A national celebration of German is taking place on 19-24 January and there are plenty of opportunities to get involved – either through nationally organised activities or with our range of Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages activities supporting German from January to the end of March.
From 19 to 24 January 2026, the Goethe-Institut UK, the German Embassy in London, and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) invite schools across the UK to take part in a week-long celebration of the German language and culture. German Week aims to make learning German more visible, vibrant, and engaging in schools, spark curiosity for languages among young learners and highlight the unique value of multilingualism in today’s interconnected world, as well as presenting a fresh image of Germany as a modern and multifaceted country.
Find out more and access the resources available at the German Week webpage and access the German Club Kit, Culture Day & Language Taster Session and Virtual music workshops with MUNICH SUPERCREW. Invite a Young Goethe Ambassador or German Expert Mentor (GEM) directly in your classroom or request a German Week 30 day journal (daily activities to explore German) available free by post. There are also live events including the German Theatre Festival in London for Years 9–13 in collaboration with St Paul’s School and German Study Day in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI).
The Festival offers lots of activities that are specific to German or where German can be the focus of participation. Find out more and follow the links to register from the Festival German webpage here.
Classroom activities are available from January to the end of March, the German Mask competition is open now until 6th March and events are taking place from January to March.
Activities include a music concert, Karneval Mask Competition, primary German online live sessions and pre-recorded classroom activities for young learners, on-campus experiences with German at Durham, Northumbria and Newcastle Universities, careers webinars, poetry workshops online and in person and our creative multilingual projects and classroom resources – as well as the national competitions and celebrations.
The Festival is part-funded by the North East Combined Authority
