L/OST Poetry Festival

Alte Segeltuchfabrik Cottbus — a 'lost place' as a venue

The Alte Segeltuchfabrik (Old Sailcloth Factory) at Wilhelm-Külz-Straße 15 is a historic industrial building in the centre of Cottbus. Sailcloth and technical fabrics were produced here until 1989 — today, the factory is a temporary cultural venue: concerts, theatre, exhibitions, festivals. The raw industrial atmosphere — concrete floors, high halls, brickwork, visible beams — is its trademark and gives the L/OST festival its characteristic backdrop.

L/OST Poetry — an international spoken word platform

The L/OST Poetry Festival positions itself as a bridge between the word art scenes of Central and Eastern Europe. Artists on stage come from:

• East Germany (Berlin, Leipzig, Saxony, Brandenburg)
• East Belgium (German-speaking community of Belgium)
• Poland
• Ukraine
• USA
• Czech Republic

The format mixes spoken word, rap, readings, performance, and experimental music. 'Strings and beats. Spoken word and rap. Readings and performance. Industry and word art' — this is how the organisers describe the concept.

Solidarity with sklad5 art gallery (Cherkasy)

A special dimension is the cooperation with the Ukrainian initiative sklad5 art gallery from Cherkasy. The L/OST Festival sees itself as a 'contribution to solidarity, cultural exchange, and democratic coexistence in times of political tension'. Some of the performances are dedicated to Ukrainian voices, with German translation or multilingual performances.

Programme July 16th-18th, 2026 — Doors open 6:30 PM

Daily start at 6:30 PM (doors open), programme begins at 7:00 PM. Several acts per evening on the main stage of the Alte Segeltuchfabrik, supplemented by slot performances and open mic formats for newcomers. The organiser is the Spoken Word Akademie from Cottbus.

Brandenburg's Poetry Festival

L/OST is one of the few Brandenburg literary festivals with an international focus and an explicit performance component. Those looking for spoken word, contemporary poetry, and political word art will find a unique platform here in the region.