Pop-Kultur Festival 2026 Expands Talks Programme and Reveals Closing Weekend Highlights
Pop-Kultur Festival has unveiled the talks programme for its 2026 edition, with more than 20 discussions, readings and workshops set to explore the intersections of pop culture, politics and society when the festival returns to Berlin this August.
Taking place at silent green Kulturquartier on 24 and 25 August, the programme opens with a keynote discussion led by festival director Marie von der Heydt examining the future of the cultural sector and the challenges facing artists and institutions in an increasingly uncertain landscape.
Among the headline discussions are conversations around gender inequality in music, artist responses to industry controversies, and alternatives to the current streaming economy. Speakers include journalist Sonja Eismann, author Rike van Kleef, musician Mine and representatives from unions, labels and independent cultural organisations.
The programme will also feature a reading from Alexander Hacke, who will discuss his memoir 'Krach – Verzerrte Erinnerungen' alongside Frank Spilker, while the newly opened Arsenal Cinema joins the festival as a venue for discussions exploring the relationship between film and music.
Running alongside the talks programme, the festival's Nachwuchs initiative returns to connect 150 emerging creatives with professionals from across the music and cultural sectors through workshops, networking events and mentoring opportunities.
Meanwhile, the live programme continues to grow, with newly announced performances from Boko Yout, deBasement and Deutsche Laichen. The festival will conclude on 30 August with a special event at Berlin's Pierre Boulez Saal, where Icelandic post-rock pioneers múm will debut a new commission, Sonnenuhr, while Anushka Chkheidze and Robert Lippok open the evening with a collaborative performance.
With further additions still to come, Pop-Kultur 2026 is shaping up to be one of the festival's most ambitious editions yet, balancing live music with timely conversations about the future of culture itself.
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