Overview
- Large government tents are in place on Tbilisser Platz in Saarbrücken, with further setup and street closures moving into the final phase.
- Citizen delegations of eight people from each federal state arrive on October 1, and more than 200 exhibitors plan to complete their installations by October 2.
- The Bürgerfest runs October 2–4 with roughly 600 artists on about 20 stages, featuring arts, culture and culinary events throughout the city center.
- The official October 3 Festakt will host around 900 invited guests, feature Emmanuel Macron as guest of honour with speeches by Anke Rehlinger and Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and include a church service broadcast by SR and a ceremony broadcast by ZDF.
- Cities across Germany are organizing their own commemorations of the 35th anniversary, as media commentary highlights a Saarland-focused program and notes the absence of some prominent figures associated with the East.