Who is performing at the K-INDIE ON Festival 2026 in Berlin?

The lineup includes Catch The Young, Bongjeingan, Kim Seung-joo and Chang Ki-ha. The festival is organized by the Korean Cultural Center in Germany at Saalchen in the German capital.

Why is the Korean Cultural Center in Germany holding the K-INDIE ON Festival?

The center says the festival is meant to show European audiences that Korean music extends beyond K-pop. Director Yang Sang-geun said Korean music has many musical colors and a level of creativity that cannot be explained by a single genre.

What will Chang Ki-ha perform in Berlin?

Chang Ki-ha plans to perform songs from his first solo studio album, Sansanjogak. He previously helped bring Korean indie music into the mainstream as the frontman of Kiha & The Faces from 2008 to 2018.

K-indie music heads to Berlin with Chang Ki-ha, Catch The Young

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Summary

Korean indie musicians will perform in Berlin this weekend at the K-INDIE ON Festival 2026 — No Borders, Just RocK!, held by the Korean Cultural Center in Germany at Saalchen. The festival features Catch The Young, Bongjeingan, Kim Seung-joo and Chang Ki-ha. Now in its fourth edition, the event has been held annually since 2023 to showcase Korean music beyond K-pop. Last year drew about 1,000 people over two days.

Key Facts

The festival will be held during the weekend local time at Saalchen, a concert venue in Berlin.
Catch The Young and Bongjeingan will open the festival at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Kim Seung-joo will perform on Sunday before Chang Ki-ha closes the festival.
Chang Ki-ha plans to perform songs from his first solo studio album, Sansanjogak, which was released Sept. 9.

By Pyo Kyung-min

Published Sep 17, 2026 1:15 pm KST

2-day festival aims to show Korean music is more than K-pop

The official poster for K-INDIE ON Festival 2026, which will be held Saturday and Sunday at Saalchen in Berlin / Courtesy of Korean Cultural Center in Germany

Korean indie musicians will take the stage in Berlin this weekend, as a festival there sets out to show European audiences that Korean music stretches well beyond K-pop.

The Korean Cultural Center in Germany will hold the K-INDIE ON Festival 2026 — No Borders, Just RocK! during the weekend (local time) at Saalchen, a concert venue in the German capital, featuring indie acts Catch The Young, Bongjeingan, Kim Seung-joo and Chang Ki-ha.

Now in its fourth edition, the festival has been held annually since 2023 to introduce the wide range of genres and styles in Korean music.

Five-piece indie band Catch The Young, formed in 2023, and alternative rock trio Bongjeingan will open the festival at 7 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, Kim, a singer-songwriter who gained attention with the 2023 song "Shonen Manga," will perform before Chang closes the festival.

Chang, who helped bring Korean indie music into the mainstream as the frontman of rock band Kiha & The Faces from 2008 to 2018, plans to perform songs from his first solo studio album, "Sansanjogak," released Sept. 9.

Last year's edition drew about 1,000 people over two days, with visitors coming from other German cities such as Cologne as well as from France and Italy, according to the center.

"Korean music has so many different musical colors and so much creativity that it is hard to explain it with a single genre called K-pop," Yang Sang-geun, director of the center, said through an official press release, Thursday.

"We hope the festival introduces the distinctive music of Korean artists to European audiences and leads to new cultural exchanges through music."

2-day festival aims to show Korean music is more than K-pop

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