Still-life A40/B1 - a 60 kilometre festival of cultures
© TAS Emotional Marketing GmbH
On July 18th 2010 the inhabitants of the Ruhr Metropolis will be throwing a unique party to celebrate our everyday cultural habits and traditions. The party will be held in a very unusual location: in the middle of the main motorway running through the region, the A40/B1. As part of the programme for the European capital of culture RUHR.2010 a 60 km stretch of road will be lined with 20,000 tables to create a meeting place for different cultures, generations and nations. It will be the longest banqueting table in the world.
On this day, from 11 in the morning until 5 in the evening, the whole stretch of the motorway will be blocked off in both directions and handed over to the partygoers. In the direction of Duisburg, the so-called "programme side", the world's longest banqueting table will be turned into one long stage to demonstrate the huge diversity of cultures in the Ruhr Metropolis. The 60 km table will start in Dortmund at the exit of Märkische Straße and run all the way to Duisburg harbour. In the opposite direction, the so-called "mobility side", from Duisburg to Dortmund, interested visitors will have a unique chance to travel along the motorway on wheeled vehicles of their choice, providing of course they are not motorised.
There is no necessity for anyone to register in advance if they merely wish to use the mobility side of the motorway. The same applies to anyone who simply wishes to stroll along the banqueting side to enjoy the programme of cultures.
Advance reservations are however required if you wish to have a place at a table during the day's event. People and groups who reserve tables along the 60 km stretch of the motorway are asked to bring along a cultural contribution of some kind. This can range from songs, dancing, music, cabaret, theatre, readings or simply typical food. In this way all the facets of everyday culture can be found at the tables. On one table, for example there may be a theatre group; on the next a local football club. On the third, a pigeon breeders' society and on the fourth a group of hip-hop fans. The 20,000 tables will be set up on the night of Saturday 17th of July by members of the Federal Agency for Technical Help and DB Schenker. For organisational reasons, only complete tables can be reserved and not individual places.
Friends, families, colleagues, neighbours, clubs and societies are therefore invited to participate in the cultural capital of Europe 2010 by taking their place at this banqueting table of cultures. Each table will cater for between eight and 10 persons. There will be a nominal fee of 25 € per table plus processing and postage costs. Reservations start on the 18th of July 2009 and anyone interested in reserving a table can apply here. Anyone wishing to reserve a table must provide details of their programme activity in advance and indicate where they wish to sit. (You can get further information on the assignment of tables here).