This photo may not represent the actual event
This photo may not represent the actual event
F°LAB Festival for Performing Arts 2026
Admission
0–36€
Date & Time
Thu, Oct 1 – Sun, Oct 4
Group
Tags
Opening Hours
Organiser
Frankfurt LAB
About this event
Every two years, F°LAB Festival turns the entire Frankfurt LAB – a converted factory on Schmidtstraße – into a buzzing hive of contemporary performance, dance, and music. Over four packed days, dancers from the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company, students from the HfMDK and Hessische Theaterakademie, and freelance artists invited by Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm take over the halls, corridors, and outdoor spaces. The programme balances raw solo work with large ensemble pieces: in “Caramelized”, performer Micaela Odriozola Maglie uses sugar, live music, and a real-time blood glucose monitor to pick apart the pressure to be ‘sweet’, while “Boccalero” pays tribute to Sister Karen Boccalero, a chain-smoking, foul-mouthed American nun who ran an iconic community arts centre in LA. The adrenaline spikes at “Floor on Fire”, a dance battle where ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, and voguing collide – dancers from different worlds first compete in their own styles, then join forces in mixed teams while the crowd and a jury decide the winner. Music lovers are in for a treat when the NDR Bigband and Ensemble Modern share a stage, weaving new works by Paul Cannon, Luigi Grasso, Hermann Kretzschmar, Percy Pursglove, and Florian Weber that blur the line between through-composed contemporary classical and free-wheeling big-band jazz. Plenty of chances to get involved yourself: join a community dance workshop (ages 14+), follow a moving percussion-and-dance performance through the building, or add your voice to the participatory choir installation “Pionieren – eine Zukunftsmusik”. Between shows, you can lie down for a “Pillow Talk” with a stranger or an artist, browse speculative architectural models for a future Frankfurt LAB, or simply grab a drink and let the evening roll into DJ sets like the Latin/experimental VEXING party. The final Sunday, “openKOMM!unikationsfabrik”, is completely free and opens the doors to neighbouring spaces with escape rooms, karaoke, kickboxing, pixel games, and family-friendly performances – making F°LAB a proper neighbourhood celebration, not just a ticketed festival.
Schedule
Thu, Oct 1
04:30 PM
Pre-Opening: (RASIER MICH) DOES MY SILENCE PROVOKE YOU?
Performance by Lena Meral Albrecht exploring silence and provocation through movement.
Frankfurt LAB
05:30 PM - 07:00 PM
Festival Opening: Boccalero
Dance homage to the unconventional nun and activist Sister Karen Boccalero, performed by three dancers.
Halle 1, Frankfurt LAB
08:00 PM - 08:35 PM
Caramelized
Solo performance using sugar, live music, and blood glucose monitoring to question the pressure of 'sweetness' imposed on the body. Contains nudity.
Halle 2, Frankfurt LAB
08:30 PM
VEXING Party
DJ set by Laura Stellacci spanning Chicanx punk, Latin club, bass, and experimental music, inspired by LA’s legendary Club The Vex.
Frankfurt LAB
Fri, Oct 2
02:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Spuren
City-wide game performance: follow clues left by performers on Frankfurt’s public transport. Requires a valid RMV ticket and the Signal app.
RMV Tarifzone 1 / Stadtgebiet
06:00 PM
Trembling Heart, Panicked Desire (this is not a participatory performance)
Performance by Marie Kübler that toys with the boundaries of audience involvement.
Frankfurt LAB
07:00 PM - 09:30 PM
Floor on Fire
Dance battle bringing together ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, and voguing dancers in solo rounds and spontaneously mixed teams, judged by the audience and a jury.
Halle 1, Frankfurt LAB
09:00 PM
Der Floor brennt weiter (Afterparty)
DJ Ludi Rockoon from Dresden provides the soundtrack to keep the dance floor burning.
Frankfurt LAB
Sat, Oct 3
02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
BA Dance meets Percussion (Open Rehearsal)
Walking performance by HfMDK Frankfurt students combining dance, text, body percussion, and drums, moving through the building.
Treffpunkt: Frankfurt LAB
02:00 PM
Critical Cake
Discussion and critique over cake with ASJA & Nora Schneider.
Frankfurt LAB
03:00 PM
A Feast That Never Sits Still
Workshop with July Yang as part of the CHINA BOX installation.
Frankfurt LAB
04:00 PM
Unlucky Cookie
Workshop with Sichi Li.
Frankfurt LAB
04:00 PM
Precede with Intention: On the Assembling of Three
Dance performance by Emanuele Co’, Yan Eliv Leiva, and Emanuele Piras.
Frankfurt LAB
05:00 PM
Story Box
Workshop with Yinfu Gao.
Frankfurt LAB
06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
NDR Bigband Meets Ensemble Modern
A concert where the NDR Bigband and Ensemble Modern negotiate the borderland between composition and improvisation, performing works by Paul Cannon, Luigi Grasso, Hermann Kretzschmar, Percy Pursglove, and Florian Weber.
Halle 1, Frankfurt LAB
07:30 PM
Emigrant Songs
Performance by Nastya Dzyuban, Olen Mamai, Hanna Launikovich, and Andrii Punko.
Frankfurt LAB
08:30 PM
Evening Standards
Jazz concert with Dennis Sekretarev (trumpet), Nikita Bratus (piano), Don Hein (double bass), and Eduard Davidko (drums).
Frankfurt LAB
Sun, Oct 4
10:00 AM
Epoche f International
Final concert of the IEMA masterclass for contemporary music, showcasing prize-winners from youth competitions.
Frankfurt LAB
11:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Weben
Participatory weaving project by Nastya Dzyuban.
Frankfurt LAB
12:00 PM
Story Box (Sunday)
Workshop with Yinfu Gao (CHINA BOX installation).
Frankfurt LAB
12:00 PM
BA Dance meets Percussion (Sunday)
A roving performance by HfMDK Frankfurt students blending dance, text, and percussion.
Treffpunkt: Frankfurt LAB
01:00 PM
A Feast That Never Sits Still (Sunday)
Workshop with July Yang (CHINA BOX installation).
Frankfurt LAB
01:00 PM
Community Dance
Dance workshop by the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company for everyone aged 14 and up. Free tickets available at the DFDC info stand.
DFDC Studio, Frankfurt LAB
01:00 PM
Rhythm is a Grandmother
Lecture performance by Anna Lublina & Yasmeen Al-Qaisi.
Frankfurt LAB
02:00 PM
Unlucky Cookie (Sunday)
Workshop with Sichi Li (CHINA BOX installation).
Frankfurt LAB
02:00 PM
Pionieren – eine Zukunftsmusik
Participatory choir installation by Matthias Schönijahn & Constantin von Thun.
Frankfurt LAB
03:00 PM
Barrierefreiheit in der Tanzausbildung – Towards Reshaping Dance Education
Workshop with Laura Ahumada García & Hannah Dewor on accessibility in dance training.
Probebühne HfMDK, Frankfurt LAB
03:00 PM
DFDC Dance Showing
Original works by dancers of the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company.
Frankfurt LAB
Thu, Oct 1
04:30 PM
Pre-Opening: (RASIER MICH) DOES MY SILENCE PROVOKE YOU?
Performance by Lena Meral Albrecht exploring silence and provocation through movement.
Frankfurt LAB
05:30 PM - 07:00 PM
Festival Opening: Boccalero
Dance homage to the unconventional nun and activist Sister Karen Boccalero, performed by three dancers.
Halle 1, Frankfurt LAB
08:00 PM - 08:35 PM
Caramelized
Solo performance using sugar, live music, and blood glucose monitoring to question the pressure of 'sweetness' imposed on the body. Contains nudity.
Halle 2, Frankfurt LAB
08:30 PM
VEXING Party
DJ set by Laura Stellacci spanning Chicanx punk, Latin club, bass, and experimental music, inspired by LA’s legendary Club The Vex.
Frankfurt LAB
Fri, Oct 2
02:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Spuren
City-wide game performance: follow clues left by performers on Frankfurt’s public transport. Requires a valid RMV ticket and the Signal app.
RMV Tarifzone 1 / Stadtgebiet
06:00 PM
Trembling Heart, Panicked Desire (this is not a participatory performance)
Performance by Marie Kübler that toys with the boundaries of audience involvement.
Frankfurt LAB
07:00 PM - 09:30 PM
Floor on Fire
Dance battle bringing together ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, and voguing dancers in solo rounds and spontaneously mixed teams, judged by the audience and a jury.
Halle 1, Frankfurt LAB
09:00 PM
Der Floor brennt weiter (Afterparty)
DJ Ludi Rockoon from Dresden provides the soundtrack to keep the dance floor burning.
Frankfurt LAB
Sat, Oct 3
02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
BA Dance meets Percussion (Open Rehearsal)
Walking performance by HfMDK Frankfurt students combining dance, text, body percussion, and drums, moving through the building.
Treffpunkt: Frankfurt LAB
02:00 PM
Critical Cake
Discussion and critique over cake with ASJA & Nora Schneider.
Frankfurt LAB
03:00 PM
A Feast That Never Sits Still
Workshop with July Yang as part of the CHINA BOX installation.
Frankfurt LAB
04:00 PM
Unlucky Cookie
Workshop with Sichi Li.
Frankfurt LAB
04:00 PM
Precede with Intention: On the Assembling of Three
Dance performance by Emanuele Co’, Yan Eliv Leiva, and Emanuele Piras.
Frankfurt LAB
05:00 PM
Story Box
Workshop with Yinfu Gao.
Frankfurt LAB
06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
NDR Bigband Meets Ensemble Modern
A concert where the NDR Bigband and Ensemble Modern negotiate the borderland between composition and improvisation, performing works by Paul Cannon, Luigi Grasso, Hermann Kretzschmar, Percy Pursglove, and Florian Weber.
Halle 1, Frankfurt LAB
07:30 PM
Emigrant Songs
Performance by Nastya Dzyuban, Olen Mamai, Hanna Launikovich, and Andrii Punko.
Frankfurt LAB
08:30 PM
Evening Standards
Jazz concert with Dennis Sekretarev (trumpet), Nikita Bratus (piano), Don Hein (double bass), and Eduard Davidko (drums).
Frankfurt LAB
Sun, Oct 4
10:00 AM
Epoche f International
Final concert of the IEMA masterclass for contemporary music, showcasing prize-winners from youth competitions.
Frankfurt LAB
11:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Weben
Participatory weaving project by Nastya Dzyuban.
Frankfurt LAB
12:00 PM
Story Box (Sunday)
Workshop with Yinfu Gao (CHINA BOX installation).
Frankfurt LAB
12:00 PM
BA Dance meets Percussion (Sunday)
A roving performance by HfMDK Frankfurt students blending dance, text, and percussion.
Treffpunkt: Frankfurt LAB
01:00 PM
A Feast That Never Sits Still (Sunday)
Workshop with July Yang (CHINA BOX installation).
Frankfurt LAB
01:00 PM
Community Dance
Dance workshop by the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company for everyone aged 14 and up. Free tickets available at the DFDC info stand.
DFDC Studio, Frankfurt LAB
01:00 PM
Rhythm is a Grandmother
Lecture performance by Anna Lublina & Yasmeen Al-Qaisi.
Frankfurt LAB
02:00 PM
Unlucky Cookie (Sunday)
Workshop with Sichi Li (CHINA BOX installation).
Frankfurt LAB
02:00 PM
Pionieren – eine Zukunftsmusik
Participatory choir installation by Matthias Schönijahn & Constantin von Thun.
Frankfurt LAB
03:00 PM
Barrierefreiheit in der Tanzausbildung – Towards Reshaping Dance Education
Workshop with Laura Ahumada García & Hannah Dewor on accessibility in dance training.
Probebühne HfMDK, Frankfurt LAB
03:00 PM
DFDC Dance Showing
Original works by dancers of the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company.
Frankfurt LAB
Location
Map data from OpenStreetMap
