Berlin Folk Festival
Debut Edition 2026 

The very first Berlin Folk Festival in 2026 brought Woodstock-inspired vibes to the heart of Berlin, inviting guests to leave their latex looks at home and slip into flannel instead. The inaugural edition took audiences on a flower-power journey through the late ’60s and early ’70s, spanning singer-songwriters, nugget-mania, and psychedelia.

My role was exclusively focused on the festival’s inaugural edition in March 2026. I joined the core team as Head of Press & Image Relations and soon took on a broader organizational and operational role. My responsibilities included shaping & defining the festival concept and overall structure, developing internal planning frameworks, securing media partners and presenters (Musikexpress, Byte FM, Ego FM), onboarding partners such as BIC, Rough Trade, 1968 vintage vendor and co. I also consulted on social media, copy, merchandise, and budgeting; coordinated backstage catering; recruited volunteers; supervised on-site operations (set up, back stage, interviews/shoots, guestlist); and developed the floor plan, including creating the naming and positioning of festival spaces and stages.

Together with the co-founders, Marie Sauerbrei (Managing Director & Booker of the Psych-Rock Roster) and Dan Oz (Shareholder & Booker of the Singer-Songwriter & Folk Acts), our three-person core team developed and delivered the festival through a highly collaborative, hands-on DIY approach, with each of us contributing across creative, organizational, and operational areas.

Following the success of the inaugural edition, the founders decided to pursue separate paths. Dan Oz will continue the Berlin Folk Festival brand independently, building on the structure and framework established during the first edition while shifting its focus and concept predominantly toward folk, pop, Americana, local singer-songwriters and collaborative art stations. Marie Sauerbrei is stepping away from the festival and continuing independently within the psychedelic music scene, taking her Psych-Rock Roster and the network she has built around it forward into her independent work. If you're reading this in 2026, you can also catch Marie behind the decks, spinning vinyl at this year's Levitation Festival.