Avantgarde Festival Schiphorst

Schiphorst — Avant-garde in the Middle of Schleswig-Holstein

Schiphorst is a tiny municipality in the Duchy of Lauenburg district in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, located between Hamburg and Lübeck. Here, in rural seclusion, Avantgarde Schiphorst e.V. has been organizing one of Northern Germany's most unusual festivals for three decades. The place itself has only a handful of houses — the festival takes place on a farm, which becomes a multidisciplinary stage for the festival days.

30 Years of Experimental Spirit

The festival was founded in 1996 as "Sommersonnenwenden-Fete" by Jean-Hervé Péron, one of the founders of the legendary Krautrock band Faust. His concept was both democratic and radical: a festival "where everyone can come and have fun — from the village grandma to the city punk." Thirty years later, this idea has evolved into one of the most important forums for experimental music and multidisciplinary performance in Germany — without ever abandoning its original spirit.

Motto 2026: "Listening as an Attitude"

The 30th-anniversary celebration bears the motto "Listening as an Attitude". The aspiration: Listening as a conscious practice, as a form of attention and resistance against hectic consumption. Programmatically, this means three days of sound installations, performances, concerts, and discussions, focusing less on effect and more on perception.

Program Spectrum

• Experimental Music — from Krautrock roots (Faust, Embryo) to the latest electronic avant-garde
• Sound Art and Installations on the farm premises
• Performance with international guests
• Painting and Film as parallel exhibition and screening channels
• Physical Listening Club and workshops on the topic of listening

Inclusive and Supported

Children and young people up to 16 years old are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult — a rare gesture in the festival scene. The festival is supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) and Initiative Musik; it is organized by Avantgarde Schiphorst e.V., a non-profit cultural association.