Harmonica FEN Festival 2026

From 29 to 31 May 2026, international musicians will bring the harmonica to the stage of the Kesselhaus in Berlin's Kulturbrauerei in a wide variety of genres.

Artistic directors Sören Birke and Eric Dann, together with festival director Julia Thurau, will present an impressive variety of sounds: Indian ragas meet old-time grooves, jazz takes on a classical or oriental tone, accompanied by country, Chicago and Brazilian blues, as well as folk from Finland.


The focus is on genre diversity and the joy of music. Already in its second edition, the festival has become a meeting place for international musicians.


‘The HARMONICA FEN FESTIVAL is a place for everyone who is ready to be amazed and to encounter new things with curiosity,’ says Julia Thurau.
Internationally renowned virtuosos will perform at the 2026 festival:

old-time musician Seth Shumate (USA), Belgian-Israeli jazz musician Yotam Ben-Or, blues icon Keith Dunn (NL/USA), young Indian musician Shubhranil Sarkar, Hermine Deurloo from the Netherlands (jazz), Swedish country blues band John Henry led by harmonica player Mikael Bäckman, Finnish quartet Sväng and young Brazilian Indiara Sfair.

The Free Reeds All Star Quartet will bring four instruments with striking reeds to the stage at the end of the HARMONICA FEN FESTIVAL, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the first ‘Zungenschlagfestivals’ in Berlin in 1996.


The festival

• Three evenings, each with three concerts featuring top-class performers
• Late-night jam sessions for everyone on Friday and Saturday
• Masterclasses and workshops on Saturday and Sunday
• Jam session in the beer garden of the Frannz Club on Sunday – free of charge and outdoors