About

The East of Culture – Different Sounds festival will last until Sunday (2-5 July 2026). We will see you in Lublin at the People’s Park and in the Old Town. We have prepared a set of important information to help you navigate the festival space more easily and make the most of the event. Admission to all festival events is free.

This is the 19th edition of the Lublin Different Sounds organized by Warsztaty Kultury and the 13th edition within the East of Culture, a project carried out by the Narodowe Centrum Kultury with funding from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and by three cities in eastern Poland – Lublin, Białystok, and Rzeszów.

TIME AND LOCATION

Join us at East of Culture – Different Sounds festival on July 2-5, 2026! Concerts will take place at the People’s Park (Park Ludowy), while Lublin’s Old Town will be filled with inspiring talks, exhibitions, film screenings, and workshops.

To help you find your way, check out the People’s Park map. You’ll find us near the entrances by Arena Lublin.

ZOOM IN

FREE ENTRANCE

Yes! All East of Culture – Different Sounds festival events, including the concerts, are free of charge. Please note that some selected programme events, such as workshops, may require prior registration.

INFORMATION POINTS

For all information about the festival, as well as printed programmes, please visit our Information Points at Łokietka Square and in the People’s Park (Park Ludowy).

Opening hours:
Plac Łokietka: 12:00–20:00
Park Ludowy: 13:00–24:00

PROGRAMME

Before you head to the festival, you can browse our eco-friendly online programme at innebrzmienia.eu, which is also available in a mobile-friendly version.

Printed programmes are available at the Information Points in the People’s Park and at Łokietka Square.

HOW TO GET TO THE FESTIVAL

We would like to remind you that in Lublin you can rent a bike through the Lubelski Rower Miejski system. The nearest stations are located in the immediate vicinity of our festival area in the People’s Park and near the Town Hall, right at the entrance to the Old Town. You will also be allowed to ride your bike into the festival grounds and lock it in designated areas, where it can safely wait out all the concerts.

There are several large parking areas around the People’s Park. Free parking is available at the Metropolitan Station (Dworzec Metropolitalny) and Lublin Główny Railway Station (Dworzec PKP Lublin Główny), both approximately a 10-minute walk from the festival area in the People’s Park.

Paid parking is available at Arena Lublin and at Targi Lublin, both approximately a 5-minute walk from the festival area in the People’s Park.

Parking around the Old Town is located in a paid parking zone from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 18:00. The largest parking area is located at Castle Square. You can also find a private paid parking lot at Targ pod Zamkiem.

FESTIVAL CLUB

Throughout the entire event, we invite you to our Festival Club in the People’s Park. There, you can relax on comfortable deckchairs and pallet seating, buy festival merchandise, take part in the Indie Labels’ Fair, and get a sneak peek at rehearsals of the bands performing in the evening. This is also where you’ll find the Food Truck Zone and the bar run by our sponsor, Browar Zakładowy, with more information provided below.

In the People’s Park, there will also be special stamps waiting for you, prepared by Michał Tokarz-Mazurek, with which you can decorate your own T-shirt or bag.

The Festival Club is open daily from 16:00.

COLD DRINKS AND FOOD

Remember to stay well hydrated! Hot weather is expected. You can bring your own water bottle to the festival, but drinks will also be available for purchase on site.

Your non-musical cravings will be satisfied in the festival Food Truck Zone! In the People’s Park, you’ll find a carefully selected lineup of food trucks that will meet your culinary needs. We’ve chosen only the most delicious options.

For the fourth time, our sponsor is Browar Zakładowy! In their zone, you’ll find as many as THREE places where you can buy tokens. You go to the cashier, buy as many tokens as you like, and then exchange them for your favourite drink! One token equals one bottle, can, or cup filled with a refreshing beverage. You can pay for tokens by card.

Browar Zakładowy has long since given up single-use plastic. You’ll receive your drink in colourful Zakładowy eco-cups. They are reusable, dishwasher-safe, and you can take them to a party or to your allotment garden. The deposit is 10 PLN. If you wish, you can return the cup and get your 10 PLN back. If not, nothing happens – and you’ll have a nice festival souvenir.

Browar Zakładowy hasn’t forgotten about those who enjoy alcohol-free beer this time either. You’ll find two flavours of non-alcoholic beer there!

FOR PEOPLE WITH SENSORY SENSIBILITIES

Our festival is also accessible to people with sensory sensitivities. Noise-cancelling earmuffs for both adults and children will be available to rent at the Festival Shop in the People’s Park for a refundable deposit of 100 PLN.

In our festival shop, you can also buy Different Sounds earplugs!

For anyone who would like to take a break from the festival crowds and sensory stimulation, we have prepared a dedicated Zone of Quiet and Relaxation.

You can find information about very loud concerts and possibly triggering visuals in the programme:

very loud concert
visualisations during the concert

July 2 | Thursday
18.00 – 19.00 – Heinali & Andriana – Yaroslava Saienko
19.15 – 20.15 – Drank
20.30 – 21.30 – Leila Bordreuil
21.45 – 23.00 – Dead Bob
23.30 – 1.15 – Furia gra kino

July 3 | Friday
18.00 – 19.00 – The B17
19.15 – 20.15 – Only Mess & goście
20.30 – 21.45 – Tramhaus
22.00 – 23.15 – Therapy?
23.30 – 0.30 – Kap Bambino

July 4 | Saturday
18.00 – 19.00 – AcidSitter
19.15 – 20.15 – Grupa Torpedo
20.30 – 21.45 – Sun Ra Arkestra
22.00 – 23.15 – Backengrillen
23.30 – 0.30 – Dälek

July 5 | Sunday
18.00 – 19.00 – YANA
19.15 – 20.15 – Hinode Tapes
20.30 – 21.45 – Marcin Masecki Boleros
22.00 – 23.15 – Mats Gustafsson & Kimmo Pohjonen
23.30 – 0.30 – Nina Eba

Every festival day brings a powerful dose of sound that affects not only our ears but our whole bodies. To help restore balance, we invite you to experience a unique sound reset – a meditative, collective immersion in the sounds of the natural world, while discovering the work of Polish field recording artists. Check the programme HERE.

We also have five tips on how to take care of your hearing. You can read them HERE. You can also book your appointment for free hearing tests with Audika to find out whether you’ll be able to catch all the different sounds we’ll be bringing to the festival!

ACCESSIBILITY

The East of Culture – Different Sounds festival is accessible to sensory-sensitive, blind, and visually or hearing-impaired individuals. We encourage you to read the accessibility guide for the festival in PDF format – the document is available at this link (in Polish language).

You will find general information about the festival, instructions on how to proceed in case of emergencies, and information about assistance, the medical point, and information points. The document also includes detailed information about the venues where the festival takes place, including descriptions of their architectural accessibility.

FOR CAREGIVERS AND PARENTS

I’M COMING TO THE FESTIVAL WITH A CHILD. WHAT SHOULD I KNOW?

To ensure the safety of the youngest Different Sounds attendees, a special wristband for children will be available at the festival Information Point in the People’s Park. The wristband includes space to write down a parent’s phone number. It will help reunite children with their guardians in case they lose sight of each other. If needed, please go to the Information Point, where we will be happy to help.

All concerts and exhibitions during the festival are open to all ages, and we have dedicated a selection of workshops specifically for our younger audience. Check out the Little Different Sounds programme!

CAN I BRING MY DOG?

Calm, non-aggressive pets are welcome at the festival, but for their comfort, well-being, and safety, we kindly encourage you to leave them at home. The event draws thousands of people, with loud sounds, bright lights, and a flurry of stimuli – all of which can overwhelm even the most socialized pets. The combination of all these factors creates a highly stressful environment, which can frighten even pets accustomed to such situations. We leave our four-legged friends at home.

About the East of Culture – Different Sounds

The East of Culture – Different Sounds festival is a tribute to musicians who choose authenticity over popularity built on artistic compromise. At a time when culture is increasingly becoming a luxury commodity, Different Sounds serves as a reminder that quality should never be a privilege. It is an event for those who believe that music can be a space for encounter, reflection, and a sense of community—not merely consumption. For seekers who understand that the greatest revelations emerge where there are no ready-made answers. In a world where everything seems to have a price, Different Sounds offers something beyond value: a moment when sound becomes a language of communication and the audience becomes a co-creator of the experience.

This year’s line-up features Backengrillen, Therapy?, Sun Ra Arkestra, Dead Bob, Kap Bambino, Dälek, Tramhaus, Leila Bordreuil & Drew McDowall, Mats Gustafsson & Kimmo Pohjonen, Drank, Furia Plays Cinema, Marcin Masecki & Boleros, YANA, Hinode Tapes, Only Mess & Guests, Grupa Torpedo, AcidSitter, Nina Eba, Heinali & Andriana—Yaroslava Saienko, and The B17. The organisers will also host the renowned Vienna-based record label Trost Records.

The East of Culture – Different Sounds festival is not only about music. It is also a meeting place for some of the most compelling voices in contemporary Central and Eastern European literature. These encounters will take place within the Eastern Express series, featuring conversations with authors, translators, and literary professionals, as well as presentations of the latest releases published by Workshops of Culture Publishing House.

The programme will also include exhibitions, talks, music workshops for children, and the return of last year’s audience favourite–the Sound Resets.

As always, admission to all festival events is free of charge, with more announcements coming soon.

More information about the festival can be found at innebrzmienia.eu and nck.pl/projekty-kulturalne/projekty/wschod-kultury.

East of Culture – Different Sounds
July 2-5, 2026, Lublin
Admission free

Organizers: Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego, Narodowe Centrum Kultury, the City of Lublin, Workshops of Culture in Lublin

Sponsors: Browar Zakładowy, Strabag, Audika

Partners: Keychange, Teatr Stary w Lublinie, Gardzienice, Bus Bonus, Stowarzyszenie „Nigdy Więcej”

The event is held under the Honorary Patronage of Krzysztof Żuk, Mayor of the City of Lublin.

Media patronage: Polityka, Trójka – Program Trzeci Polskiego Radia, Onet, Gazeta Wyborcza, TVP Kultura, TVP ABC,  TVP3 Lublin, Polskie Radio Lublin, Kultura Enter