lücken_los – queerfeminist festival

A festival that asks questions

„Feminist questions, learns, acts“ – with this triad, the lücken_los festival in Merseburg has found a firm place in the queerfeminist event landscape of Central Germany since 2024. Organized by Merseburg's sowas e.V., the festival brings together activists, researchers, artists, and an interested audience once a year at the House of Generations on Roßmarkt – in the heart of the cathedral city, right in the middle of the Saalekreis district (Saxony-Anhalt).

One day, one attitude

The program follows a proven concept: During the day, workshops and lectures on changing focal points – queerfeminist theory, self-defense, activism, body politics, collective memory work, art and cultural practice. In the evening, concerts, performances, and open spaces for encounters. Access is low-threshold: prior knowledge is not necessary, the House of Generations is barrier-free, and the festival expressly sees itself as an invitation, not a closed circle.

Filling a gap in the Saalekreis

Merseburg is a city where queer and feminist spaces do not naturally exist. The festival addresses precisely this void: It aims to make individuals of marginalized genders visible as speakers and workshop leaders, strengthen local networks, and create a space for the exchange of knowledge, experience, and political practice. The geographical location – a few kilometers from Halle (Saale), in a region between a university city and its industrial surroundings – is part of the concept: Queer feminism doesn't just happen in big cities.

From the association for the region

Behind the festival is sowas e.V. – a Merseburg cultural association that has been dedicated to queerfeminist education and encounter work for years. The lücken_los festival is its most visible project, complemented by a year-round series of events with readings, film nights, and meetings.