A special sports summer for the region: The world gathers at the Rhine and Ruhr to celebrate sports and culture
After five successful editions of the festival, the RUHR GAMES have become an established fixture in the sporting state of NRW as an innovative format. The Ruhr Regional Association (RVR) aims to continue the festival's success story in the long term. For the first time, the RUHR GAMES will therefore not be holding any competitive sports competitions, but will enrich the programme of the World University Games with a mix of demo competitions in action sports and new Olympic disciplines as well as live music, culture and international youth encounters.
A multi-faceted, compact programme of cultural highlights, an open-air concert, urban art, workshops and hands-on activities against the impressive industrial-cultural backdrop of the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum's Westpark will be offered to visitors free of charge over the four days of the festival.
The Ruhr Regional Association is providing 1.1 million euros for the RUHR GAMES as part of the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games supporting programme and is taking on the role of funding body for the first time. Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU Games gGmbH is the organiser for the entire event, including RUHR GAMES 25. The integration of RUHR GAMES 25 into the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games will help to further establish the RUHR GAMES brand nationally and internationally.
The RUHR GAMES have become an established fixture in the sporting state of NRW as an innovative format. The Ruhr Regional Association (RVR) aims to continue the festival's success story in the long term.
"The World University Games and the RUHR GAMES will form a strong duo next summer. The RUHR GAMES' unique mix of trend sports, street art activities and music enriches the atmosphere surrounding the competitions of the top student athletes," says Regional Director Garrelt Duin. "This is why the Ruhr Regional Association is supporting this great sporting event on the Rhine and Ruhr in summer 2025 for the first and only time, thus making a regional contribution to this important event. Two years later, we want to bring the RUHR GAMES back to the start in its usual form."
"The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games offer the RUHR GAMES a unique platform to further increase the national and international appeal of this established festival. This collaboration is an excellent example of how the Games can achieve sustainable effects for the region." - Niklas Börger, Managing Director Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU GAMES gGmbH
"Bochum is looking forward to being the venue for the RUHR GAMES in 2025 at the same time as the World University Games! This will be the second time we have hosted the RUHR GAMES after 2021. As part of the World University Games, the international sports and culture festival will offer four days of top sporting performances and urban culture around the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum - a great thing for our sports-loving city and region!" - Thomas Eiskirch, Lord Mayor of the City of Bochum and Chairman of the RVR Municipal Council
RUHR GAMES - Europe's largest sports and cultural festival for youth
In collaboration with the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Regionalverband Ruhr has developed the RUHR GAMES into a successful proprietary format of the Ruhr Metropolis. The RUHR GAMES are Europe's largest sports and cultural festival for youth and will take place for the sixth time in the Ruhr area in 2025. The previous editions were funded by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, with the Sports Council of North Rhine-Westphalia (Landessportbund NRW) as a strategic partner.
The inaugural edition of the RUHR GAMES took place in 2015 in Essen and its surroundings, with the UNESCO World Heritage Zollverein as the main venue. Following a biennial schedule, the sports festival launched in Dortmund and its surroundings in 2017, transforming the historic Rote Erde Stadium into the central multi-sport competition venue. The highly successful third edition took place in 2019 at the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, attracting 110,000 visitors. In 2021, a digital special edition was implemented due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a live event in and around Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord in 2023, attracting 92,000 visitors and an additional 127,000 online viewers.
Past musical highlights of RUHR GAMES included performances by Giant Rooks, Leoniden, Cro, Jan Delay, Clueso, Lena, and Bosse.
The Ruhrparliament in the Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR) has approved the continuation of RUHR GAMES after successful project development and establishment. The RUHR GAMES are set to continue on a biennial basis until 2030. Starting in 2027, RUHR GAMES will once again be held biennially as an independent major event of the region.