And just like that… it’s over! East of Culture – Different Sounds 2026 has come to an end, but the echoes of it are still resonating beneath our skin… It was beautiful. It was loud. It was real. Thank you for sharing these four unforgettable days of musical discoveries, powerful emotions, and meaningful encounters with us. See you again next year – 1-4 July 2027.

This was 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.

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