Dear Fusionists from all countries,

In a few weeks’ time in Lärz, we can hit pause on this crazy world we live in. To help build anticipation and whet your appetite, we’ve developed a brand-new website with a countdown timer until blast off. A big thank you to our graphic designers and IT team for creating such a stylish new website.

Take some time to explore the new site and dive into the content. The archive from previous years is still there, and we've added a new page where our Fusion crews give an intro to themselves. It is a wonderfully easy place to get lost in our Fusion universe sometimes, but all those who made this exceptional situation possible at the end of June should be recognised. We would like to thank all crews for their participation, both those on- and offline.

You’ll find all the festival info on the website, answering almost all your questions—saving you from sending emails and us from replying to them. There’s a special section on getting to the festival, and we’ll link a map there soon.

Before the packing frenzy starts, here’s the lowdown on Fusion number twenty-five:

No Fake wristbands!

A decade ago, people without tickets used to climb fences. When that stopped working, they started forging tickets. Recently, it seems, it’s fake wristbands. This year, every single wristband has a chip. We’ll check these chips at all entrances, exits, gates, and pedestrian bridges. If someone tries to sell you a Fusion wristband in some sketchy spot, don’t fall for it. It’s a scam.

Digital Trash Deposit

The chip in your wristband also replaces the old trash deposit stamp. No personal data or cashless payments, just a scan to confirm you handed in your full bin bag and get your €10 back. You’ll still get a hard paper ticket to keep as a souvenir—just without the deposit tear-off.

Program and Line-up Rollout

We’re releasing our program in batches, so keep checking our site. As usual, the complete program will be in the festival guide or app once the festival kicks off.

Fusion boycott

In February, we talked about the Gaza war and the Israel-Palestine conflict in a newsletter, with a follow-up in May. Around the same time, a pro-Palestinian group called for a Fusion boycott. You can read about it on our website or forum. We won’t go into it here, but there might be last-minute changes to the program due to cancellations. Check our app and stage updates for any changes.

Election observation

On June 9, there will be European and local elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg. Elections are also scheduled in other federal states this year. As organizers of the Fusion Festival, we have been fighting for a more vibrant and colourful world since the first Lärz gathering in 1997. We have been trying to counter the alarming shift to the political right for years though things like out support of anti-fascist initiatives nationwide. But we can’t be blind to the fact that we are right in the midst of something catastrophic.

While we understand and have sympathy for those who refuse to vote in parliamentary elections because they want nothing to do with all this crap, we need to make an urgent point. Our opponents, the enemies of a more social, ecological and colourful world for all, are getting stronger and stronger. Their supporters are voting – and for sure will do this weekend. Of course, elections are not everything in the political debate, but they are crucial.

If you can't decide between the lesser of many evils, then let a dice or a coin decide. Anything is better than more far-right reps in our governments, whether at local, national or European level.

Anti-fascist party break

The right-wing extremist AFD wants to hold its national party conference in Essen on June 29 and 30 at the same time as the Fusion Festival. Large protests are currently being planned against this. We are calling on everyone who was unlucky with the Fusion tickets to take part and protest against the AFD.

Together with busse.gemeinsam-laut.de, there will be a bus connection from Lärz to Essen and back. The bus will leave late on Friday evening and return to Fusion late on Saturday afternoon. You will soon find all the details in the information on our website.

Bus connections from almost everywhere to Essen are offered at busse.gemeinsam-laut.de.

Tickets and Ticket:Bourse

Fusion tickets are sold out, but there is still hope! In our Ticket:Bourse, those who now can’t make it can put their tickets up for sale. And those who are urgently looking for a ticket may be able to buy one there too. Our Ticket:Bourse runs on how supply and demand develops. We can tell you from experience, though, that a lot of tickets will be resold over the next few weeks.

Every year, sadly many people fall for scammers. The only way to avoid being ripped off is via our Ticket:Bourse!

Sunday tickets

The majority of our Sunday tickets can be purchased online via our website for €60. Tickets are also available on site for €70 each. The Sunday tickets are available from 8am to 4 pm. Arrival later than this on Sunday is unfortunately not possible as the dismantling of the Embassy will already have begun.

Additional tickets

For the first time, we are offering tickets for vehicles that want to go to the island or that are longer than 6.50 meters in length. You can find all the information about these tickets on our website. The tickets for the island are long-since sold out and are in great demand. You could get one on the Ticket:Börse, but don’t get your hopes up. However, there are still a few XL camper tickets available.

Police checks

Expect police checks when you arrive, whether by train or car. Due to the legalization of cannabis a few weeks ago, anyone over 18 is now allowed to carry up to 25 grams. With new regulations come new controls. For years, the police have been testing their procedures and training their new recruits at the checks around the Fusion Festival. You should be well prepared and know exactly what you are allowed and not allowed to do and, of course, only drive sober regardless of stop and searches.

Deposit Raising

Over the past two years, we have abolished the bottle deposit. Our new system encourages everyone to keep the grounds clean. Check our website for details on Solitaler and how to participate.

Arrival

The arrival at Fusion 2022 went very smoothly, leaving all the crews who had been working on the access roads and camping or parking lots wondering how all the guests had already accessed the site. After this positive experience, however, Fusion 2023 catapulted us back again to the long waiting times and traffic jams. Our admissions coordinators have spent countless hours over the last few months planning a better situation at the entrances for Wednesday and Thursday. We won't know whether it will all work out until the festival, as a trial run with 65,000 people is unfortunately not possible.

We know that many of you want to arrive on Wednesday. The best spots on the campsites become full and and you want to get set up properly. But Thursday is also a good day to arrive. The big stages don't open until 6pm on Thursday and you'll be able to enter the grounds without having to wait before check-in.

On Wednesday, we start at 4 pm on various stages with an exquisite program of concerts, theatre, circus and club. Wednesday also offers space for quieter sounds, time for communication, to meet old friends and new acquaintances, to chill out and barbecue, and to explore the festival grounds. With a broad but rather relaxed program, you float off beautifully into the Fusion cosmos.

If you have an island ticket, follow the signs to the island entrance and arrive by noon on Thursday. After that, access to the island areas by car is not possible.

Anyone arriving with a vehicle or caravan longer than 6.50 meters will also be directed to specially designated lanes. Please follow the signs and instructions. Regardless of whether you have an XL camper ticket or not, if you arrive before Thursday midday with a vehicle or caravan longer than 6.50 meters, please drive onto the site via the runway (Gate 5).

We hope that this year the waves of arrivals will be spread out a little and that you will be able to check in better and faster when you arrive.

Rosa Platz (Pink square)

At the suggestion of several crews, we have decided to rename the stage and the surrounding area from Roter Platz to Rosa Platz. Since Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which violated international law, some Fusionists have pointed out to us that they can no longer feel comfortable on a Red Square. Although we have never suggested that this is a homage to the square of the same name in Moscow, but perhaps rather the red stage roofs of the early years, we don't want to deny ourselves the opportunity to make our guests feel more comfortable. In light of the blatant persecution and discrimination of LGBTQ+ people in Russia, the new name is a nice development for the 25th edition of Fusion.

Photos - no thanks!

Our artists have all been informed that we do not want photos and videos at the Fusion Festival, especially those taken of guests. There has also been information about this in our guide for years. We call on you, our guests, to respect the right to your own image and of the other Fusionists and to stop the daft messing around playing with smartphones and cameras. Those who feel disturbed by this have every right to approach the photographer about it. However, respectful behaviour should also be observed here. There will not and cannot be an outright ban on photos and videos. However, uploading photos and videos with recognizable Fusion participants who have not given their consent is a definite no-go!

Please respect the desire for a protected free space where we can all - guests, artists, crews - be who we want to be - ourselves: free, uncontrolled and unphotographed.

Football and flags

The European Football Championship is taking place in Germany at the same time as the Fusion. There will be no public viewing on our site. Anyone who wants to watch the games in the camping area can do so, but please think of your neighbours. Sound systems, whether with music or stadium announcers, will be collected by our security.

Please note that the European Championships will also have a major impact on travelling on the roads and railway lines.

Fusion is a festival with international visitors and stands for a world of solidarity for all people. The presentation and waving of national flags can be seen as putting one nation above others, which would be contrary to the festival's ethos. Flags are not forbidden at Fusion, but we ask you to do so: Just leave your flags at home or in the car and refuse for a few days the artificial constructions that our everyday life forces on us.

Further information about the festival can be found here: https://www.fusion-festival.de/de/faq

Your Kulturkosmos