Kite festival to be held in Waldeck from 2026

The Waldeck Domanial Administration will lease its area near Waldeck, which the golf club has leased until the end of the year, to the operators of the Dragon Festival, one of Germany's largest role-playing events with guests from all over the world, from 2026. The contract with the golf club, which expires at the end of the year, will therefore not be extended - and will expire at the end of 2025.

The Domanium, the town of Waldeck and the district have been working hard until the very end to find a way for the Dragon Festival and the golf club to use the venue together - and have regularly sought dialogue with all parties involved over the past few months. However, due to the differing requirements of the two interested parties, this was unfortunately unsuccessful. "The aim was to reach a compromise for joint use. Despite intensive efforts, however, we were unable to find a solution that satisfied both sides," says Hendrik Block, Director of the Waldeck Domanial Administration, explaining the decision. "All parties involved have intensively pursued their interests. In the end, however, irreconcilable demands on the use of the land stood in the way of a compromise."

Incompatible space requirements
Both golf and the kite festival require as much space as possible for their year-round activities. In the case of multifunctional use by both interested parties, the area would have had to be divided up - which would have resulted in a reduction of the golf offer to a 9-hole course and a significantly reduced area for the offers of the dragon festival operators. Various scenarios for the placement of the offers were played through for the possible area planning - unfortunately without success.

Temporal overlaps
In addition to a spatial division, solutions were also sought to utilise the area at different times. As both the golf club and the kite festival operators plan to use the area continuously throughout the year for their events and the preparation and maintenance of the same area for different uses involves a considerable amount of work, this option was also ruled out.

Economic aspects
Of course, economic aspects also played a role in the decision-making process: The golf club made it clear that a 9-hole course would be more difficult to finance. The operators of the kite festival also need the entire area in order to cover their costs.

Medieval markets, crafts, music, culinary delights and educational programmes
From 2026, the area will therefore be used entirely for the Dragon Festival operators' events. In addition to the multi-day dragon festival in summer, the organisers are planning medieval markets with crafts, music and culinary delights, historical lectures and educational activities for children, young people and families all year round. "This offer promises new opportunities and impulses for very different target groups," emphasises District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst. "In addition to economic and tourism concerns, environmental protection and nature conservation play a particularly important role in the conceptualisation." A comprehensive environmental impact assessment aimed at sustainable utilisation of the area is therefore also a key aspect of the project.

The mayor of the national park town of Waldeck, Nicolas Havel, also commented on the establishment of the dragon festival: "The future of our urban spaces must be designed with perspective. The project offers an opportunity to attract new groups of visitors. I am aware that not all expectations could be met - it is all the more important now to revitalise the region all year round together and in a spirit of respect and trust."

Background:
The golf club had leased the land near Waldeck from the Domanium since 2022. As a start-up aid, the Domanium initially made the area available to the club for a significantly reduced fee - with the agreement to gradually increase the lease to a market level. Despite numerous discussions, no agreement could be reached. The Domanium manages public assets. A permanent lease at a reduced price also penalises the towns and municipalities entitled to profits in the long term. After weighing up all aspects, the choice was therefore made in favour of a new contractual partner.