Reeperbahn Festival 2026: First Speakers & Guest Country Unveiled
Reeperbahn Festival has announced the first speakers for its 2026 conference, taking place in Hamburg, Germany, Sept. 16-19, as well as the first-ever Guest Country of Honor, which is Ukraine.
The initial lineup of speakers features Inga Esseling, Director Touring at FKP Scorpio, who will offer insights into the realities of artist booking and career development in a session presented by German promoters association BDKV.
The session is titled “Wer glaubt zuerst an den Act?” (“Who believes in the act first?”), and Esseling will be joined by fellow industry experts yet to be announced to discuss real-world booking cases and talk about the signals that truly matter when identifying emerging talent.
Pat Carr, whose work has helped shape the careers of artists including Blondie and alt-J, Isabel Levin, A&R of the acclaimed independent label True Panther, home to groundbreaking artists such as King Krule and OklouTogether, and Philipp Lützenburger from SwipeUp Marketing will explore how grassroots engagement, loyal audiences, and authentic connections are increasingly shaping cultural movements and long-term success.
More speakers are expected to join this session, dubbed “Beyond Gatekeeping – How communities are taking control of marketing”.
Anne Brorhilker, former senior public prosecutor and one of Germany’s most well-known financial investigators, will take the stage for a timely discussion on international tax policy, global power structures, and economic fairness.
Meanwhile, Frances Fox, founder of Climate Live and one of the most influential young voices connecting music and climate activism, will open Sustain! on Thursday, Sept. 17. with a keynote, addressing the following question: is sustainability still a moral add-on – or has it become an economic necessity?
As part of Reeperbahn Festival, Sustain! brings together The Changency, Green Events Hamburg, Initiative Barrierefrei Feiern and NeNe – Network for Neurodivergent Music Professionals. Sustain! will comprise five sessions on the Thursday. Aside from Fox’s opening keynote, they include “The +1 Phenomenon: Climate Change on the Guest List,”
discussing extreme weather risks and share strategies for building climate-resilient festivals; “Inclusion as Cultural Policy,” examining why participation needs to be structurally embedded; “Visibility of Artists with Disabilities”; as well as a workshop on designing the ideal festival for neurodivergent audiences.
While Reeperbahn Festival has featured country spotlights in the past, this year marks the first time, a official Guest Country of Honor is introduced, with Ukraine becoming the first country to receive this recognition.
Represented by Music Export Ukraine, the initiative highlights countries that excel in talent development, innovation, and the international growth of their music industries.
As part of the program, Ukraine will present a diverse delegation of artists and music industry professionals, including GANNA, who blends Ukrainian folk traditions with contemporary electronics; Maryna Krut, known for her modern interpretation of the traditional bandura, and rising pop artist Kazhanna.
The delegation will also include leading industry representatives such as Rumezhak Agency and independent label pomitni, reflecting the strength and international ambition of Ukraine’s music ecosystem.
The Guest Country of Honour aligns closely with this year’s Reeperbahn Festival conference theme “Forever Legit?”, which explores cultural relevance, sustainability, and social responsibility in today’s music industry.
A dedicated conference session, “Music beyond the stage: When artists take on new roles,” will examine how artists and cultural professionals take on new societal roles during times of crisis, highlighting the power of music and culture to foster resilience, connection, and democratic values.
Other Reeperbahn Festival 2026 highlights include the Future Talents Day hosted hosting in partnership with the BDKV, where students can pose questions regarding a career in the music biz that’ll be answered by industry pros.
And, for the ninth time, Reeperbahn Festival will present the International Music Journalism Award (IMJA) to recognize “outstanding individual work, ongoing relevance and bold new formats” in categories such as Best Music Journalist and Best Music Journalism of the Year.
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