Sonic Pluriverse Festival on the HKW Roof Terrace

The Rooftop Terrace of the Haus der Kulturen der Welt is located in Tiergarten

The Haus der Kulturen der Welt is located on John-Foster-Dulles-Allee at the northern edge of Tiergarten. The building was constructed in 1956 and 1957 according to plans by Hugh A. Stubbins as a gift from the USA for the Interbau 1957 and was then called Kongresshalle. Because of its curved roof shell, Berliners call it the “Pregnant Oyster”. On May 21, 1980, the southern outer roof collapsed; from 1984 to 1987, the house was rebuilt, and in 1989, it became the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. In front of the entrance stands Henry Moore’s sculpture Large Butterfly; the State Monuments Office lists the building as a monument. The concerts take place on the rooftop terrace, the large concrete platform above the auditorium, which can be reached via the freestanding staircase at the main entrance. The house is supported by the cultural events of the Federal Government in Berlin, and since 2023, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung has been the artistic director.

Global Echoes of Gnawa on the Rooftop Terrace 2026

The former “Wassermusik” series last took place in 2022. In 2023, it was replaced by the Sonic Pluriverse Festival, which has been occupying the rooftop terrace every summer since then. The 2026 edition ran from June 26 to August 1 over five weekends and was titled Global Echoes of Gnawa, curated by Alaa Zouiten. The principle: Each festival day began with a Gnawa formation from Morocco, followed by a second musical world, sometimes flamenco, sometimes tarantella, sometimes desert blues. The festival opened with a Gnawa parade through Tiergarten and a concert by Vieux Farka Touré. This was followed by, among others, Majid Bekkas with Bassekou Kouyaté, Baaba Maal, Asmaa Hamzaoui with Bnat Timbouktou, Bab L’Bluz, and Gnawa Diffusion. The Garifuna Collective provided the grand finale. A concert ticket cost 24 Euros, 20 Euros reduced, while DJ sets, panels, and workshops were free.