Open meeting places and prevention programs for young people
During the Schlossgrabenfest, the youth pavilions of the Darmstadt children's and youth work as well as the prevention project "Rauschzeit" offer open meeting spaces for young people from May 21 to 24, 2026.
Meeting points on the festival grounds
The programs are aimed at young people and young adults between the ages of 12 and 27. The youth pavilions are located on Ernst-Ludwigs-Platz opposite the White Tower, on Luisenplatz, and in the Herrngarten.
Mayor Barbara Akdeniz emphasizes that the activities promote social participation and create low-threshold access to youth work.
Creative activities and workshops
The youth pavilion on Ernst-Ludwigs-Platz is open daily from 3:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Among other things, it offers table football, darts, cornhole, and free water, fruit, and smoothies.
In addition, workshops and hands-on activities are offered, including:
- Rap workshop with Darmstadt rapper Cardo
- Graffiti workshop in the Herrngarten
- Canvas painting with the artist Askin
- Media education activities
- Water distribution campaigns on the festival grounds
Free tickets for the castle moat festival will also be distributed.
The prevention project "Rauschzeit" provides information about risks
A key component remains the prevention program “Rauschzeit” (Intoxication Time) offered by the addiction prevention unit of ROPE eV.
The mobile team provides information about substances, risks, youth protection, and safer use measures. At the same time, alternative experiences without substance use are highlighted, for example through quizzes, sensory trails, or experiential learning activities.
Youth plenary participates
The Darmstadt Youth Forum is also participating. From Thursday to Saturday, between 5 pm and 8 pm, young people can talk to members of the Youth Forum and find out about projects and opportunities for participation.
The overall project is organized by the Mobile Youth Work of Werkhof eV together with the specialist addiction prevention office of ROPE eV and numerous other partners.
(DARMSTADT – RED/PSD/stip)
