at.tension Festival

The younger sister festival of Fusion

The at.tension Festival was launched in 2003 by Kulturkosmos Müritz e.V., the same association behind the Fusion Festival. While Fusion is a huge music festival, at.tension focuses on performing arts: theatre, circus, performance, dance, puppet theatre. With around 10,000 visitors and over 700 artists, it is significantly more compact than Fusion – but similarly artistically radical and non-commercial.

Programme Concept

Over four days, the performances are spread across dozens of venues: former aircraft hangars, open-air stages along the old runway, circus tents, cinema halls, reading rooms, and improvised performance spaces. Disciplines alternate seamlessly: contemporary dance next to street theatre, puppet theatre next to experimental performance, philosophical readings next to live concerts. Each festival follows a guiding theme that artists address in their submissions.

Theme 2026: Light and Dark

The eleventh edition in 2026 is under the motto »Light↔Dark« and explores the interplay of light and shadow in art and society. A programme combining light installations, shadow performances, blacklight theatre, and reflective performances is expected.

Local Context

Lärz in the Mecklenburg Lake District is one of the least densely populated regions in Germany – the rural tranquility and the former NVA military landscape are precisely part of its charm. Like Fusion, at.tension will also take a seasonal break in 2027 and will not return until 2028.