Music festival
Cologne “c/o pop” started
The festival organizers are expecting around 30,000 visitors to the 21st edition of “c/o pop”. photo
© Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
The festival organizers are expecting around 30,000 visitors to the 21st edition of “c/o pop”, where pop newcomers can be discovered in Cologne until Sunday.
The “c/o pop” in Cologne has been considered a festival of discovery for years – because the stars of tomorrow can often be found there. Whether it’s hyper-pop star Baby B3ns (“Schmetterling”), rapper Majan (“Mein Dein Papa”) or the Berlin musician Ikkimel (“Keta und Krawall”) – this time the festival is once again taking in young talent from the German pop music scene the look.
“Our goal is to show the hot shit of tomorrow,” says festival director Elke Kuhlen. “And it’s currently spreading primarily through young artists on social media like TikTok or Instagram.”
Around 30,000 visitors are expected Festival organizers for the 21st edition of “c/o pop”, where 138 program items will be presented from today to Sunday in Cologne’s trendy Ehrenfeld district.
The highlights of the opening on Wednesday evening include an unplugged performance by German rapper Majan and a concert by German pop singer Jas in the Live Music Hall. At the end of the evening, selected visitors have the opportunity to spend the night in the “Artheater” club.
The hope is that stars of tomorrow will be discovered again this year. “Last year we had Ski Aggu in the program, who shortly afterwards became one of the most successful pop acts of 2023,” says “c/o pop” managing director Norbert Oberhaus. This year, the Liechtenstein songwriter Wavvyboi, who is currently being celebrated as a new talent in the queer pop scene, and the Austrian singer Bibiza, who is following in the footsteps of the Austrian music legend Falco with his album “Wiener Schickeria”, are considered promising newcomers.
Football and pop culture theme
There is a very unusual supporting program around it: festival visitors can spend the night in a club, take photos of themselves on a pink pop-up beach in the Ehrenfeld community center or try out driving an excavator. Unusual places will also be used again, including concerts in kiosks and also in a hairdressing salon. There are also many free concerts and activities on offer at a street festival on Saturday and Sunday.
With a view to the European Football Championship, “c/o pop” is also focusing on the topic of football and pop culture as a special focus this year. Former national soccer player Jonas Hector and comedian Fabian Köster will present their joint podcast “Schlag undFertig” live for the first time. Two exhibitions on the topics of “Flight, Migration and Football” and “Footballers, Fighters, Legends – Jews in German Football” will also be on display.