Festival

20 years c/o pop    26.—30. April 2023    20 years c/o pop    26.—30. April 2023    20 years c/o pop    26.—30. April 2023    20 years c/o pop    26.—30. April 2023    20 years c/o pop    26.—30. April 2023    20 years c/o pop    26.—30. April 2023    20 years c/o pop    26.—30. April 2023    20 years c/o pop    26.—30. April 2023    20 years c/o pop    26.—30. April 2023    20 years c/o pop    26.—30. April 2023

20 years of c/o pop -
celebrate with us!

From April 26 to 30, 2023, we'll be setting all the signs to J for anniversary - WE'LL BE 20!!! Two decades ago, we set out to flood Cologne's cultural landscape with lots of pop-cultural content and wanted to involve as many institutions, labels, clubs and, above all, artists as possible - from Cologne, NRW, Germany and, at best, worldwide. We have come a little closer to this goal with each passing year. In the meantime, the closed Venloer Straße is out of bounds for one weekend in April. And always at our side: You! <3 The programme will be wild, colourful and diverse as never before. So come around and celebrate our 20th birthday with us!

©Malli

Next confirmed shows

Rising star of the day on Amazon Music, appearances on "ARD-Morgenmagazin" and "Inas Nacht" - the German pop poet Wilhelmine has really turned the screw on her success in recent years. Here you can experience her again on a small scale before she soon fills large halls exclusively. If you're more into electronic, spherical indie than German pop, open the door to Zimmer90 and check out the three guys from Stuttgart. Wa22ermann, who is a woman by the way, shapes authentic songs with elements of drill and trap from parts of her everyday life in Berlin, fat 808 basses, slamming punchlines and synthetic soundscapes. Black Sea Dahu aka Janine Cathrein has packed seven dreamy new indiefolk singer-songwriter-chamber pop songs onto her new album that deal with empathy, acceptance and relationships of all kinds. TEMMIS from Tübingen combine dark synth-pop with cool disco elements and melancholic shreds from the 80s in the spirit of the new New German Wave. Also listen to PANTHA, QuinzeQuinze, SALÒ, Akne Kid Joe, BEVN, BROCKHOFF, nand, Emicida, Istanbul Ghetto Club, AUGN, Levin Liam, Berq, Susan O'Neill, zeck, Dottie Andersson, NZE NZE, CHRISTL, Bibi Club, KhakiKid, Johnnie Carwash, EASY EASY, Fernie, Harrison McClary and Socalled.

©Iris Häberli

Readings, Comedy & Co.

Since Mental Health is still a topic for us, too, we have put together a corresponding festival package especially for you. We present a talk with the successful influencer Nadine Breaty and her mental health guidebook "Only Kind of Broken", Doreen Wilde - known on social media as dodipi - who reads with us from her first novel "Bauchschmerzen im Kopf", while the former "youngest fashion designer in Germany" aka Leni Bolt, who became a life coach after a burn-out, presents her guidebook "Work, Life, Love - Three Phases to a Work-Life Balance", which will be published this summer. Away from advice, you can also watch Robin Solf and Miss Ivanka T. from the GAG podcast, who give insights into the LGBTQI+ scene, or the drag performance "SAY MY NAME I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT THE FAME" with Venus Bizarre, Love Audacity, Farid Audacity or the improv stand-up comedy show "Ich hab da mal nichts vorbereitet".

Our Festival Saturday and Sunday

In many off-locations, cafés, small shops and pubs such as EDP, Café Ain, Franky's Bar, LoFi and many other shops on Venloer Straße, which was closed especially for the festival weekend, we will present the following newcomers - and our programme is then complete: Paula Carolina, Rolf Blumig, Blush Always, Rasco, Rosa Lee Luna, Byrd Dhillon, Blushy AM, Tigrrez Punch, Negisa, Soft Loft, metty, Teeya Lamée, Moon Mates and YUUN. By the way, with Kurs Valüt, Disappeared Completely and KEBU, there are also three bands from Ukraine.

We also have more Experience Programme along Venloer Straße: Siegfried & Joy, Illustration Workshop with Sue Hiepler, Book Launch with Stefano Zarella, Skatejam Rollerdisco + Workshop, Tattoo Roulette with Rosa Viktoria, TikTok Dance Challenges, How to DJ, We Feast: Tantric Play with Food, Tooth Gems by winxclub, Afro Choreo Dance workshopwith Toni Togoboy, Kuduro Workshop w/ WillyNoir, Afrohouse Workshop w/ WillyNoir, Be(er) with the Flow! Beer Yoga Course, Wine not Yoga (Wine Yoga), Marriage for all - marry who you want! SaferSpace VR, Heliosturm guided tour, Malwine Stauss & Naiyun Yang (exhibition), Kulturraum 405 (workshops & concerts), Mosaic of Shards workshop, 4 Elements of Hip Hop Vol. II and Your Future Ear Piercings with Superstack. You don't need a ticket for any of the artists mentioned here. Just jump into the fray along Venloer Straße and see what you come across between Bahnhof Ehrenfeld and Leyendeckerstraße.

©Philipp Pongratz

What's New?

Tickets, Tickets, Tickets

Tickets, Tickets, Tickets


You can buy tickets for all days now. There is a cheap day ticket for each day as well as the two 2-day tickets “Thursday + Friday” and “Saturday + Sunday” and a 4-day ticket for all days from Thursday to Sunday. For the anniversary shows with OG Keemo at Schauspiel Köln and the anniversary opening gala with the Crucchi Gang at Sartory Sälen you need single tickets, these shows are NOT included in the day tickets.

To the ticket shop (->)

The Trailblazer Ball by Crystal Saint Laurent & Father David Elle

The Trailblazer Ball by Crystal Saint Laurent & Father David Elle


The Major Ball “The Trailblazer Ball by Crystal Saint Laurent & Father David Elle” is certainly one of the most colourful evenings in our festival programme. Anyone who was at our event “The Crystal Ball” last year knows what is meant by this. At this year’s “The Trailblazer Ball”, jury, house, ballroom beats and performers* will meet on the festival Saturday, 29.04.2023, on the runway in the Live Music Hall. Here they will show their best poses, among other things. You need a Festival Saturday day ticket for the event.

Podcast im Rahmen der Convention

Podcast im Rahmen der Convention


We would also like to recommend another unusual event to you: LIZ in conversation with Miriam Davoudvandi in “Thank you, good. The Podcast about Pop and Psyche”. In her podcast, Miriam Davoudvandi talks to public figures about the topic of depression. The event is part of the c/o pop Convention and is presented by Cosmo. You can get in with a c/o pop Convention ticket, which also gives you access to all the concerts.

Apply now to MUSIC PEOPLE!

Apply now to MUSIC PEOPLE!


Are you looking for your dream job in the music industry? Then apply now at MUSIC PEOPLE! In order to make recruiting measures more attractive and contemporary, we have designed the first job festival in Europe: At MUSIC PEOPLE, applicants and entrepreneurs get to know each other in an authentic context - at the bar, in the backstage area or at the food truck. Young professionals and job seekers with experience in the music industry can now apply to MUSIC PEOPLE. The job festival will take place on 27 April 2023 as part of c/o pop and is free of charge for talents.

More info on MUSIC PEOPLE!

Amore on the opening evening

Amore on the opening evening


We are especially looking forward to the Italian opening night with the one and only Crucchi Gang! The three permanent members Francesco Wilking, Charlotte Goltermann and Patrick Reising now have all their sparring partners together. They will present their favourite Italo versions of their songs at the c/o pop opening gala with: Sven Regener, Antje Schomaker, Matze (Von Wegen Lisbeth), Lina Maly and Tristan Brusch. Don’t miss this very special and certainly unforgettable evening in the Sartory Sälen!

Tickets for the c/o pop anniversary show with the Crucchi Gang (->)

Sold Out - OG Keemo at Schauspiel Köln

Sold Out - OG Keemo at Schauspiel Köln


For the anniversary year, we have secured many strong partnerships and cooperations. Because we want the programme to be even more diverse, so that the pop-cultural wind that prevails during c/o pop becomes a storm that leaves traces of cultural diversity. As part of the first cooperation, we’re putting OG Keemo on stage at Schauspiel Köln - and we’re super excited ourselves to see exactly what happens on stage.

Chance for up-and-coming bands

Chance for up-and-coming bands


The project aims to promote local, regional and national up-and-coming artists. We offer the selected acts the chance to present themselves to an international audience at the c/o pop Festival. As part of the project, there is a lively exchange with other festival makers, agencies and labels from over 25 countries. musichub germany is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Initiative Musik.

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