MaerzMusik 2027 – Berlin, Germany

Overview

MaerzMusik 2027 will take place from 12 to 21 March 2027 in Berlin, bringing contemporary music, sound art, experimental performance, installations, music theatre, film and discussion formats to venues across the city. The festival is organised by Berliner Festspiele and is centred at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, with additional events taking place at other cultural spaces in Berlin.

Unlike a conventional music festival built around a large headline stage, MaerzMusik focuses on contemporary approaches to listening and sound. Its programme brings together composers, musicians, performers, sound artists and interdisciplinary practitioners whose work explores how music can be experienced in different physical, technological and artistic environments.

The 2027 programme has not yet been announced. Berliner Festspiele states that the programme will be published in January 2027, so individual artists, performances, installations and ticket prices should be checked once the full programme is released.

What Makes This Event Special

MaerzMusik is particularly distinctive because it treats music as more than a traditional concert experience. The festival combines concerts with performances, sound installations, music theatre, films and discussion formats, creating opportunities to experience contemporary music in different ways.

The festival has developed a strong connection with Berlin’s wider contemporary-art and experimental-music community. Rather than keeping every event inside a single concert hall, MaerzMusik regularly uses galleries, churches, industrial spaces, cultural institutions and other unusual locations.

Listening itself is an important theme. Some performances are designed around spatial sound, electronics, improvisation or unusual instruments, while other projects combine music with architecture, visual art, technology or performance.

Recent editions have demonstrated this broad approach. The 2026 festival, for example, included large-scale works, installations and performances involving more than 150 artists, with 16 world premieres presented during the 10-day programme. These examples give an indication of the artistic scope of MaerzMusik, but they should not be interpreted as a confirmed preview of the 2027 programme.

Lineup / Featured Artists

The MaerzMusik 2027 lineup has not yet been announced. Berliner Festspiele has confirmed that the complete programme will appear in January 2027.

For visitors planning a trip before the programme release, it is useful to look at the type of artists and projects presented in recent editions rather than assuming that previous performers will return.

The 2026 edition included internationally recognised contemporary artists and ensembles such as Meredith Monk, Ellen Fullman, JACK Quartet, Klangforum Wien, Florentin Ginot, Okkyung Lee, Juliet Fraser, Viola Yip, Ken Ueno, Jan St. Werner and KNM Berlin. The programme also included new commissions and world premieres. These names belong to the 2026 edition and are provided only to illustrate the festival’s artistic direction. They are not confirmed performers for MaerzMusik 2027.

Event Experience

A visit to MaerzMusik can feel quite different from attending a conventional concert festival. Depending on the programme, visitors may encounter traditional seated performances, immersive sound environments, installations, experimental performances, talks or events in unconventional spaces.

The festival also encourages audiences to explore different parts of Berlin. Previous editions have used locations ranging from major cultural institutions to churches, galleries and industrial buildings. The Library of MaerzMusik is another part of the festival concept. It provides a space for conversations, listening sessions, lectures, panels and encounters between artists and visitors. Some associated activities are offered as part of the festival’s wider public programme.

Because individual events can have very different formats, visitors should read the description of each performance before booking. A concert may involve conventional seating, while another event may require walking around an installation or experiencing sound in a particular environment.

Date & Schedule

MaerzMusik 2027 is scheduled for:

12–21 March 2027

The festival will run for ten days. Individual performance dates and times have not yet been published.

The official programme is scheduled for release in January 2027. Once published, it should provide the complete schedule of concerts, performances, installations, screenings, discussions and other festival activities.

Visitors travelling specifically for MaerzMusik should therefore avoid planning their trip around individual artists until the 2027 programme has been released.

Visiting this event? Don’t miss out on these amazing activities and local experiences while you’re here.

Location & Venue

The principal festival venue for MaerzMusik 2027 will be the Haus der Berliner Festspiele at Schaperstraße 24 in Berlin. The festival will also use other locations around the city. The Haus der Berliner Festspiele is in the Wilmersdorf area and is well connected to Berlin’s public transport network. The nearby Spichernstraße area provides access to underground services and buses.

Previous MaerzMusik editions have also used venues such as Radialsystem, silent green, SAVVY Contemporary, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, St. Elisabeth-Kirche, Parochialkirche, Akademie der Künste, MaHalla and locations associated with Berlin’s universities and cultural institutions. The exact list of 2027 venues will become clearer when the full programme is released.

Event History

MaerzMusik has a long history within Berlin’s contemporary-music scene. The festival succeeded the Musik-Biennale Berlin, an international festival for contemporary music that was founded in East Berlin in 1967.

The Musik-Biennale was incorporated into the Berliner Festspiele structure in 1991. MaerzMusik was introduced under its current name in 2002 as an annual festival for contemporary music.

Between 2015 and 2022, the festival was known as MaerzMusik – Festival for Time Issues, reflecting a broader exploration of music, time and contemporary cultural questions.

Since September 2022, Kamila Metwaly has served as Artistic Director. Under her direction, the festival has continued to combine contemporary music with sound art, performance, experimentation, installation and interdisciplinary artistic practices. The festival’s 2026 edition was its 25th edition and featured more than 150 participating artists, 28 concerts and 16 world premieres. The next edition will continue this ongoing exploration of contemporary music and sound.

Getting to the Event

Berlin has an extensive public transportation network, making it practical to travel between the festival’s different venues without a car. For events at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, visitors can use the U-Bahn to Spichernstraße and continue on foot. Berlin’s buses also provide connections to the area.

Visitors arriving from outside Berlin can reach the city by long-distance train, with Berlin Hauptbahnhof serving as the principal central railway station. Berlin Brandenburg Airport is the city’s main international airport and is connected to the city by regional rail and other public transport services. Because MaerzMusik can take place at multiple venues, it is important to check the address of each individual event rather than assuming that all performances will be at the main festival building.

Where to Stay Nearby

Staying in central or west-central Berlin can make it easier to reach the Haus der Berliner Festspiele while still providing convenient access to the city’s other cultural districts.

The areas around Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf, Schöneberg, Tiergarten and Mitte offer a wide selection of hotels, apartments and other accommodation. Visitors who plan to attend events at several different venues may prefer accommodation close to an S-Bahn or U-Bahn connection rather than choosing a hotel solely based on walking distance to the main venue.

For a multi-day festival visit, staying somewhere with easy public transport connections can be particularly useful because MaerzMusik events may be spread across different parts of Berlin. It is also worth booking accommodation early if travelling during the festival period, especially when the final programme attracts visitors from outside Germany.

Things to Do Before or After the Event

MaerzMusik provides a good opportunity to combine contemporary music with Berlin’s wider cultural attractions.

Before an evening performance, visitors can explore areas such as Kurfürstendamm, Tiergarten, Charlottenburg or the museums and galleries around central Berlin. Depending on the venue, the Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island, Berlin Cathedral, Gendarmenmarkt and other major attractions can also be incorporated into a city itinerary.

Berlin is particularly well suited to visitors interested in contemporary art, architecture, history and experimental culture. Many of the institutions associated with MaerzMusik are themselves destinations worth exploring. If you are attending for several days, leaving some unscheduled time between performances is worthwhile. The festival’s distributed format means that travelling between venues can become part of the overall experience.

Restaurants & Dining Nearby

Berlin offers an exceptionally broad dining scene, ranging from traditional German food to international cuisine, vegetarian restaurants, contemporary dining and casual street food. Around the main festival area, visitors can find restaurants and cafés in Wilmersdorf, Charlottenburg and Schöneberg, while central Berlin provides an even wider selection.

If your MaerzMusik performance begins in the evening, allow enough time for dinner and travel. Some experimental performances may take place in venues outside the central tourist districts, where restaurant choices immediately around the venue can be more limited. For popular restaurants, reservations are advisable, particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings during the festival.

Ticket Information

Ticket information for MaerzMusik 2027 has not yet been fully published. The official festival information states that the 2027 programme will be released in January 2027, after which visitors can check the individual event schedule and ticket details.

Prices can vary according to the type of event, venue and seating arrangement. MaerzMusik’s programme can include conventional concerts as well as installations, performances and other formats, so not every event necessarily follows the same ticketing structure.

Visitors should check the official Berliner Festspiele ticket information once the 2027 programme is available, particularly for advance booking dates, concessions, accessibility arrangements and any festival passes or combined-ticket options.

Tips Before You Go

Check the complete 2027 programme before making detailed travel plans. Since MaerzMusik uses multiple venues, the location of a particular performance can be just as important as its start time.

Allow additional travel time between events, especially when scheduling two performances on the same day. Berlin’s public transport network is extensive, but different festival venues can be several kilometres apart. Read event descriptions carefully. A MaerzMusik performance may be a seated concert, standing performance, installation, screening, discussion or an experimental combination of several formats.

If you are interested in several performances, consider planning your visit around the overall festival programme rather than selecting only one headline event. The festival’s appeal lies partly in the variety of artistic approaches presented throughout the ten-day period. Finally, check accessibility information for each individual venue. Berliner Festspiele provides accessibility details for its festival locations, but arrangements can differ depending on the building and event.

Official Event Information

MaerzMusik is organised by Berliner Festspiele and is scheduled for 12–21 March 2027 in Berlin.

The main festival location is the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, with additional venues around the city. The 2027 programme is scheduled to be published in January 2027.

Because the programme, artist lineup and individual event details are not yet available, visitors should rely on the official festival information for the latest 2027 announcements rather than using previous-year programmes as confirmed information.