German politician dubbed ‘craziest councillor’ wants to turn city of Mannheim into ‘swinger’s paradise’ by hosting sex party at council building
A Mannheim city councillor, Julien Ferrat, has proposed hosting a sex party at the town hall as part of a plan to rebrand the German city as a "swinger's paradise". Ferrat, leader of the local Die Mannheimer party, hopes to position Mannheim as a stopover for swingers and nudists travelling to the well-known naturist resort of Cap d'Agde in southern France, arguing it could boost the city's income. The local council administration, dominated by the conservative Christian Democratic Union, has voiced scepticism about whether the plan is feasible or appropriate.
Ferrat, 35, previously organised a fact-finding trip to Cap d'Agde and says around 50 people have expressed interest in attending the proposed event, which he says he is vetting individually. Mannheim, a city of roughly 330,000 people, has not been given a date or venue for the party, and officials say Ferrat has yet to explain how it relates to his council duties. Germany is estimated to have around 128,000 swingers, and Ferrat, dubbed the country's "craziest councillor" by Die Zeit in 2017, says he also wants to challenge social taboos around non-monogamy.
- Mannheim councillor proposes sex party at town hall
- Aims to attract swingers travelling to France's Cap d'Agde
- City officials doubt plan's feasibility; no date set yet
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Julien Ferrat is a councillor in Mannheim, a city of around 330,000 people in south-west Germany. He leads a small local political group called Die Mannheimer, which sits within the city council alongside larger, more established parties, including the conservative Christian Democratic Union, which controls the council administration.
Ferrat has drawn attention in the past for unconventional proposals, and was described as Germany's "craziest councillor" by the newspaper Die Zeit in 2017. His latest idea centres on Cap d'Agde, a resort in southern France that is well known internationally as a hub for naturists and swingers, and on the idea that Mannheim could benefit economically by positioning itself as a stopover point for people travelling there.
Swinging, which involves couples engaging in consensual sexual activity with others outside their relationship, is a recognised if still somewhat taboo subculture in Germany, with tens of thousands of participants estimated nationwide. The proposal has raised questions from council officials about practicality and about how such an event would relate to a councillor's official responsibilities, reflecting a broader tension between attention-grabbing political gestures and the formal workings of local government.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of Ferrat's proposal argue that adults engaging in consensual, legal activity should not be stigmatised, and that challenging entrenched taboos around sexuality and non-monogamy is a legitimate liberal cause. They point out that nearby Cap d'Agde already draws a substantial community of swingers and nudists through the region, so Mannheim positioning itself as a welcoming stopover could be a pragmatic, low-cost way to attract visitors and tourist spending. From this perspective, elected officials proposing unconventional but harmless ideas reflects a healthy willingness to think creatively about civic revenue and social liberalisation, rather than something to be dismissed out of hand.
The case against
Critics, including the CDU-led council administration, argue that hosting a sex party at the town hall blurs the line between a councillor's personal advocacy and the appropriate use of public buildings and civic authority, and that Ferrat has not shown how the plan connects to his actual council duties. They contend that branding an entire city of 330,000 residents around a niche subculture risks reputational harm and could alienate or embarrass many locals who had no say in the association, particularly given the informal, unvetted nature of an event organised by one councillor rather than through proper civic process. On this view, elected office carries a responsibility to represent the whole community, and using it to promote a personal cause of this nature is an overreach of a councillor's mandate.