In May 2026, the Berlin Performing Arts Program will put on the third edition of the Berlin Performing Arts Market – this time with a focus on internationalization.

As in previous years, the 2026 Berlin Performing Arts Market offers space for local, national and international visiting industry professionals to meet formally and informally with Berlin-based artists and producers. Alongside pitching sessions where artists and groups present their work, the 2026 edition of the market will place the focus on the relationship between artists and curators as well as programmers using a variety of exchange formats: how do the two groups find each other? How is collaboration formed? What connects them and what do they need from each other?

These connections are important, especially in times of funding cuts and smaller budgets. With this in mind, the Berlin Performing Arts Market specifically invites national and international festivals, networks, trade fairs and institutions to present their work and develop shared paths of collaboration to bring the independent performing arts into the future. 

Fitting for the Market, there will once again be an updated edition of the Berlin Performing Arts Guide, which provides a direct and compact overview of Berlin’s independent performing arts community.

As part of the Berlin Performing Arts Market, the symposium Crossing Scenes – Performing Arts and the Politics of International Presentation in Europe will take a look at the cultural policy framework conditions within the European Union: Which funding instruments support Berlin-based artists in establishing international relationships – and which ones are planned? What does the collaboration between the state, national and EU levels look like? Which cultural policy goals is the EU pursuing and what does that mean for Berlin’s independent performing arts community? And where are there still financial, legal or political obstacles in international collaboration?

More information will follow soon.