Germany has launched its €100m voucher scheme which gives all 18-year-olds €200 towards attending cultural events, institutions and pursuits.
The KulturPass is intended to support attractions, festivals and theatres hit hard by the pandemic and still struggling to win back their audience. The aim of the Minister of State for Culture and the Media-backed scheme is to use the KulturPass to increase demand in the institutions and enable them to attract new audiences.
Some 5,600 cultural providers nationwide are already registered, with around 1.7 million products currently available. Concerts, theatres, cinemas, museums, exhibitions and parks are included, as are books and musical instruments.
Registration is limited to local cultural providers, with large sales platforms and online mail order companies excluded. Cultural providers have been able to register on the platform since mid-May.
The voucher, which can be redeemed via the KulturPass app or website, is on offer to the estimayted 750,000 young people who will turn 18 during 2023. It is currently assumed that the budget will be available for up to two years.
“We want to open the way to culture and get young people excited about the diversity of culture in our country,” said Claudia Roth, the Minister of State for Culture.
“With the app we offer a tour guide for the exciting and very diverse cultural landscape of Germany.”
The German Bundestag is providing €100m for the pilot project, which was announced in November 2022. Other European countries such as France, Italy and Spain have introduced similar initiatives to help the arts recover post-pandemic.