Beyond Carnations and Chocolates

A Feminist Statement for Women's Day

Every March 8th is politically charged in Berlin. While the city has official status as a federal state with a statutory Women's Day holiday (since 2019), for over ten years, FLINTA* artists, organizers, and audiences have gathered around March 8th at Club Gretchen, one of Berlin's most important hip-hop clubs. The festival's title says it all: Jenseits von Nelken und Pralinen – meaning beyond the depoliticized, commercialized Women's Day folklore – the focus is on FLINTA* voices, which are often systematically overlooked in hip-hop, rap, and electronic music.

11th Edition on March 7, 2026

On Saturday, March 7, 2026, the festival enters its 11th edition. Admission is at 7:00 PM at Club Gretchen, Obentrautstraße 19-21, 10963 Berlin-Kreuzberg. Around 600 visitors are expected. The festival sees itself as a musical manifesto, highlighting diversity in themes, backgrounds, languages, and identities.

2026 Program – Focus on the Balkan Region

In 2026, the curatorial team is placing a special focus on artists from the Balkan region, whose artistic perspectives are underrepresented in public discourse. First confirmed acts:

• Fraw Blanka (Slovenia) – Rap, distinctive linguistic aesthetics between Slovenian and English
• Gani (Romania) – electronic beats, spoken word, queer hip-hop scene of Bucharest
• Huda (Spain/Morocco) – Arabic-language rap tradition with Andalusian influences
• Further acts will be announced in advance

FLINTA* Format

The festival explicitly addresses FLINTA* (Women, Lesbians, Intersex, Non-binary, Trans, and Agender people) as performers. The audience is open, and the festival practices awareness concepts in the evening (awareness team, defined safer space rules). Solidarity tickets with a freely selectable amount enable socially tiered access.

Club Gretchen – Berlin's Hip-Hop Bastion

For over 15 years, Club Gretchen on Obentrautstraße in the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district has been one of Berlin's central clubs for hip-hop, drum & bass, and bass music. The festival utilizes its two floors and underground brick architecture for a concentrated, intimate atmosphere.

Organizer: JVNUP Festival e. V.

Behind the festival is the collective JVNUP Festival e. V., based at Schreinerstraße 47, 10247 Berlin. The collective consists mainly of FLINTA* individuals from Berlin's hip-hop and booking scene. The association structure ensures eligibility for funding and the solidarity ticketing system.