Project Office Culture: A Huge Open Air Festival Every Year
The Project Office Culture organizes large cultural events for the city such as the Bardentreffen, Stadt(ver)führungen, Zukunftsmusic or the Blue Night – and also the Classic Open Air. The project management of the open air series in the Luitpoldhain Park has been in the hands of Maike Renner since the end of 2023. We spoke with her about the organization of the concerts with the two large orchestras of Nuremberg. The Classic Open Air has transformed itself from its beginnings in 2000 until today into one of the largest festivals for classical music in Germany. Every year, the Nuremberg orchestras enchant almost 160,000 visitors: Maike Renner reveals how this works and what kind of effort lies behind it.
Maike, the location of the Classic Open Air is historically no blank page – what kind of past does the Luitpoldhain Park have?
“The Luitpoldhain Park is an area with a long history. In the time of the National Socialists, it was known as the "Luitpoldarena" and used for mass marches. After 1945, the city reshaped the grounds into their original use as a park. With its new use as a location for cultural events like the Classic Open Air, it has taken on yet another meaning.”
Classical music is not to everyone’s taste. Why are so many people thrilled by the Classic Open Air?
“That’s true. At the Classic Open Air, people of varied ages, backgrounds and educational levels come together, independent of their musical preferences or expertise. Many of our visitors know nothing about classical music. And that is exactly what makes the Classic Open Air so special: Its accessible character. No dress code, no tickets. Easy to reach classical music – even those who normally would never end up in a concert hall. The picnic nature also gives the concerts a certain playfulness. It is great to see how thousands of people come peacefully together to a place to enjoy a picnic and listen to a concert from a respected orchestra. That creates a feeling of togetherness.”
Right, a picnic blanket is the Classic Open Air must have!
“However they choose, our visitors have a cozy time each year. Whether with a blanket and a bottle of beer or an elaborately decorated table and generous meal, there’s no end to the possible ways to celebrate. And despite that, the meadow always ends up very tidy – we’re very happy about that and hope it stays that way.”
The Classic Open Air is free-of-charge – how is that related to the birds?
“You mean our bird pins, which look at little different each year. Everyone who supports this cultural event with a donation receives one as a thank you. In the meantime these little pins have become a collector’s item. For us, these donations are not just something nice to have, but a very relevant factor in our finances, because the Classic Open Air is largely dependent on donations and sponsors. Through your support, you can also help make culture available for everyone. The donations can be made digitally via a crowdfunding page or given in cash at the Luitpoldhain Park – in both cases you receive a bird pin as a thank you.”
The Classic Open Air has been around for 25 years – this year is an anniversary – what has changed in the last few years from your point of view?
“A huge asset since 2013 is the family concert on the morning of the evening performance by the Nuremberg State Philharmonic. Here, with a child-oriented music program, our youngest visitors become future fans of classical music and, naturally, the Classic Open Air. We also pay more attention to our environmental balance. Since 2019, there is no longer the traditional fireworks display – what remains is the sparkler piece, during which the audience turns the Luitpoldhain Park into a sea of lights with thousands of sparklers. Through a variety of means we also try to encourage our visitors to travel to the event with public transportation, by foot or with a bicycle, because this plays an important role in our CO2 balance. For example, the VAG adds extra buses and trams for the Classic Open Air, so that a smooth arrival and departure is guaranteed.”
What does your working day look like and what is your favorite moment as festival director?
“Generally, I spend most of days of the year on my PC between e-mails and Excel tables. In autumn and winter, I work on invitations to bid and in the spring focus more on marketing and publicity. The colorful (and, at the same time, very stressful) festival life only takes place on a couple of days of the year. Most of the year we are a very small team, which consists of the leadership of the Project Office Culture, the technical director of the Project Office and myself. For a couple of months we add an intern. The closer we get to the open air, the more external partners and service companies join in. I am the person who has to pull all the strands together, but of course I don’t organize the festival alone. My favorite moment is a few minutes after the start of the event, when it is clear that the stage and the infrastructure is working, the audience is gathered in front of the stage and everyone knows what they have to do. The tension lets go much later.”
All About: Maike Renner
Maike Renner, born in 1991, grew up near Nuremberg in a family that was interested in culture. She discovered her passion for music and concerts at a young age and especially likes the open, inviting atmosphere of free-of-charge open air festivals, which make culture available to a wider audience. After her Bachelor’s in cultural studies and digital media/culture computer sciences at the Leuphana University in Lüneburg she deepened her knowledge with a Master’s in Culture and Music Management at the Hochschule für Music and Theater München (HMTM). Since 2019, Maike Renner is part of the team of the Project Office Culture at the city of Nuremberg. She was first active in the area of art, working several times in the team of the Blue Night, coordinated the external staff and took over the project management of the RathausART twice. At the same time, she stayed active in music, among others as evening manager at the MUZclub. In 2023, she took over project management for the major open air events in the Luitpoldhain Park: The Classic Open Air and Stars im Luitpoldhain.
