PEOPLE Festival

Im Funkhaus Berlin treffen internationale Musiker in einem kollaborativen Prozess aufeinander. Über mehrere Tage entstehen in den Studios neue Kompositionen, die anschließend in den Konzertsälen öffentlich aufgeführt werden. Das Programm verzichtet auf feste Line-ups oder Zeitpläne. Wer auf welcher Bühne spielt, zeigt sich erst im Moment des Auftritts. Diese Struktur lässt den Fokus auf dem spontanen Entstehungsprozess der Musik liegen. Die Konzerte finden in den Räumlichkeiten des ehemaligen DDR-Rundfunkzentrums statt. Das Setting bewegt sich zwischen intimen Studios und großen Sälen, wobei die Akustik des Hauses den Rahmen für die experimentellen Darbietungen bildet.

A NEW PEOPLE CHAPTER AT FUNKHAUS For one week, 180 international musicians from a wide range of backgrounds come together in 40 studios to improvise, compose and create new musical worlds. No one knows in advance what will emerge. We promise nothing and expect everything. Over the festival weekend, this collective work is shared with the public for the first time: more than 200 concerts unfold across 11 stages, each running for twelve hours. Live music in its most honest form, performed in intimate studios as well as in the grand concert halls of the historic former East German broadcasting centre. MUSIC WITHOUT THE MACHINE. UP CLOSE AND IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. PEOPLE deliberately does away with a traditional line-up and a pre-announced schedule. Visitors only find out who is taking the stage at the moment the concert begins. This creates encounters without predetermined plans or expectations — open to surprises, new favourite artists and one-of-a-kind musical moments. The festival rejects hierarchies, commercial logic and profit-driven thinking. All ticket revenue is used exclusively to cover costs, creating an independent space for artistic freedom and genuine collaboration. ORIGINS PEOPLE was founded by a circle of friends around Aaron and Bryce Dessner, Justin Vernon, Ryan Olson, and Nadine and Tom Michelberger. Their shared vision: to create a place where music can emerge beyond algorithms, marketing and the routines of the festival industry. At its heart is not a perfectly rehearsed performance, but the act of creating together. New bands come together, songs emerge spontaneously and musical boundaries dissolve. Every performance is a premiere — and will never happen in quite the same way again. LOCATION Funkhaus Berlin provides a unique setting for this experience. Its legendary broadcasting halls and extraordinary acoustics turn the former East Berlin broadcasting centre into a place where music can be experienced anew throughout a labyrinth of intimate studios and large-scale concert halls. PEOPLE is for everyone who doesn’t just want to listen to music, but wants to experience its creation live. Those willing to embrace the unknown will become part of a weekend filled with inspiration, intimacy and unforgettable encounters. We open our doors and our hearts to whatever moves us, and invite you to share this weekend with us. Expect the surprise. Expect no one. And in the end, find everything.