Have you always wanted to show others how to carve a spoon? Or do you know how to tie knots using the pits of Spanish avocados? Would you like to teach our audience how to make zines or write a name in silver wire?
This year, the Zürcher Theater Spektakel invites individuals, groups and collectives to host a DIY table on one or more days of the festival.
At its core, this is intended as a largely non-commercial space for encounter – a place that invites people to craft and tinker together. The focus is on DIY, short for Do It Yourself: the idea of making or creating things yourself, unlearning patterns of packaged consumption, and creating instead of buying. In a broader sense, it is also about sharing skills, passing on knowledge, and creating opportunities for exchange, connection and simply spending time together.
How can you take part and host a DIY table?
The festival will select and schedule the contributions. We welcome ideas that appeal to all generations – including families – although the format is fundamentally open to all kinds of proposals. Collectives or individuals can host a DIY table for one to three festival days, depending on arrangements and needs. You can expect a passing audience that may stay for a shorter or longer time.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to host a DIY table spontaneously during the festival.
Individuals or collectives interested in hosting a DIY table can submit their ideas by May 15, 2026.
Please include a short description of who you are and what you would like to do (max. one A4 page) and send it to: DIY@theaterspektakel.dont-want-spam.ch
When does the DIY table take place?
The DIY table runs daily throughout the festival from August 13–30, 2026:
Monday to Friday: 18:00–22:00
Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday: 14:00–22:00
What does the festival offer hosts of a DIY table?
The Zürcher Theater Spektakel provides infrastructure such as wooden tables and benches, electricity and lighting for the evening hours, as well as beanbags if required. Individuals or collectives hosting a DIY table may ask participants to contribute towards material costs and may also collect voluntary donations with a suggested amount. If a workshop cannot take place due to bad weather, the Zürcher Theater Spektakel will provide compensation of CHF 50 per agreed hour per day. The daily DIY table programme will be communicated on the Zürcher Theater Spektakel website and on social media.