The guests were welcomed by Lord Mayor Frank Frühauf and Neighborhood Manager Samira Brächer. They thanked in particular the operators of the individual stations as well as the numerous helpers, without whom such a celebration would not be possible. An interpreter also translated the welcome into Arabic.
There was plenty on offer at the Wasenfest, especially for the children: Clown Kuni provided a colorful fun program with her fantastic balloon animals. The youth art school was just as colorful. Children were able to create their own works of art at the action painting event and take them home with them. The stand of the St. Walburga Catholic daycare center was also very popular. Here, Tamara Bartz and her colleagues transformed the children into little butterflies or "Spidermans" with the help of make-up. The Advisory Board for Integration and Migration of the city of Idar-Oberstein also made children's eyes light up with colorful balloons.
There was also plenty to see for parents and adult visitors: As part of the integrated urban development concept, the Idar-Oberstein town planning office organized a hands-on activity for residents of the neighbourhood. This gave people the opportunity to prioritize the planned urban development and social measures in the district and to point out shortcomings and positive aspects of the district. The daycare social work department provided information about its areas of responsibility and gave details of the facilities where daycare social work is offered. The Youth Employment Agency+ of the Birkenfeld district was also on hand with information and small giveaways.
In order to address the recurring waste problem in the Wasenstraße district, the municipal building authority and the district management team set up a "waste disposal stand". The waste management company of the national park district provided appropriate waste garbage cans and accessories for this purpose. Visitors were also able to find out more about the topic and pick up free bin bags.
Of course, the physical well-being was also taken care of. The Kreuznacher Diakonie had prepared a fun attraction where visitors could play for all kinds of healthy fruit. There was also ice cream from Olli's ice cream bike, waffles and cakes. Special thanks go to the cake donors and to the Wasenstraße Begegnungscafé, which was responsible for the drinks stand and baking the waffles, among other things. In addition to the cake donations, the festival was financed by the Social City's disposition fund.
Neighborhood manager Samira Brächer emphasized that such exuberant and colorful festivals are enormously important, especially for the children and young people, and at the end of the day both the children and the adults often asked when this festival would take place again.