Rooftop Day celebrates its premiere – culture between the sky and the skyline
For the first time, Frankfurt is hosting a city-wide event at lofty heights – on 23 August, rooftop terraces, bars and museums will open their upper floors for a new urban experience format.
The skyline of the Main metropolis is considered unique in Germany. Now, for the first time, it will become a stage in its own right: on Saturday, 23 August, Frankfurt will celebrate the premiere of "Rooftop Day". The new event format brings culture, gastronomy and encounters to the highest floors of the city – between the sky and the skyscrapers, between everyday space and vantage points.
The initiators of the biennial format are the city's urban marketing department and Tourismus+Congress GmbH Frankfurt (TCF). The aim is not only to honour the city's architectural uniqueness, but also to bring it to life. Around 20 venues have already confirmed their participation, including rooftop bars, hotels and cultural institutions. Further hosts are being sought. "It is the first format to focus on Frankfurt's skyline," said Stephanie Wüst, City Councillor for Economic Affairs, at the press conference, which was symbolically held at the GAIA rooftop bar – with a view of the skyscrapers surrounding the banking district. "We want to create new perspectives on the city – both literally and figuratively."
A city experience on several levels
From 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., participating hosts will open their upper floors to the public and offer their own programmes. Private roof terraces are not planned for the launch, but the participation of institutions, associations and professional event organisers is expressly desired. The offerings range from live music and poetry slams to themed culinary parties.
"Each location designs its own programme and contributes its own ideas," says Eduard M. Singer, head of the city marketing department. "This creates a diverse, open city event above the rooftops of Frankfurt." The motto: Right at the top. Right at home.
In addition to the joint date, all programme items are bundled on a central platform: rooftopday.de. The website will remain active throughout the year, accompanied by a cross-media advertising campaign aimed at visitors from across the Rhine-Main region. "It's about reach, but also about identification," emphasises Singer. "The skyline is pure Frankfurt – and Rooftop Day can only take place here."
Culture on old roofs
Museums and cultural institutions are also getting involved. Doreen Mölders, director of the Frankfurt Historical Museum, announced that two special locations will be open to the public for the first time: the so-called "Belvederchen" on the 16th-century Haus zur Goldenen Waage and the roof truss of the medieval Rententurm with a view over the Main River. "We want to show that historic roofs also tell stories," said Mölders. Other hosts include The Blasky Hotel Ampersand Rooftop, which says it is planning a varied cultural programme. General Manager Tim Döhring speaks of a "highlight with perspective" that perfectly matches the identity of the hotel. Max Coga from the GAIA rooftop bar also sees Rooftop Day as an event with symbolic significance: "Frankfurt is international, open, urban – and our skyline is a symbol of that. Now it is becoming part of cultural life."
A new chapter in the city experience
The organisers are hoping for a large turnout and a successful launch. "Rooftop Day is set to become a fixture in the events calendar," says Thomas Feda, Managing Director of TCF. "We have architecture in Frankfurt that is second to none. Many people are familiar with it – but not from this perspective."
On 23 August, they can change that – at an evening event that not only shows Frankfurt from above, but also from a new perspective.
