Unifest - FAQ
Unifest 2026
This year’s Unifest is being held at KUNST!RASEN in Bonn. In the company of your family and friends, you will be able to try your hand at all manner of different activities, sample a range of culinary delights and receive a highly decorative presentation certificate from your faculty. There will also be a program of events on the main stage, the communal “tossing of hats” and a musical finale.
Unfortunately, major construction work in the vicinity of the Hofgarten lawn has forced us to find a new venue for the Unifest in 2026, so we are moving to KUNST!RASEN in the Gronau area of Bonn. It is the perfect location for a festival, boasting ample space and ideal conditions for an unforgettable day.
The event site at KUNST!RASEN in Bonn opens at 10 am on July 11, 2026, as do the various activity stands on site. The official program gets under way at 11:30 am. Registered graduates will be informed of any changes to the schedule by email.
You can read the terms and conditions of participation here. After registration has closed, we will contact the relevant examination office that will be reviewing your registration. Once it has done this, we will pass on its feedback regarding whether or not you will be allowed to take part. If you have any questions about the terms and conditions of participation, please contact your examination office at an early stage (i.e. before the registration deadline).
Decisions on who can and cannot participate in the Unifest are made by the relevant examination office following a thorough review. If you have any comments to raise about the decision that has been made, please contact your examination office directly.
Unfortunately not. The event is specifically not intended for doctoral students. You can read the full terms and conditions of participation here.
Only graduates of the University of Bonn can participate in the Unifest.
Graduates from the past five years (i.e. from 2021 onward) can take part in the event as long as they have not already been to a Unifest.
Participation is free for our graduates.
Please note that graduates will need to wear traditional academic dress (cap and gown) in order to be admitted to the event. You will need to order this by June 29, 2026, by going to https://registrierung.robe-academicus.com/en/ (enter the code “Bonn”). Our provider charges a hire fee of €30.00 per set (cap and gown) plus a €70.00 deposit, which will be refunded to your nominated bank account after you return your academic dress.
Gowns will be handed out in the main auditorium of the University of Bonn Main Building from noon on Thursday, July 9 until the evening of Friday, July 10. Our partner Robe Academicus will give you a slot in which you can pick up your gown.
Please contact the provider directly (https://www.robe-academicus.com/en/contact-2/) if you have any questions about picking up your gown and the slots allocated for doing so.
There will be a stand at KUNST!RASEN where gowns can be returned at the end of the event. You will be able to find it on the site plan that will be sent to you and that will also be uploaded to the web page nearer the time. Please see your email from Robe Academicus for details of when you should pick up your gown.
You will be given admission wristbands for graduates and the people accompanying them during accreditation, which will be after you have registered and the relevant examination office has given its approval.
Documentation will be handed out directly opposite the main auditorium in the University Main Building at the same time as the gowns, i.e. from the afternoon of Thursday, July 9 until the evening of Friday, July 10. Our partner Robe Academicus will give you a slot in which you can pick up your gown. You will then be able to take your event documentation from our stand.
Any participation fees for the people accompanying you will also need to be paid when you collect. You will only be able to pay by card!
Admission wristbands are required in order to enter the event site. Please pass on wristbands to the people accompanying you well before the event starts.
A participation fee for guests and others accompanying our graduates to the Universitätsfest is being introduced in 2026. Participation remains free for our graduates. This year’s participation fee is €35.00 per person. Under-16s do not need to pay a participation fee but will still need to be registered. You will be able to choose between two age categories—“0–15” and “16 and over”—when you register. Graduates will need to pay the participation fee for the people accompanying them during accreditation, i.e. when they collect their gowns and event documentation in person on July 9 or 10, 2026 (card payment only).
You can nominate up to three people to accompany you when you register. Please email universitaetsfest@uni-bonn.de if you would like to have more than this number of people accompanying you or change the number that you have already specified. Whether you will be able to bring more than three people with you will depend on how many spaces are left. If you have any questions regarding the registration process, please contact the Unifest team as early as possible (before the registration deadline!).
Finances in North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) are fairly strained at present. The state is making savings, which is having a knock-on effect on its higher-education institutions. Unfortunately, the combination of less funds and rising costs (security, technology, infrastructure, etc.) has made it impossible to keep the Unifest completely free, so we have no choice but to charge a participation fee for our guests from 2026 onward. Our graduates can continue to celebrate without paying a cent!
Graduates should pay the participation fee for the people accompanying them when they pick up their admission wristbands and event documentation, i.e. at the same time as they collect their gowns. You will only be able to pay by card! Admission wristbands are required in order to enter the event site. Please pass on wristbands to the people accompanying you well before the event starts.
Please note that you will not be able to get any participation fees reimbursed after you have obtained your admission wristbands during accreditation (also see the general terms and conditions).
There is no particular dress code for the people who will be accompanying you. With the event taking place on grass in the open air, they might want to give some thought to appropriate clothes and shoes.
You will be free to move around the site during the event. The audience for the program on the main stage will be expected to stand. Although there will not be any seating immediately in front of the stage, there will be seats spread across the event site.
No. The event site does not have a roof. Please bear this in mind when choosing what to wear, make sure you have suitable shoes and consider bringing a folding umbrella. Unfortunately, larger umbrellas (e.g. golf umbrellas) are not permitted.
As a basic principle, the event will take place even if the weather is fairly poor. In the event of heavy rain, storms or similar, a decision on how to proceed will be made in consultation with the local authorities.
Please email universitaetsfest@uni-bonn.de if you find yourself unable to attend. You will only be able to take part in a subsequent year if you let us know you are canceling.
Please note that you will not be able to get any participation fees reimbursed after you have obtained your admission wristbands during accreditation (also see the general terms and conditions).
You can nominate up to three people to accompany you when you register. Please email universitaetsfest@uni-bonn.de if you would like to have more than this number of people accompanying you or change the number that you have already specified. Whether you will be able to bring more than three people with you will depend on how many spaces are left.
You must indicate the age category (“0–15” or “16 and over”) of the extra person who will be accompanying you. For details of how many people can accompany you, see the email that the relevant examination office will send you in mid-/late June after it has approved your registration.
Please only get in touch (by emailing universitaetsfest@uni-bonn.de) if the age category or number of the person or people accompanying you has changed.
The two age categories are “0–15” and “16 and over.” Under-16s do not need to pay a participation fee.
We will be putting all the basic information about the event on our web page in good time. You will also be sent all the details by email in mid-June.
You should meet the rest of your faculty outside the event site so that you can all process in together. To find your faculty’s assembly point, please consult the event plan attached to the email that you received confirming your participation.
All children are considered “accompanying persons” and will need to be registered. Under-16s do not need to pay a participation fee but may be required to prove their age when entering the event area.
Yes. There will be a number of stalls selling food and drink. You cannot bring your own food unless it is baby food or required for medical reasons. Each person may bring in one drink in a PET (i.e. soft plastic) bottle or Tetra Pak container no larger than 500 ml.
You can bring a bag/rucksack (no larger than A4 size) and a rug or blanket. For safety reasons, there is a complete ban on glass bottles, cans, rigid packaging and any other objects that could be used as projectiles (e.g. deodorant cans, perfume bottles) as well as chairs and stools of all kinds. Large umbrellas (e.g. golf umbrellas) are also prohibited. You may put up a folding umbrella if it rains, although this will spoil the view for other visitors.
Yes, dogs are allowed, but they must be kept on a leash at all times.
Contact
Team "Unifest"
Address
3rd floor, room 3.024
Dechenstraße 3-11
53115 Bonn