The 10th anniversary of the festival, and its 4th edition under the East of Culture brand, coincided with the Great Jubilee of the 700th anniversary of Lublin’s city rights. Over five days, artists from 14 countries and three continents transformed the city into a hub for musical exploration.

Musical Headliners
Juno Reactor: Led by Ben Watkins, the global goa trance and psychedelic legends performed an exclusive Polish show, featuring the Mutant Theatre dance-theatre troupe.
Nouvelle Vague: The French collective brought their signature style to Lublin, offering melodic, ethereal reinterpretations of iconic new wave, punk, and post-punk hits.
Mulatu Astatke: The father of Ethio-jazz and a global ambassador for African music. Cinephiles recognized his mastery through his iconic contributions to Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers.

Label Showcase: Crammed Discs
A key festival tradition is the spotlight on an exceptional record label. This year featured the legendary Belgian office Crammed Discs. For over 35 years, their 350-title catalogue has defined global eclectic sounds. Performances included:
Legends: Tuxedomoon, Kasai Allstars feat. Basokin, and Aksak Maboul.
New Wave: Skip & Die and Aquaserge.

Polish Avantgarde & Special Projects
The festival featured two giants of the Polish yass scene:
Mikołaj Trzaska: Performed his award-winning score for the film Volhynia (Wołyń) with the Sejny Klezmer Orchestra.
Jerzy Mazzoll: Reunited with Mazzoll & Arhythmic Perfection to premiere the album Out Out to Lunch live in its entirety.

KATOLUB Orchestra: A unique commissioned project bridging the music scenes of Lublin (folk outfit Čači Vorba) and Katowice (avant-garde bands Lód 9, Hengelo, and Pigeon Break).

Beyond Music: Culture & Dialogue
Cinema: The Move East Movie cycle presented Belarusian documentaries and Moldovan feature films.
Literature: We hosted five major book premieres:
The Day of Death Poetry Day and The Fat Man and the Bream by Andrey Adamovich
Feet First by Andriy Bondar
Happy Naked People by Kateryna Babkina
Bacharevič’s Small Medical Lexicon by Alhierd Bacharevič

Visual Arts: Exhibitions “Crimean War” exhibition of functional objects created by design students from Ukraine and Moldova, produced under the mentorship of the renowned Malafor studio. Accompanying this were curated visual materials documenting the history and aesthetic of the Crammed Discs label.

Contemporary Art: Kyiv’s Ivan Semesyuk presented a powerful exhibition of paintings and embroidered textiles exploring themes of war and social conflict. Meanwhile, Taras Makar brought his unique “calligraffiti” style to Lublin, creating site-specific works throughout the city.

The youngest participants enjoyed “Eastern Tales,” a series of storytelling sessions, and “Little Different Sounds”—a cycle of workshops designed for creative and uninhibited play with sound.

Education & Industry
Music IN: A new industry incubator for artists and managers, providing professional tools for career building.
Workshops: Adults engaged in field recording with Marcin Dymiter and noble photography, while children explored sound through Little Different Sounds.
New Features: The festival debuted Indie Labels’ Fair and various musical performances in public spaces like Tarasy Zamkowe shopping centre