Around 130 musicians, dancers, and singers with and without disabilities will then have their big performance at the Dillinger Lokschuppen.
District of Saarlouis. Preparations are in full swing, with singing, dancing, and rehearsing. After all, around 130 artists want to showcase their best performances and captivate the audience on Saturday, October 15th, at the Dillinger Lokschuppen. This is the day when EINklang takes place – the very special, inclusive festival of the Saarlouis district. It brings together musicians, dancers, and singers with and without disabilities on stage. And it impressively demonstrates how inclusion can be lived.
A preview was recently given at a press event during a rehearsal of the choir "WirsindWir" of reha GmbH under the direction of Lena Schwarz in Neunkirchen. The reha choir has already been very successful twice at EINklang. Saarlouis district administrator Patrik Lauer followed the event visibly enthusiastic – and later emphasized how much he is already looking forward to the festival: "EINklang is a matter close to my heart, EINklang is our inclusive flagship project, a cultural mega event for the district. It will simply make everyone happy to experience this wonderful festival!" EINklang is at the core of "all our efforts to become, to be, and to remain a district for everyone," he said. Choir director Lena Schwarz also emphasized how convinced she and her fellow campaigners are about the festival concept: "Even the first time we experienced such a great, special atmosphere – that's when we decided we will always be part of it!" The anticipation for October 15th is already huge.
One of the goals of EINklang is to further promote and develop the intellectual and cultural abilities of the participants. People with disabilities should be empowered in their self-confidence through their performance, whether through music, dance, or singing, and see themselves as a valuable part of an inclusive society. The public performance is intended to help bring the topic of inclusion to the general public and to foster tolerance, openness, and better coexistence.
Created in 2016 as a project for the 200th anniversary celebration of the Saarlouis district, EINklang quickly developed into a highly regarded crowd-puller in the region. At the previous event in 2018, around 800 spectators came to watch the performances of approximately 150 participants in the largest event hall of the district, the Dillinger Lokschuppen. Then the pandemic caused a forced break.
Now the festival is finally taking place again, under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Malu Dreyer. And with an expanded spectrum, as Christine Ney, the main coordinator, explains: “So far, we had focused solely on the musical sector, but we also have outstanding talents in other areas, which is why we are opening up the event and for the first time this year are including the category of dance.” In addition, EINklang is no longer a competition. Ney, head of the District Office for Social Services and Facilities, is part of the organizing team, which consists of employees from the district administration and two employees of the Workers’ Welfare Association (the cooperation partner).
The musical direction of EINklang is in the hands of Kolja Koglin, who works at the District Office for Climate Protection, Environment, Regional Development, and Tourism. He emphasizes: "It is very important to us that the themes of inclusion and accessibility are reflected in all areas of the event. Our special EINklang live band is inclusive, there is an inclusive moderator duo, screens next to the stage, and both the hall and stage are accessible; we also have sign language and caption interpreters in use."
The idea for this inclusive festival came through contact with the partner district of Bochnia in Poland. There has been a similar and very successful performance there for over ten years. The good cooperation will also be clearly visible at the event in Dillingen: once again, participants from Bochnia will be on stage, taking part both with a duet and a group. This shows that EINklang is no longer just a local event. The participants come from all over Saarland and the Greater Region (Luxembourg, Lënster Lycée International School) – and also from Poland.
Ensuring that everything runs smoothly are many sponsors and supporters – these include Globus Saarlouis, Nemak Dillingen, Saarland Sport Toto, the Saarland casinos, the Kreissparkasse Saarlouis, the State Chancellery, the KVS Saarlouis, the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, and the AWO Saarland. The organizers are also particularly pleased that the city of Dillingen and Mayor Franz-Josef Berg are supporting the festival as cooperation partners by providing the locomotive shed. Helping hands for participant catering come from Café Courage in Dillingen. The provision of food and drinks for guests is handled by Petra Jenal and her team from the Förderverein Ehrensache in Altforweiler.
The inclusive festival EINklang will take place on Saturday, October 15th, starting at 6 PM at the Lokschuppen Dillingen. Admission is from 5 PM. Tickets (adults pay ten euros, students seven euros) are now available at Ticket Regional. Further information can be found at
