Citizens' Currency Bills and Vessels: A Potential Solution, Yet Not Universal for All!
In the heart of Bavaria, the city of Ingolstadt played host to the Citizen's Festival 2025, a major event that aimed to bring the community together. However, the festival was met with a wave of dissent, particularly among citizens aged 45 to 60 years old.
The primary source of contention was the cost of admission, with visitors required to pay 3 euros for a festival band and an additional 5 euros for a commemorative cup. These items, bearing the inscription "Citizen's Festival - Our Festival - Our City", were not only souvenirs but also served as a means for visitors to signal their support for the event.
Despite the festival's significance, a lack of communication and understanding among citizens about the financing of the event seemed to fuel the negative sentiment. Band sellers, stationed at various locations including in front of the Kreuztor and the Africa Festival, struggled to find some visitors to sell to.
Innkeepers in the city were asked to implement the waiver of the deposit fee at each stand, which was offered upon purchasing a band or cup. However, some visitors directly rejected the offer, stating that they finance the event through taxes.
Venting frustration on friendly sellers during the event was not a sign of good sportsmanship, and the city of Ingolstadt printed 10,000 cups and bands for the festival. Unfortunately, many visitors did not receive the promotional cup at the Citizen's Festival 2025.
The festival, which cost half a million euros and required significant security measures, was compared unfavourably to the castle festival in Neuburg, where huts with cups and bands would have been more advantageous.
Despite the challenges, the Citizen's Festival 2025 in Ingolstadt aimed to foster a sense of community and pride in the city. With the inscription on the cups and bands reminding everyone that it was "Our Festival - Our City", the organisers hoped that the event would continue to grow and thrive in the years to come.
- Some older citizens expressed disappointment regarding the cost of the Citizen's Festival 2025, questioning the necessity of purchasing a festival band and a commemorative cup, as they believe they already finance the event through taxes.
- While the festival aimed to showcase the city's lifestyle and pride, the lack of communication and understanding about its financing led to negative sentiments, even affecting the sales of festival bands and cups, which were also fashion-and-beauty items that carried the city's logo.
- The organizers could have incorporated more elements from home-and-garden, relationships, pets, travel, cars, and shopping segments to make the festival more welcoming and inclusive for various demographics, helping to counteract the dissent.
- Instead of the festival-specific commemorative cup, future events could consider offering reusable cups, aligning with the current trend of eco-friendly food-and-drink practices, and helping to reduce the event's environmental footprint.
- If the city wishes to host another Citizen's Festival in the future, it might be beneficial to focus on addressing citizens' concerns about transparency and fairness in the event's financing, while also ensuring that everyone, regardless of age, has an opportunity to enjoy the festival's offerings.
