From 30 July to 3 August 2025, the TREES Festival transformed the riverside of Frankfurt am Main into a vibrant space where art, ecology, and civic engagement met. Organised by Protagon e.V. as part of the international theatre festival Sommerwerft, TREES was a five-day artistic intervention dedicated to raising environmental awareness through performing arts.
Set in the public space of Weseler Werft, directly along the River Main, the festival was freely accessible and open to passers-by, festival visitors, families, and local communities. Performances, workshops, talks, installations, and a cinema night unfolded across multiple outdoor venues — and, in one case, in a nearby forest — inviting audiences to experience the urgent topic of climate protection in an immediate and emotional way.
Art, Trees, and Collective Responsibility
The programme featured seven international performances by theatre groups from Germany, Greece, Serbia, Norway, Ireland, Spain, and the Netherlands. Highlights included site-specific theatre, dance performances, performative walks, and rituals that gave voice to trees as silent witnesses of human history and climate change. Performances such as Dancing Trees, Among Trees, Breathing Earth, and OXYGEN drew audiences ranging from 100 to over 2,500 people per event.
Participation, Dialogue, and Learning
Beyond performances, the TREES Festival placed strong emphasis on participation and exchange. The programme included:
- Four workshops for children, young people, and adults, connecting body, movement, imagination, and ecological awareness
- Three public talks, bringing together artists, environmental organisations, and activists
- A collective art installation inviting children and families to co-create a growing “tree” from natural and recycled materials
- A cinema night presenting films that explore human relationships with land, forests, and nature
Local environmental organisations played a key role. In collaboration with BUND Hessen and the grassroots initiative Sundays for Fecher, artistic work was directly connected to real environmental struggles, including forest protection in the Frankfurt region. Activists participated in performances, discussions, and information stands, turning the festival into a platform for concrete civic engagement.
Impact and Reach
Over the five days, an estimated 8,250 people took part directly in TREES Festival events, while the wider Sommerwerft reached around 100,000 visitors. Feedback from audiences, artists, and partners highlighted the emotional power of theatre to communicate complex environmental issues and to inspire reflection, dialogue, and action.
By embedding the TREES Festival within Sommerwerft, the project successfully connected high-quality international artistic work with a broad, diverse audience, reinforcing the idea that art in public space can be a powerful driver for environmental awareness and social change.
The TREES Festival in Frankfurt demonstrated that we cannot own trees — but we can belong to them, and they to us.