ELLE & L's Festival Berlin

Europe's First Attempt at a Truly Female Festival

In recent years, the gender imbalance in festival line-ups worldwide has become a scandalous topic — many festivals have mandated 50/50 quotas, but hardly any major multi-genre festival in Europe has dared to take the radical step of consistently featuring only female artists for the entire program. ELLE & L's Festival makes the attempt in Berlin in 2026 — as the European premiere of a concept that has early precedents in the USA and Great Britain. Two days, three stages, all acts cast with a focus on female artists, spanning across genres.

Hip-Hop, Pop, Afrobeats, and More

The musical spectrum is deliberately broad: Hip-Hop and Rap as the heavyweight, plus Pop, Afrobeats, R&B, electronic music, and more experimental crossover formats. With this, the festival breaks away from the genre limitations of many female-focused festivals (typically singer-songwriter heavy) and positions itself as a true multi-genre format — created with a focus on female artists, but for all music lovers.

Three Stages at Columbiadamm

The venues are the Columbiahalle and the neighboring Columbia Theater at Columbiadamm 9-21 in Berlin-Tempelhof (postal code 10965, on the border with Kreuzberg). The Columbiahalle, with around 3,500 seats, is one of Berlin's largest indoor concert venues, while the Columbia Theater is a smaller, more intimate stage in the adjacent building. Between them, an outdoor area with a third stage, food trucks, and chill zones will be created — perfect for the summer festival atmosphere at the end of August.

Premium Service with an Inclusion Focus

The organizers are focusing on a well-thought-out premium service: accessible infrastructure, good sanitary facilities, family and children's areas (with parental accompaniment for those under 16), lockers, and clear safety concepts. The age restriction is 16+ — younger visitors can attend with a guardian. Program starts at 3 PM, doors open at 2 PM — the festival is an afternoon and evening format that makes the most of the summer daylight.