Cultural and creative industries

Erlangen is a good location for cultural and creative professionals. This was the conclusion of the first study on the cultural and creative industries in Erlangen in 2019, which found that more than 650 self-employed people, freelancers and companies of all sizes contribute to Erlangen's economic strength with 3,500 employees subject to social insurance contributions and a turnover of around 368 million euros. With their ideas and innovative potential, they provide new impetus for a dynamic economy and a creative and resilient urban culture in eleven heterogeneous and closely interconnected submarkets of the cultural and creative industries. A good 200 KSK-insured artists currently live in Erlangen, and Erlangen is one of the strongest locations for the software and games industry in the Nuremberg metropolitan region.

The cultural and creative industries comprise eleven sub-markets: music industry, book market, art market, film industry, broadcasting industry, performing arts market, design industry, architecture market, press market, advertising market and software and games industry.

With its Nuremberg Metropolitan Region staff unit, the Department of Culture has established a point of contact for issues relating to the cultural and creative industries. Together with those responsible in the cultural sector and in the economic department, we carry out projects and events to develop good framework conditions and an activating climate for cultural and creative professionals:

• We have been organizing an annualsymposium on the cultural and creative industries in the Nuremberg metropolitan region with around 150 players from the respective sectors at the office of the Forum Kultur (in the City of Erlangen's Department of Culture) together with the Forum Wirtschaft und Infrastruktur der Metropolregion Nürnberg (in the City of Nuremberg's Department of Economics) since 2011. The event has become a central networking and discussion platform for the cultural and creative industries in the Nuremberg metropolitan region.
• In 2025, we will resume the Erlangen dialog and networking format zukunftkreativ_erlangen, which was introduced in 2019 (see bottom of page for information on current and past events). Click here to register for 14.02.2025.
• In the cultural policy guidelines of the city of Erlangen, the offices of the cultural administration advocate , among other things, the active promotion and visualization of cultural and creative industry players and activities in Erlangen as well as fair remuneration for artistic and creative work.
• Since 2022, the Department of Culture and Economic Development has been supporting professional, creative crafts and its players with the Erlangen Arts and Crafts Mile, thus also making an important contribution to the revitalization of the old town.
• ThePoet*innenfest and the International Comic Salon of the Erlangen Department of Culture particularly strengthen the book and publishing industry and its companies and players; the same applies to the international figuren.theater.festival for the performing arts and the independent theater scene.
• The annual Frei Bordsteinkante festival has been promoting the regional independent scene since 2022.
• As part of the work of the Culture Forum of the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region, Erlangen commissioned studies on the cultural and creative industries in the region and also in Erlangen in 2019:2nd report on the cultural and creative industries in the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region.
• The Department of Culture works closely with the Bavarian Center for Cultural and Creative Industries and acts as an intermediary for questions regarding funding programs or self-employment issues.