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.