The imagine-Festival 2023 will be remembered: With a drag show, a course for the disabled, a high proportion of women and DJs in wheelchairs, the event stood for diversity and variety on stage.
On the weekend of June 9/10, 2023, it wasn’t just the weather that played along: in midsummer temperatures, around 28,000 visitors once again came to the Imagine Festival on Barfüsserplatz and the Klosterhof in Basel. It opened on Friday evening with a celebratory aperitif and speeches by former imagine employee and Basel Grand Councillor Fina Girard (Young Green Alliance Basel, member of the Basel-Stadt Grand Council since February 2023) and Cantonal Councillor Esther Keller, Head of the Department of Construction and Transport (GLP). Dr. Brigitta Gerber, President of the Board of Directors, and Franziska Lauper, Managing Director, addressed the guests at terre des hommes schweiz. They opened the imagine festival– this year’s theme was head drawers. In addition, various stands with vegetarian food from all over the world provided culinary highlights. Thousands of mainly young visitors were attracted by the bands and artists who performed on the large stage on Barfüsserplatz and in the Klosterhof with a varied music and awareness-raising program.
“We are taking a stand”
Performers on the big stage included Ukrainian rapper Alyona Alyona, Cablesalad, Wa22ermann and Weval. Lois Stettler and Kay Wieoimmer put on a spoken word show and Uche Yara also created a great atmosphere. DJ Headache played in the monastery courtyard and the Niemandsland theater dedicated itself to the topic of “culture + diversity”. A special highlight on Saturday evening was the drag show and presentation by and with Milky Diamond, Odette Hella’Grand, Victoria Shakesspears, Jeff van Phil and Dita Whip. Luciano Gagliardi from terre des hommes schweiz says: “While the debate about a ban on public drag shows is raging in Germany and Austria, imagine is bringing drag to the big Barfi stage at prime time. That’s what imagine stands for: we take a stand on current forms of diversity restriction.”
Against discrimination
Once again this year, it became clear that imagine is much more than just a festival. The event by young people for young people has been sending a clear signal for diversity and against discrimination with its concerts and workshops for more than 20 years. In 2023, almost 100 young volunteers were involved in getting the festival off the ground. imagine is the self-organized youth project of terre des hommes schweiz, which has been making an important contribution to a fairer and more peaceful world with various events for more than 20 years.
