By 
A city-wide stage for contemporary dance
Berlin’s Tanz im August has released the programme for its 38th edition, turning the capital into a broad stage for contemporary dance and performance from August 13 to 29, 2026. The festival will present 19 productions across 11 venues, combining performances with artist talks, workshops, podcast episodes and informal gatherings.
The programme is organised by HAU Hebbel am Ufer and extends well beyond a single theatre building. Listed venues include the Berlinische Galerie, HAU1, HAU2 and HAU3, the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Radialsystem, Sophiensæle, Stadtbad Oderberger, St Elisabeth Church and Tempelhofer Feld. That distribution gives the festival a distinctly urban character: audiences encounter contemporary dance in theatres, galleries, former industrial or community spaces and outdoor settings.
For Berlin’s cultural life, the announcement is significant not simply because it adds another series of performances to the summer calendar. Tanz im August functions as a meeting point between international artists, local audiences, students, cultural professionals and people who may not regularly attend dance performances. The organisers are again pairing the main programme with formats intended to make conversation and participation part of the festival experience.
International artists, local encounters
The 2026 programme includes three premieres, six German premieres and four Berlin or international co-productions, according to the festival. The line-up brings together choreographers and companies from several countries and artistic traditions, including Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, the Ballet national de Marseille with the collective (LA)HORDE, Calixto Neto, Marco da Silva Ferreira, Diana Niepce and Lenio Kaklea.
Among the announced works are Sounding Light by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, Après moi, le déluge by the Ballet national de Marseille and (LA)HORDE, and F*cking Future by Marco da Silva Ferreira. Other productions include HORNFUCKERS by Diana Niepce, Les Oiseaux by Lenio Kaklea and MASTERWORK FOR SIX DANCERS by En-Knap, Emese Cuhorka and Csaba Molnár.
The variety is also visible in the festival’s accompanying programme. Audience members will be able to attend artist conversations and workshops, while podcast episodes provide another way to hear performers and choreographers discuss their work. These formats can lower the threshold for audiences who may find contemporary dance unfamiliar or difficult to approach without context.
Dance as a way of gathering
This year’s programme uses the image of a weather map to describe a world in motion. The metaphor is artistic rather than a forecast: the festival presents dance as a way of observing change, orientation and relationships between people. Its emphasis on shared responsibility and collective experience gives the programme a social dimension without turning it into a political conference.
That approach reflects the role that cultural festivals can play in city life. A performance creates a temporary community in a room, while a workshop or artist talk allows that community to continue through discussion. By spreading events across different neighbourhoods and types of venues, Tanz im August also invites visitors to move through Berlin rather than remain within one cultural district.
The presence of Tempelhofer Feld is especially notable in that context. The former airfield is one of Berlin’s most recognisable public spaces, and its inclusion places contemporary performance alongside the everyday life of the city. Other venues, including the Berlinische Galerie and Radialsystem, connect the festival to established visual-arts and performing-arts institutions.
Why the announcement matters now
The programme release comes shortly before the festival opens, giving audiences time to plan around a substantial choice of performances and public events. The organisers have made tickets and further information available through the festival website, while Berlin’s official events platform lists the festival dates and locations.
For visitors, the scale of the programme offers several ways to participate: a single performance, a sequence of productions, a workshop, or an evening combining dance with conversation. For Berlin residents, it provides a summer opportunity to encounter international work in familiar and unfamiliar parts of the city.
Tanz im August will run from August 13 through August 29, 2026. Its central proposition is straightforward: movement can be watched, discussed and experienced collectively. In a large city with a dense cultural calendar, the festival’s strongest contribution may be the way it creates repeated occasions for people to meet around contemporary artistic work.
Comments