Germany’s oldest and most legendary Hip-Hop festival, splash! presented by Sprite, looks back on a successful 28th edition. With 28,000 daily visitors, well over 50 concerts by national and international rap acts, and numerous DJ and crew shows, Germany’s largest and most important hip-hop event once again made history.
Despite changeable weather, the hip-hop community celebrated the most relevant rap acts of our time for three full days. This year, splash! presented by Sprite sold out faster than ever before. Thanks to updates on the festival site, the event’s capacity was expanded to 28,000 guests.
Following legendary headline shows by GUNNA, PASHANIM, BONEZ & FRIENDS and SOULY, the main slots on the third day of the festival were dedicated to the international rap scene. With KEN CARSON and DESTROY LONELY, two superstars of the U.S. rap scene made guest appearances in the “City of Iron” and reliably sent the crowd into a frenzy. In addition, the most exciting newcomer acts and interactive formats have been showcased during the three days of splash! Once again, the festival proved itself to be the most important tastemaker for the Central European hip-hop community.
splash! Saturday kicked off with a stretching session and live podcasts on the FAIRopolis Stage. This was followed by the “Don’t Let The Label Label You” battle, a now-traditional feature on the campground stage, which once again drew a large crowd to the stage. Meanwhile, attendees could show off their first dance moves at the 365 Fe*male DJs Showcase on the Radio Stage.
On Day Three, the CARBONARA & FRIENDS collective kicked off the festival on the Green Stage. Surprise guests included JUJU and TOM HENGST, who stopped by and played an unreleased song for the astonished audience. After the Main Stage opener JAILL, a familiar face took over the biggest splash! stage: LUGATTI was greeted by the crowd with hip-hop hands and lots of euphoria, and as a special guest, he was joined not only by his colleague 9INE but also by TOM HENGST. Meanwhile, rising star KIARABABA performed at Beach Stage in front of an enthusiastic crowd, despite having a cold.
On the Playground Stage, PEPINO kicked off the first mosh pits. MARIYBU’S energetic show followed, delivering countless anthems for the queer community at splash! OG KEEMO brought real rap back to the Main Stage and demonstrated why he’s considered one of the most timelessly relevant artists in his field. With high-energy acts like ESDEEKID, who performed against a wild castle backdrop, as well as BESLIK and YT, the audience burned through every last bit of energy.
One of the absolute highlights of the festival was SSIO’s show, which literally catapulted past the high expectations. He kicked off his set right under the stage canopy and blasted out hit after hit with his live band. This got the splash! crowd properly warmed up for the two all-time favorites who shared the two headlining slots on the festival’s final day: DESTROY LONELY sent the splash! Beach into an unprecedented frenzy before KEN CARSON kicked off what was probably the biggest mosh pit of all time in front of the main stage, complete with an unforgettable fireworks display. The ATL-artist performed songs of his new album “xperiment”, released only one day earlier.
The crowd kept partying in the Jägermeister Kiez until the early hours of the morning to DJ sets by Miami Lenz and Baddie B. Now it’s time to be patient for a year: The 29th edition of the splash! Festival will take place from July 8th – 10th 2027, in Ferropolis. Early bird tickets are now available in the splash! ticket shop.
