NRW-SLAM 2026 – Die Poetry Slam Landesmeisterschaft | Halbfinale Velbert

The big semi-final of the biggest state poetry slam championship of all time! The contestants had one year to qualify, 72 of them made it to neanderland, 8 of them are now in the spectacular semi-final in Velbert.

Moderation: Jean-Philippe Kindler
Featured Artist: Tabea Farnbacher (national award winner for young authors)

Now it's all about the big dream of reaching the final! And in the city's most popular location - the Forum Velbert. The newly renovated building is a venue for a wide variety of arts, a meeting place for the entire region and a firm anchor in Velbert life - now the Forum is the venue for the epic semi-final of the NRW Championships!

The hottest stage format packed exclusively with the best slam poets from the wonderful state of North Rhine-Westphalia! In the broad field between poetry, comedy, cabaret and prose, a scene has developed in which the big stars generate internet hype, are TV stars and at the same time hungry newcomers are constantly providing surprises - all on a shared stage.

Once an insider tip, this format has long since earned itself a reputation: Poetry slam is a party, poetry slam is emotion, poetry slam is always absolutely unique. Here, the concentrated power of words and performance ecstasy knocks you off your seats, volleys of poetry plough meteorically into your memory, guaranteed sore laughing muscles, and not only that: since 2016, the modern poetry competitions have been officially recognized as intangible UNESCO cultural heritage.

Line-up:

+++ The draw will take place the day before +++

You can find more information about the championship at www.nrwslam.de