KONTAKTFELD Festival

KONTAKTFELD Festival enters its second round

Music, literature and political perspectives on October 10, 2026 at Zeche Carl Essen
Following the successful premiere in 2025, the Essen-based cultural collective KONTAKTFELD is organizing the second edition of its festival at Zeche Carl Essen on 10 October 2026. The one-day program combines six live acts, a reading, cultural-political discussions and vegan street food to create a festival between subculture, social exchange and musical diversity.

KONTAKTFELD Festival sees itself as a place for resistant and diverse contemporary culture, an alternative to commercial, male-dominated line-ups. Between post-punk, new wave, electronic sounds and experimental pop aesthetics, the festival brings together artists who combine musical innovation with a social stance. The programmatic focus is on FLINTA and mixed-gender acts as well as independent artistic positions beyond conventional festival structures.

Musically, the festival moves between angry punk, dream pop, electronic club aesthetics and experimental wave - spread over two stages and several rooms at Zeche Carl. One of the international highlights is Camille Jansen (FR/UK), whose debut album The Loose Screws received a lot of attention from BBC 6 Music, among others. The Dutch band L.A. Sagne combines raw punk energy with garage rock and a riot grrrl attitude. Also from the Netherlands are VALS ALARM, who fuse EBM, wave and punk into an uncompromising live sound.

With the GiGi Girls, the festival presents a danceable mix of synth-punk, electroclash and Italo-pop influences. SMILE combine post-punk with elements of gothic rock and new wave, creating a dark yet emotionally charged sound. Ulla Suspekt moves between NDW references, electroclash and feminist attitudes.

In addition to music, the festival remains true to its interdisciplinary approach. The author Clara Umbach will read from her novel 'Pizza Orlando' (2025). Author Franziska Gänsler writes about the book: "Pizza Orlando is reflection and dialog, remembering and wanting to understand. Love, suffering, passion - an incredibly moving text."

The festival also remains committed to its political and social aspirations outside of the concerts. Awareness structures, fair admission prices and voluntary cultural work remain at the heart of the KONTAKTFELD concept. Vegan street food and local initiatives complement the cultural program.

"With the second festival edition, we want to create a space in which music, political perspectives and solidarity-based cultural practice naturally belong together. Especially in times of increasing social division, independent cultural venues are more important than ever."
- CONTACT FIELD

Whether loud or quiet, screaming or dancing: KONTAKTFELD sees itself as a place for encounters, exchange and collective experiences, as a warm antithesis to social isolation.

15€/20€/25€ (reduced/regular/support) plus fees Start: 5:00 pm

Live:
Camille Jansen (FR/UK)
GiGi Girls (DE)
L.A. Sagne (NL)
SMILE (DE)
Ulla Suspekt (DE)
VALS ALARM (NL) Reading: Clara Umbach, Pizza Orlando (2025)

Talk: tba

Vegan Food: Dooby`s Vegan Streetfood

Awareness: ClubCareCrew

Supported by Kulturamt Stadt Essen
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Tickets: https://tickets.kontaktfeld.de/kontaktfeld/festival2026/
Web: https://kontaktfeld.de/festival
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/kontaktfeld/