33rd Bavarian State Gymnastics Festival 2023

Diversity, experience, community. Regensburg stands on its head!

From April 28 to May 01, 2023, the Bavarian Gymnastics Association together with the city of Regensburg invites you to the 33rd Bavarian State Gymnastics Festival in Regensburg, combining sports, show, culture and education for five days. In a variety of competitions, participatory activities and events according to the motto “diversity, experience, community”, the population can look forward to a weekend full of gymnastics. In close cooperation with the city of Regensburg and the local gymnastics and sports clubs, the way is open for an unforgettable event in the entire city area and the associated competition venues. All sports enthusiasts from the age of 12 are cordially invited to participate in the Bavarian State Gymnastics Festival 2023, and there will also be attractive offers for visitors and the regional population.

The city of Regensburg, host of the 33rd Bavarian State Gymnastics Festival, convinces alone with its medieval and modern-Italian flair. With the Stone Bridge, which was considered a wonder of the world in the 12th century, the Gothic Cathedral of St. Peter, and the many historic alleys, patrician castles and town houses, Regensburg has not for nothing held the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006. With a population of around 170,000, beautiful Regensburg is easy to manage and, thanks to numerous renowned cultural events, the parks and magnificent Danube floodplains, it is the ideal venue for our 33rd Bavarian State Gymnastics Festival.

As the largest mass sports event in Bavaria, expecting 12,000 participants* and over 100,000 visitors*, the Landesturnfest not only assumes an important role in the area of sports promotion, but also bears responsibility for the future of growing generations. In order to realize a holistic sustainable Landesturnfest, concrete recommendations for action were elaborated for the different working areas and measures and projects were developed that contribute to the reduction of environmental impact. Likewise, our target groups receive a well thought-out, moving program offer that broadens horizons and inspires. The goal is to offer something for all population and age groups, as well as income levels, and to place the diversity of gymnastics in the middle of society.

One of the many highlights during the 33rd Bavarian State Gymnastics Festival is certainly the attractive competition program: In all gymnastics sports of the BTV and age groups from 12 years on, the new Bavarian champions* will be crowned, furthermore, clubs outside of Bavaria will also have the opportunity to be considered in the overall ranking. In addition, the BTV sports director Kerstin Schilpp has succeeded in embedding the competitions of the 1st and 2nd national league female into the program of the state gymnastics festival. Thus, all gymnastics festival participants and visitors can look forward to the gymnasts of the German national team and international top gymnasts in the “das Stadtwerk.Donau-Arena”.

In addition, the state gymnastics festival shines with its variety of participatory offers and trends: From the children’s gymnastics world to the GYMWELT area, to the 4XF games to the gymnastics warrior, there are appropriate offers for every age and performance class. The Team Challenge, which has become an integral part of the gymnastics festival program, will again be a program highlight and for the first time will also be open to local companies and organizations.

The gymnastics education program for gymnastics festival participants and the regional population entices them to participate and discover. Under the motto “Turnfest bildet!” (Gymnastics Festival educates!), the state gymnastics festival invites exercise instructors to participate in multifaceted workshops from the various disciplines of popular and competitive sports. In addition, in cooperation with the city of Regensburg, the already established format “Regensburg goes fit” will take place during the gymnastics festival days and offer an easy introduction to new sports or trends.

Another highlight of the program planning is the gymnastics festival gala 2023. This time, the dream factory from Regensburg will create a unique symbiosis of sport and art with its professional artists and the sports groups of the BTV. With a lot of humor, world champion artistry, spectacular throwing acrobatics and breathtaking light productions, the audience is transported into another world. The show will be performed a total of four times in the Audimax of the University of Regensburg, once on Friday, 28.04.2023 and three times on Saturday, 29.04.2023.

In addition, other show and gala events promise entertaining hours and varied offerings. For example, the performances of selected couples, teams and groups during the matinee will be thrilling. In terms of variety and top performance, this will be another highlight of the gymnastics festival. Traditionally, the opening and closing events reflect the diversity of gymnastics and feature surprise guests. Our little ones may also show their skills and have the opportunity to inspire the audience with a lot of creativity and joy of movement in the children’s gymnastics show. For seniors, the GYMWELT Café will offer a varied and amusing afternoon. In addition, cross-generational offers have been created with the initiatives of the city of Regensburg, senior citizens’ representatives of the gymnastics and sports clubs and the municipalities in the Free State as well as the Bavarian Omnibus Association. These include, for example, moderated visits to gymnastics festival events, a dance excursion on a Danube steamer, participation in guided tours and gymnastics festival hikes, and much more.

It is also an opportunity for our younger generation to get a taste of the gymnastics festival and to experience gymnastics in all its diversity. The special program “Schule aktiv” (school active) invites pupils to the theme worlds of the gymnastics festival as “special guests”. Within the framework of this school action day, five forms were integrated: doing sports and trying out new things together, performing, watching and cheering, helping and co-designing.

Our party enthusiasts won’t miss out either: the party boat departs in four stages and lets you expect a Danube cruise in a class of its own. For all those who prefer solid ground under their feet, the Tuju parties, the pub crawls and the gymnastics music party as part of the German gymnastics music festival are ideal for partying. This is the first time that the German Gymnastics Music Festival has been held, and it aims to bring together musicians from all genres and performance levels across Germany. The organizers have put together an attractive program with musical competitions, educational opportunities, concerts and many other highlights.

Sport & Style at #turnfest23. The Turnfest fair awaits with exciting bargains and offers from the world of gymnastics, sports and health. Organizations from the region will also present their latest products and trends. In addition, our fan merchandise stand will also be located here, where T-shirts, gym bags & Co. in Turnfest style can be purchased.

Just like at #turnfest19 in Schweinfurt, there will again be a mascot run at the 2023 state gymnastics festival in Regensburg. The winner is officially “Bavaria’s fastest mascot”. The mascot run will also be a charity event. The proceeds from the sale of raffle tickets for the favored mascots will be donated to a regional charity project after the Turnfest. Our official gymnastics festival mascot “BaLatu” will also start at the run.

Regensburg’s gymnastics festival will also contribute to the further development of the gymnastics festival profile and deepen the connection between sport and culture. In cooperation with the cultural office of the city, the popular music representative of the district and committees of the gymnastics association, cultural offers span a framework around the entire 33rd Bavarian Gymnastics Festival. Initiatives and offers of the culture-creative Regensburg and the entire Upper Palatinate bring themselves in different clusters to a “festival for sport and culture in the urban space”. These include a classical music breakfast, which invites all gymnastics festival participants, as well as day visitors, to enjoy their own breakfast with classical orchestral music, open singing, which follows the approach: “BTV promotes cultural life and cultivates musical activities”, an ecumenical church service and a gymnastics history exhibition. The Bavarian State Gymnastics Festival 2023 will be rounded off by a procession with the flags of the gymnastics districts, gauzes and clubs, which will also be presented at the flag exhibition.

The topic of “inclusion” also represents an important approach. The Bavarian Gymnastics Association, together with institutions for the disabled in the Regensburg network “Inclusion in and through Sport” and the BLSV district of Regensburg, shows how inclusion can be lived. Approaches for joint sports activities are offered in the gymnastics festival, especially the inclusive competitions of apparatus gymnastics (Bavarian Turn10® Landescup), sport stacking, TGM/TGW (e.g. BayernCup gymnastics group competition and Tuju-4-Kampf) as well as the sports badge day together with the BLSV district Upper Palatinate. In addition, great importance is also attached to inclusive offers in the supporting program and further offers are created for children and young people from support institutions for mental and multiple disabilities.

All information regarding participation and registration can be found at www.turnfest23.de.

Author: Bayerische Turnverband