The best present ever?

Germany is joining the likes of France, Italy and Spain in giving those turning 18 a birthday gift.

Kulturpass is described by German cultural Minister Claudia Roth as a birthday present for 750,000 people who will turn 18 in 2023.  The pass, worth 200 euros, allows teens to spend it on anything cultural- from music and books, to theatre and concerts. 

How does it work?

The pass will be managed by an app and a website with a direct connection to a virtual marketplace with everything creative.

The pass aims to tackle two challenges: Firstly, To encourage young people to immerse themselves in live cultural experiences and to shed pandemic habits. And secondly, to boost finance into the arts scene which was severely affected during the pandemic. 

This is a great opportunity and has been said to be a ‘cultural start up capital’ by finance minister Christian Linder, with recipients being able to use the thoughtful gift over a 2 year period.

This is not a new initiative within Europe – with French and Italian teens being given €300 and €500 respectively on their 18th birthdays.

Quite the opposite to the budget-slashing news from England’s Arts Council Funding announced a few weeks ago.

Ah to be turning 18 in Germany!