On Towel Day Weekend — May the 23rd till 25th — the world is celebrating the immortal deeds of Douglas Adams:

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The Meaning of Liff
Doctor Who’s 17th season (1979-80)
his contributions to Monty Python Sketches

These works are much more than just science fiction. Rather they showcase Adams as a master of absurd humor and a keen observer of modern madness. It’s no conincidence that he became an icon of pop culture.

In collaboration with the INSPIRATA and the German Museum of Books and Writing (DBSM) of the German National Library we are organizing the party in Leipzig:

25th Towel Day Contests 2026

The Best Equipment for Hitchhiking the Galaxy

On Towel Day, everyone needs to know where the towel is hanging. Show us what other items you take along when hitchhiking the universe:
When seeing us at the Steampunk Picknick in the Clara Zetkin Park on Saturday afternoon, making your presentation on stage on Sunday, or on Monday between 11am and 2pm in the INSPIRATA, sending a link to a submission video, or submitting the file at the INSPIRATA.

The presentations must not be longer than 5 minutes, and life presentations will be made into films. The videos will be staged in the INSPIRATA and on the WissensSpuren website.

Presentations can be delivered in 🇬🇧 English and 🇩🇪 German, or in any other language of the known Universe. In the latter case either online translations or Babel fishes should be supplied for the audience.

Youngsters Build Spaceships

Mankind is heading back into space. Hence, it’s time again to look out for the most talented space-ship builders of all ages, genders, decents:

• bring and present your spaceship models
• bring your ideas, bits and pieces of material, and build it on the spot!

BUT NOTE: empty loo rolls are a mandatory ingredient! Help will be available in the INSPIRATA.

Finished spaceships will be displayed there, and on Sunday also at the German Museum of Books and Writing (DBSM) of the German National Library.

The Most Confounded Vogon Verses

Authoritative sources claim that humans can write even more unpleasant verses than Vogons, and supposedly there’s nothing worse than lyrics presented to praise someone on a special occasion. We’re putting this to the test with poetry to mark the 25th anniversary of Douglas Adams’ death:

Send us your verses! We will feature them on our website and social media channels, and the verses can be recited on Sunday on stage at the National Library! We are looking forward to performances in 🇬🇧 English and 🇩🇪 German.

Juries and Prizes

A committee of expert jurors will nominate winners of the three competitions. For the spaceships there will also be daily winners.
Moreover, there will be a public vote for an Audience Award.

The winners for the weekend will be announced at the