Our two cities twinned back in 1957 and this new partnership is just one of the ways we have connected over the years. The network offers both cities the opportunity to work with partners from across the musical landscape to focus on the challenges faced by our respective music scenes.
We look forward to supporting musicians, venues, events and festivals to flourish, helping local people get more involved with music and sharing the creativity of our city further afield.
Mannheim has been part of the UNESCO City of Music network since 2014. It all started with the much-acclaimed Mannheim Model, consisting of the “Pop Academy” Baden-Württemberg, the MUSIKPARK start-up centre with a focus on the music industry, the cluster support in music economy (Clusterförderung Musikwirtschaft) and by appointing a commissioner for music and pop culture.
NEXT MANNHEIM is the contact for the regional and international music industry. The team organises successful music formats such as the MANNHEIM MUSIC WEEK the young talent promotion programme “Bandsupport Mannheim” and is a partner of the Maifeld Derby festival, the Mannheim Guitar Summit, the yearly town fair and many more.
In 2018, Mannheim was the first German city to initiate the position of a Night Mayor. Amongst other things, the Night Mayor supported the implementation of the Mannheim Cultural Support Festival – a support offer and funding programme for regional organisers and artists during the Corona Pandemic. In addition, he and the Cultural Urban Development team at NEXT Mannheim are responsible for the NØK – International Night Culture Conference, which brings experts on night governance from all over the world to Mannheim to discuss current developments and best practice examples.
This year our beloved Swansea Fringe Festival – 21-24th October 2021, will welcome musicians from the city of Mannheim to share their music with the people of Swansea. More info to follow….
