The Original Kiel Poetry Slam

25 Years of Slam Tradition in Kiel

The state capital Kiel has been the Slam capital of Schleswig-Holstein for 25 years — and the Original Kiel Poetry Slam is the oldest regular Slam in the state. The Kiel-based artist and event agency assemble ART, founded in 2002 by Slam veteran Björn Högsdal, is responsible. The venue is the Kulturforum Stadtgalerie at Andreas-Gayk-Straße 31 in Kiel-Mitte — within walking distance of the city center, easily accessible.

Who and What Performs?

Typically, 5–7 word artists perform each Slam evening, each with a self-written text of max. 5 minutes. Open topics — from political satire and personal reflection to absurd comedy. The audience is the jury: after each performance, 5 randomly selected audience members award points. The Slammer with the highest total score wins the evening and receives — in typical Slam tradition — a symbolic prize (whisky, book prize, traveling trophy).

Stage for the Scene's Elite

Björn Högsdal — himself an author, performer, and co-founder of assemble ART — brings top performers from the German-speaking Slam scene to Kiel for the Slams: Northern German stage stars, Slammers from the Swiss and Austrian scenes, and occasionally international guests from Great Britain or the USA. The standard: Bundesliga-level quality, not an open mic night.

Dates 2026

Confirmed Slam dates 2026 in Kiel:

• March 5, 2026 — 7:30 PM
• March 12, 2026 (Status according to RegioActive listing)
• April 9, 2026
• June 11, 2026

Further monthly dates throughout 2026 — current list on assembleart.com.

A Kiel Institution

For two decades, the Original Kiel Poetry Slam has been part of the DNA of Kiel's cultural landscape — comparable to the Renitenztheater in Stuttgart or the Quatsch Comedy Club in Hamburg, in terms of word arts. Anyone who wants to experience high-quality Slam poetry without traveling to Berlin or Munich will find one of the best addresses in Northern Germany here.