globale° – Festival for Transnational Literature
Bremen's international literature festival for multilingual and transnational voices
2026
About globale°
globale° — edition 2026
A Week of Transnational Literature
The 19th globale° follows the proven interdisciplinary concept: Readings, conversations, exhibitions, concerts, films, theatre evenings, symposia, and workshops are spread over seven days across numerous venues in the Hanseatic city. The focus is traditionally on authors who write in multiple languages or whose work is shaped by transnational migration.
Junge globale°
In 2026, the Junge globale° series will again be a central component of the festival: school classes and students will meet authors, discuss climate and literature, identity and language. The workshops and readings will take place in schools, lecture halls, and libraries.
Programme and Registration
The complete programme will be published in late summer 2026. Based on experience, many readings are subject to a fee, while some discussion formats and workshops are free of charge. Events will be presented partly in German and partly in the original languages with translation.
Highlights globale° 2026
Programme globale° 2026
Status of the 2026 Programme
The detailed programme of the 19th globale° with guest lists, reading dates, and venues will, as is customary, only be published in late summer/autumn 2026 on globale-literaturfestival.de as well as in the programme booklet. Specific names and times are therefore not yet available.
This is how the festival is usually structured
globale° runs as a festival week from Monday to Sunday. The schedule follows a recurring pattern based on past editions:
- Opening Ceremony — traditionally in Bremen City Hall, with welcome address and first reading
- Evening Readings and Literary Discussions — Main stage at Theater Bremen (Goetheplatz) and other venues
- Junge globale° — School and university formats (Universität Bremen, schools, district libraries) during the day
- Kulturcampus — Discussion and networking formats with young voices from academia
- Accompanying Programme — Concerts, films, exhibitions, and workshops, partly in cooperation with Instituto Cervantes, Institut français, and Radio Bremen
- Jeanette-Schocken-Prize — The Bremerhaven citizen prize for German-language literature is awarded within the festival context (2025 to Ronya Othmann)
Events are presented partly in German and partly in the original languages with German translation. The exact daily schedule for 2026 will be announced via the official programme.
Prices globale° 2026
Practical information — globale°
Getting There
The main venue is Theater Bremen at Goetheplatz, within walking distance of the main train station. Other venues are spread throughout the city and are well-connected by tram and bus.
Tickets
Individual tickets are available through the advance booking offices of Theater Bremen and other venues. Some events are free of charge.
Programme
The complete programme will be published on the website shortly before the festival begins.
Literature Without Borders in the Hanseatic City
The globale° – Festival for Transnational Literature is one of the most important literature festivals in the German-speaking world, consistently looking beyond national and linguistic borders. Since its founding in 2007, it has brought together writers every year at the end of October whose works tell of transnational experiences, multilingual identity, and literary boundary-crossing. Bremen, designated a City of Literature by UNESCO, provides an ideal stage for the festival.
A Polyphonic Programme Format
The programme of globale° is consistently interdisciplinary: readings and literary conversations are complemented by discussions, exhibitions, concerts, film screenings, theatre evenings, symposia, and workshops. The idea behind it: literature should not remain confined to a quiet reading room but should be experienced as a lively dialogue with other art forms, sciences, and societal debates. With Junge globale°, the festival also specifically targets schools and universities, bringing literature into classrooms, lecture halls, and local libraries.
A Broad Network in the Hanseatic City
The organiser is the association Globale e.V., which works with a dense network of partner institutions: Theater Bremen, Universität Bremen, Radio Bremen, the Instituto Cervantes, the Institut français, and many other players from Bremen's cultural scene support the festival. This diversity of partners is also reflected in the variety of venues – from the main stage at Theater Bremen to the University's premises and smaller bookshops and cafés throughout the city.
Bremen as a Literary Capital
The Hanseatic tradition of world trade and cosmopolitanism finds a contemporary cultural continuation in the globale° Festival. Anyone who comes to Bremen in late October experiences a city dedicated to language, storytelling, and cross-border thinking for an entire weekend.
Where it takes place globale°
globale° at a glance
History of globale°
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