Hello NRW! re:publica visits the New Fall Festival in Düsseldorf

Pop culture and the digital society. Live music, exchange and participation. A music festival in North Rhine-Westphalia with a re:publica programme: it's a perfect match! That's why this year, we're a guest at the New Fall Festival in Düsseldorf for the first time. Together, we're creating a new platform to give the most important debates of our time a stage and anchor them in the heart of society.

On October 31 and November 1 2025, we will transform the NRW Forum into a venue for debates, readings, live podcasts and interactive formats. The two-day programme will focus on the big questions of our digital present: How is AI changing our everyday lives, our relationships and research? Which spaces does democracy need on the internet? And what stories give us courage for the future – especially in times of crisis?

With exciting speakers from politics, science, culture and the media, re:publica opens up spaces for exchange, discussion and critical reflection as part of the New Fall Festival, showing how closely social issues and digital developments are intertwined today. The audience can look forward to a diverse programme that not only informs and inspires, but also invites participation, in keeping with the spirit of re:publica: open, critical, participatory and full of optimistic ideas for the future.

These are the speakers:

• Fabian Grischkat and Baro Vicenta Ra Gabbert present their new book “Keine Zukunft ist auch keine Lösung” (No Future Is Not a Solution Either), which deals with climate, crises and hope
• Markus Beckedahl (re:publica) and Thomas Jarzombek (State Secretary in the Ministry of Digital Affairs) meet to discuss digital sovereignty
• Frauke Fischer (biodiversity expert) asks in her presentation on her new book: Can AI save nature?
• Dirk von Gehlen (head of the SZ Institute think tank at Süddeutsche Zeitung), who advocates an optimistic understanding of AI as a tool, highlights the impact it has on our attention
• A conversation between Mona Neubaur (Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia) and Andreas Gebhard (managing director of re:publica) will focus on the role of North Rhine-Westphalia between economic transformation, climate protection and the digital future
• Charlotte Lohmann (Amadeu Antonio Foundation) sheds light on right-wing extremist music strategies on social platforms
• Markus Beckedahl (co-founder & curatorial director of re:publica, Centre for Digital Rights & Democracy), Nathanael Liminski (Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia for Federal, European, International Affairs and Media), Martin Andree (University of Cologne), Josephine B. Schmitt (CAIS Bochum) and Eda Öztürk (Neue deutsche Medienmacher*innen) discuss the problems surrounding Big Tech and how we can strengthen democratic spaces online. Nora Hespers (author, journalist & podcaster) moderates the panel discussion
• Leonie Plaar talks about her book “Meine Familie, die AfD und ich” (My Family, the AfD and Me) and her very personal experiences with it
• 1LIVE journalists Dennis Horn and Lea Kropff discuss how to get young people interested in political issues despite their news fatigue
• The podcast Browser History (Magdalena Pulz and Dennis Kogel) takes the audience on a journey through Reddit and focuses on the moral-philosophical subreddit “Am I the Asshole?” in a live podcast recording
• Journalist, digital consultant and podcaster Gavin Karlmeier gets the audience guessing with a quiz format on the topic of the internet and social media
• The ‘Memo Market – Supermarket of Digital Memories’ by mxr Studios in Gelsenkirchen is a VR experience in which visitors can immerse themselves in other people's authentic memories, gaining new perspectives and mutual understanding

• In her book Billige Plätze (Cheap Seats), Rike van Kleef addresses gender, power and discrimination in the music industry and will be discussing this topic on stage at re:publica x New Fall Festival

… and many more.

As part of the New Fall Festival the re:publica programme is free of charge.

We have a date in Düsseldorf! We are very excited – come and join us!