SommerStart Köln-Deutz — Cultural Festival

Culture in Right-Bank Cologne

While Cologne's tourist attention is focused on the left-bank Old Town with its Cathedral and Kranhäuser, the right-bank district of Deutz has developed into a vibrant cultural hub in recent years. Since 2011, the association deutzkultur e.V. has organized SommerStart annually — a festival that fills the district with music, literature, visual arts, photography, film, and dance. 2026 marks the 16th edition, and the aid organization OASE celebrates its 40th anniversary in parallel.

2026 Program — Seven Days of District Culture

Friday, May 29 — Opening Evening at Holzhalle Deutzer Hafen

Three musical acts in the Holzhalle at Deutzer Hafen. DJ Edgar provides the interlude sets. Food and drinks available on-site. Accompanied by the 40th-anniversary celebration of the aid organization OASE for homeless people.

Saturday, May 30 — DRAUSSENSEITER City Tour

Guided city tour with DRAUSSENSEITER — street paper vendors, formerly homeless. They offer their insider perspective on Deutz, beyond tourist clichés. A rare opportunity to experience urban history from the ground up.

Sunday, May 31 — Art Exhibition at St. Heribert

Artist Lucie Gorzolka presents a photo-textile collage on the architectural and social dimensions of Deutz in St. Heribert Church.

Monday, June 1 — Poetry Slam at Brauhaus ohne Namen

Poetry slam competition with prizes, moderated by Alexander Bach. At Brauhaus ohne Namen — the right-bank stage for spoken word.

Tuesday to Thursday, June 2–4 — Music Trio

• Palm Bay Frost — acoustic folk
• Katie & The Swing Aces — vintage swing
• String trio with Beethoven, Schubert, and Kodály

OASE Celebrates 40 Years

The aid organization OASE has been committed to homeless and housingless people in Cologne since 1986. SommerStart 2026 uses the anniversary as a connecting theme: social issues, district culture, and artistic diversity merge into a festive week that is more than just entertainment.

Deutz as a District

Cologne-Deutz is the oldest right-bank district of the city, founded as a Roman fort "Divitia" in the 4th century. Today, it's a mix of industry (Deutz AG), residential areas, office high-rises (KölnTriangle, LANXESS Arena), and neighborhood culture. The Deutzer Hafen waterfront is currently being developed into a new quarter — the Holzhalle serves as a temporary cultural center for this transformation.

deutzkultur e.V.

The association deutzkultur e.V. was founded in 2010 and sees itself as a mouthpiece and organizer of right-bank culture. The annual SommerStart is its flagship event — free, diverse, decentralized. An antithesis to Cologne's commercial event calendar.