INS FREIE! funded an enormous variety of artistic activities and supported artists and practitioners all over Hesse. In 2001, 104 projects received funding of 10.2 million euros in total. Events included large festivals for classical and popular music lasting several weeks, as well as theatre and dance performances, club nights and audio walks. One of the programme’s aims was to unlock new spaces and venues for cultural activities – from spa gardens to motorway bridges and forest clearings.

In the second funding round of INS FREIE! in 2022, 51 projects will receive funding from the State of Hesse. This year, the programme aims to support collaborations between promoters, pop-up venues and open-air cinemas that plan to continue programming open-air cultural events beyond 2022. It is therefore focusing on structural support and investment grants for things like mobile stages, sound technology, canopies and transportable seating. In total, festivals will receive around 4.3 million euros and open-air cinemas around 300,000 euros. At least a quarter of the funding is reserved for cultural projects in rural areas.