Open the windows and let the fresh air in. At the Schlüterhof of the Humboldt Forum, this idea becomes the name of a festival for the sixth time. Durchlüften – Festival at the Humboldt Forum (09.07.–01.08.2026), a free open-air program that refreshes listening habits. Curator Melissa Perales describes the Schlüterhof as a place where musical and biographical threads come together, shaped by migration, diversity, and the question of how traditions change when they are carried forward. For her, this movement forms the starting point of the program. Under the theme “Living Archives: Cultures in Sound”, 24 live acts and 12 DJs will fill the courtyard over four weekends. Mauritanian desert blues meets electronic sounds, Kurdish poetry meets club music, and Afro-Colombian rhythms meet contemporary bass.
We are especially curious about Seppuku Pistols from Japan, whose taiko punk is rooted in a history all its own. Nana Benz du Togo will also be part of the lineup, named after a group of women in Togo who once built economic networks by importing Mercedes-Benz cars. The band takes up this name and blends it with soul. Then there is Noura Mint Seymali from Mauritania, who brings the desert blues of her heritage into the present, combining electronic elements with traditional playing styles. 100lbs of Summer from Berlin work with reggae grooves, while Charlotte Colace brings together vintage soul and her French-Cuban influences. See you in July at the Schlüterhof, when the courtyard feels as though someone has thrown the windows wide open.
Text: Emma Zylla / Photos: Marlon Hambrusch, Frank Sperling, Tonje
Humboldt Forum, Schloßplatz, 10178 Berlin–Mitte; map
Durchlüften – Open Air at the Schlüterhof 09.07.–01.08.2026.
@humboldtforum
