Women Over 60 Launch DJ Careers at German Music Festival

When organizers at Germany's C/O Festival in Cologne realized their lineup had nothing for women over 60, they didn't just add a few seats. They handed them the turntables.

Forever Fresh, a collective of female DJs all over 60, now rocks festival stages across Germany. The group's oldest member, 90-year-old DJ Miss Crazy Irma, leaves her walker backstage and stands fully upright once the music starts, hands in the air, moving to the beat.

"I don't do things halfway, you know," Irma told reporters after one of their shows.

The idea started during a summer booking meeting when festival promoter Pia Leohart and her team brainstormed their next lineup. They noticed a glaring gap and decided to fill it in the boldest way possible. They put out a call for senior women interested in learning to DJ from scratch.

The response surprised everyone. Women who had never owned computers signed up to master mixing boards, transitions, fades, and the complex world of electronic music equipment. DJ Sedaction, one of their instructors, saw the challenge as part of the magic.

"Several women said they hadn't faced something this demanding in years, and that's exactly why it was so exciting," he told German news agency DPA.

Forever Fresh finalized their roster in April 2025 and has already performed seven gigs, including this year's festival in late April. Their setlist spans generations: David Guetta's EDM beats, pop hits from Pink and Miley Cyrus, and naturally, ABBA's "Dancing Queen."

The youngest member, 64-year-old Uschi Ophir, expected only friends and family to show up. Instead, they packed venues with fans of all ages. "The younger people were amazing! Really, really great," she said.

Sunny's Take

Edeltraud Stecher-Breckner captured the feeling perfectly: "I've been waiting for this, even though I didn't know I've been waiting for this."

Festival-goers agreed. One sweaty dancer told RTL West television, "To be honest, it was fantastic. I really didn't expect it to be so captivating." Another added, "The girls on stage had such good energy. It swept us all away."

The project proves what happens when organizers stop assuming what older people want and start asking them instead.