CCD 2026 - Conference Day

Cologne Club Day 2026 - präsentiert von KlubKomm

Once a year, the CCD transforms Cologne into a political forum for the club and event scene. This Friday, August 28, the CCD Conference Day will offer industry professionals and anyone interested an introduction to and overview of current topics in cultural policy and the creative industries through presentations and panel discussions. Representatives from the fields of practice, culture, and politics will discuss both current challenges and forward-looking developments in club culture.
The program:
3:30 p.m. Opening & Welcome
4:00 p.m. Panel 1: “The Shift to the Right and Cultural Work – Artistic Freedom Under Political Pressure”
5:15 PM Panel 2: “Vote to Save Culture—What Must a New State Government Deliver?” (Presented by PopBoard NRW)
6:30 PM Panel 3: “High Pressure, Quick Solutions—How Can We Strengthen Club Culture Together?” (Presented by Club Euro)
8:30 p.m. Apollo Online Concert

The focus, therefore, is on how Cologne can continue to maintain a diverse, vibrant, and safe club and live music scene in the future, and what political framework is necessary to achieve this. After all, Cologne’s clubs aren’t just stages for newcomers and headliners—they’re also key to the city’s appeal and serve as spaces for social participation, exchange, and a break from everyday life. Yet clubs and event organizers are under enormous economic, structural, and political pressure, and many of their very existences are in acute danger. The CCD Conference Day therefore brings together exactly the people who can tackle these challenges together: politicians, government officials, club operators, and event organizers. Club-goers are also warmly invited to attend Conference Day and join the discussion, because they are the ones who make these places what they are: vibrant, diverse, and progressive.

Following the panel discussions, the evening will be dedicated to personal exchange: A concert will set the perfect atmosphere to continue the discussions, make new connections, and strengthen existing networks between politics, government officials, and the club scene.

An event organized by KlubKomm Köln.