In cooperation with a network of local, regional and national players, the city of Memmingen is preparing a varied program of activities and events to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Twelve Articles next year and to translate the demands of the peasants of that time into the present day.

The event will kick off on March 7, 2025 with a journey back in time to the year 1525 with an impressive multimedia production (mapping) at the Kramerzunft, the site of the event. On this evening, several historical locations will be staged via activities and linked together via a circular route.

From March 14 to 16, 2025, the journey through time will continue in the Max Kolbe House. An amateur drama by Dr. Reinhard Baumann will be premiered there in cooperation with the theater group of the Fischertagsverein, directed by Ralf Weikinger. A diverse supporting program of exhibitions and art projects, captivating lectures, talks and readings, as well as the Freedom Table (25 May 2025; Weinmarkt), a format in which the city's society will engage in conversation at a long table in the city centre.

The summer invites you to breezy events with music and cinema, children's and family programs, as well as an exciting theater and circus spectacle "UFFRUR! ... on the road"(July 11, 2025; Market Square). A concert program ranging from early music and classical music to more experimental forms and pop music is also dedicated to the pursuit of freedom.

The crowning finale of the festival year will be the awarding of the Memmingen Freedom Prize 1525 on October 3, 2025 with a ceremony that will merge into a large city festival: In cooperation with the district of Swabia, the town of Memmingen will host the Swabian Day 2025, which this year will be entirely dedicated to the town's annual theme of freedom rights. With a program of concerts, a market of opportunity and various information and hands-on offers, this day will provide a platform in particular for actors who are committed to social coexistence and the safeguarding of our fundamental values of freedom.