Bits), Premiere of the WDC image film

18:20 – Insights into WDC inhouse productions with Kai Rosenstein (WDC) from WDC-Hub up to Open – Design Week Frankfurt RheinMain. Subsequent discussion with Kaweh Mansoori (Hessian Minister for Economic Affairs, Energy, Transport, Housing and Rural Areas, Deputy Hessian Minister-President) and Dr. Ina Hartwig (Frankfurt City Councillor, Head of Department for Culture and Science).

18:30 – Jazz improvisation by Manuel Seng

18:35 – Insights into WDC projects with Barbara Lersch (WDC) and impulses from 1. Superblock in Hessen from Wiesbaden, Main-Light about sustainable street lighting up to the cultural use of the Saalbaustraße 37 von blumen e. V. Darmstadt.

19:00 – Keynote "Can quality be democratic? Shaping spaces for the future." by Prof. Dr. Martina Löw, sociologist and current recipient of the Schader Prize.

19:20 – The official WDC song with Kinder- und Jugendchor des Staatstheaters Darmstadt.

19:30 – Soup & project trail with Amelie Persson, Demokratiedeckel e.V., making frankfurt and bb22 architekten + stadtplaner, Marvin Fuchs and Jona Heckmann, Ping Pong Park, studio gross klein and studio pari-pari as well as Über den Tellerrand Frankfurt e.V. and Die Kooperative.

21:00 – Party with DJs Sherryaeri, Ezgi and Sonia Mystik from Crémant. Cava. Booty Bounce.

Information on accessibility and getting there

All levels of the Centralstation are accessible via an elevator. Please note that the Luisenplatz stop is not barrier-free when travelling by public transport. Instead, please use the Schloss stop, which is also located very close to the Centralstation.

A sanitary facility for people with severe and multiple disabilities is located on the lower ground floor of the Centralstation. It can be reached by elevator and can be opened with a Euro key whenever the building is open (during events).

More information about accessibility More information about getting there

Credits

Artistic Director: Eleonora L. Herder
Artistic Collaboration: Nepomuck Bendukat
Lighting, Video Design: Antonio Gavita
Set Design Concept: Eugenio Szwarcer

Live Video Director: Lavinia Moroff
Videography: Benjamin Weber

Technical implementation: Centralstation, Satis&Fy

Composition, sound design: Timo Willecke

Choir: Kinder- und Jugendchor des Staatstheater Darmstadt
Choir director: Rodrigo Cob Peña

WDC 2026 song composition: Timo Willecke
WDC 2026 song lyrics: Eleonora L. Herder
Piano: Manuel Seng

Dance performance
Choreography: Paula Rosolen / Haptic Hide
Dancers: Piaera Lauritz, Kino Luque, Ted Littlemore
Composition: Nicolas Fehr, 16BIT

Cooking performance:
Organisation: Über den Tellerrand Frankfurt e.V. with Inas Qusini
Vegetables: Stadt.Land.Wirtschaft., DIE KOOPERATIVE eG

Party:
Crémant. Cava. Booty Bounce. with DJs Sherryaeri, Ezgi and Sonia Mystik

Speeches (A-Z):
Andréa Springer
Barbara Lersch
Boris Rhein
Carolina Romahn
das blumen e.V.
Dr. Ina Hartwig
Hanno Benz
Initiative Superblock im Rheingauviertel
Kai Rosenstein
Kaweh Mansoori
Prof Dr Martina Löw
Tobias Trübenbacher & Andreas Lang
Moderator: Phuong Anh Le

Project participants Hall (A-Z):
making frankfurt with bb22 architects + urban planners
Marvin Fuchs and Jona Heckmann
studio gross klein
studio pari–pari
Team Ping Pong Park: Elisabet Flascha, Laura Weigand, Marco von der Heyden

Credits for reading corner (A-Z):
Anna Scheuermann & Matthias Wagner K
Felix Kosok & WDC 2026-Team
Stadtbücherei Frankfurt

Other projects on stage / in the hall (A-Z):
Amelie Persson
Demokratiedeckel e.V.

We would like to thank the city of Darmstadt, the Darmstadt State Theatre, ENTEGA AG and Farbe des Weines for their support.