Name: Krake Festival 2026
Start: 2026-06-01T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-06-30T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Berghain & ://about blank (variabel)

Krake

About Krake

For over ten years, Krake Festival has been gracing Berlin's club scene with electronic music off the beaten path: Acid, dark Techno, Experimental, EBM, Noise, Industrial. For one week, the festival spreads across Berghain, ://about blank, Säule, and Panorama Bar — making inclusion its political core. Artists with disabilities are explicitly on stage, not in the audience.

Dates 01 Jun — 30 Jun 2026

Venue Berlin (11000)

Prices —

Status —

Edition 2026

Krake — edition 2026

An edition of Krake Festival for 2026 has been announced by Killekill, but the exact date has not yet been made public. Traditionally held for over a decade, Krake takes place in June, spread over several days and locations (Berghain, ://about blank). The lineup is usually revealed piece by piece in spring 2026.

Krake 2026 is expected to take place again in the second half of June — the festival has followed this rhythm for years, squeezed between Fête de la Musique and Berlin's summer lull. As a rule, the Killekill crew first announces a date, then lineup drops trickle onto Instagram and Soundcloud, before advance ticket sales start about six weeks before the festival begins.

Those who don't want to miss advance sales should subscribe to the mailing list via krake-festival.de or follow @killekill on Instagram. Tickets often sell out quickly, especially for the Berghain opening.

Highlights Krake 2026

Multi-day festival week between Berghain and about blank
Inclusion focus with artists with disabilities in the regular lineup
Acid, Techno, Industrial, Experimental, Live-Modular
Strict no-photo policy, intimate format

Programme Krake 2026

The 2026 program has not yet been released at this time. Structurally, Krake follows a fixed pattern:

Day 1 (Wednesday or Thursday) — Berghain Opening: Concert format, stage lights up around 8 PM, three to five acts, one headliner. Focus: political-conceptual acts, often with an inclusion focus.
Day 2 (Friday) — Break or Workshops: occasionally in off-spaces in Friedrichshain.
Day 3 (Saturday) — Main Night ://about blank: Open Air on the lawn and indoors, from 4 PM until Sunday night, multiple floors, international and local acts mixed.
Day 4 (Sunday) — Closing: also at about blank, often live sets until midnight, closing set on the main floor.

As soon as the date and the first acts are confirmed, they will be updated here. Expect regular Berlin guests from the Killekill, Klakson, and O*RS festival brands, as well as international acts from the dark Techno, Industrial, and Experimental spectrum.

Prices Krake 2026

Tickets will be announced in spring 2026. Based on experience, prices range from €20 (single night at about blank) to €30 (Berghain opening). Weekend passes may be available.

Practical information

Practical information — Krake

Getting There

Berghain: S-Bahn Ostbahnhof. ://about blank: S Ostkreuz. Both locations in Friedrichshain (district Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg).

Tickets

Single tickets from €20–€30, weekend and festival passes available. Advance sales via RA and Berghain.

Important Notes

Strict door policy (Berghain), no photos/videos inside the club, 18+. Krake is explicitly a Safer Space — awareness team on site.

Over Ten Years of Krake

Founded in 2010 by the Berlin-based label and collective Killekill, Krake Festival is one of the longest-running and most distinctive festivals in Berlin's club culture. The name ("Krake" — octopus) says it all: the festival reaches into the most diverse corners of electronic music with its many arms, simultaneously occupying several locations in Friedrichshain. Unlike the commercial open-airs on the outskirts, Krake consciously remains small, curated, and uncomfortable.

Inclusion as an Attitude, Not Marketing

What sets Krake apart is its radical commitment to inclusion. Artists with physical, cognitive, or psychological disabilities perform on stage as equals — not in a special track, but in the regular lineup. Drag Syndrome, the world's first drag collective with Down syndrome from London, opened the festival week in 2024. Berlin acts like Für Elise (from the inclusive music project "Ick Mach Welle!") are regular participants. The festival openly asks: Why are so few artists with disabilities on Berlin's club stages?

The Music

Stylistically, the acts cover a wide spectrum: hard Techno and Acid (Anthony Rother, Minimum Syndicat), experimental Electro, Industrial, EBM, Noise, Drone, Live-Modular. If you're looking for comfortable House or predictable Tech-House, you're in the wrong place — Krake focuses on the challenging, the unfinished, the political.

The Locations

The festival utilizes a rotating constellation of Berghain, Panorama Bar, Säule, and ://about blank — all four located in Friedrichshain or immediately bordering Kreuzberg. Berghain usually hosts the opening with a concert setup (seating, stage), while ://about blank is known for its long Sunday open-airs under the trees, sometimes lasting until midnight. Photo and video ban everywhere.

Berlin and Club Culture

Krake belongs to the ranks of politically ambitious Berlin festivals — alongside CTM, Pop-Kultur, and Wassermusik. While other festivals bundle global headliners, Krake remains rooted in the local and subcultural. Anyone who wants to understand Berlin's club culture beyond the tourist trails will find themselves in the right place here.