Kampf der Künste

In the page's words:

Welcome to Europe’s largest poetry slam organizer—and the stage where the best stand-up comedians perform before moving on to even bigger stages!

Since 2005, we’ve been bringing spoken wordto Hamburg’s stages with “Kampf der Künste”—from small clubs to the very largest venues. From the lively atmosphere at the Birdland Jazz Club to the Weinberg Concert Hall at the Elbphilharmonie, from the Zeise Kino to the Schauspielhaus: No two shows are alike, but every one is unforgettable.

What began as a poetry slam has long since evolved into an entire universe of spoken word. In our slam formats, the sharpest voices on the scene compete against one another, performing pieces ranging from five to ten minutes in length, judged by the audience itself. Sometimes it’s brash and raw, sometimes opulent and festive—as at the Best of Poetry Slam Day, our annual mammoth program at the Elbphilharmonie, which presents Germany’s first poetry slam award at the Slam Award Gala.

And because stand-up comedy is booming and we’re celebrating it, KDK Stand Up has been around since 2014: Back then, a certain Hazel Brugger made her debut as a comedienne at our very first stand-up slam. In 2021, we turned it into a standalone label, and since then we’ve been bringing the most fearless young comedians to prestigious venues like the Elbphilharmonie—before they may soon be performing only on the very biggest stages. Bizarre perspectives on our perfectly normal, completely crazy world; bittersweet punchlines about small joys and great miseries.

Whether it’s poetry slam or stand-up: At Kampf der Künste, pros and newcomers, city champions and scene insider picks come together on the same stage—yet always fresh. Our shows are the perfect destination for an evening with friends, a first date, or a company outing that doesn’t end at the bowling alley this time. Anyone who’s been here once knows: Here, people don’t just listen—they cheer, laugh, and empathize along with the performers—and that’s exactly why we’ve been Europe’s largest provider of poetry slam and stage literature for 20 years.