Britney X Festival

What does the Princess of Pop sing in one of her most famous hits of the 2000s, “Toxic”? “With a taste of a poison paradise // I’m addicted to you // Don’t you know that you’re toxic” – describing a dangerous, addictive love as a metaphor for seduction, dependency, and manipulation. In the accompanying music video, she plays a secret agent stealing a vial of poison to eliminate a traitor, all while donning iconic looks like a glittering catsuit or appearing as a seductive flight attendant.

The Britney X Festival takes up – as suggested by its very name – many themes that have been or are relevant to the pop phenomenon Britney Spears, reinterpreting them for its own purposes. Topics include battling the binary gender system, standing up against harmful structures, advocating for conscious interaction, increased awareness, and being anything but “toxic.” The festival will take place in 2025 for the eighth time, but also for the last: your final chance to be part of it – under the motto “Where is the love.”

Since 2017 – a Solid Platform

“Where is the love?” marks the end of a festival that began in 2017 without an official motto, though already addressing themes like gender, feminism, diversity, and sexuality. The mottos from 2022: “It’s Britney, Bitch!”, 2023: “Stay with me a while,” and 2024: “There’s a lust we can’t control” also revolve around these issues.

Why the festival will not continue beyond 2025 has not been officially stated. A beautiful reason would be that the desired awareness the festival sought to create is now fully realized – laying a foundation for addressing these themes from a fresh perspective. However, the real reason remains unknown…

2025 – The Final Edition

The festival’s program includes lectures, workshops, performances, and parties. Even in its eighth edition, it remains dedicated to the diversity of human experience, offering opportunities to explore the many facets of culture and society. Discussion panels and celebrations provide space for enlightening dialogue and foster social responsibility and inclusion.

Artists from various countries come together for the event. As in previous years, it will take place in 2025 at the Depot of Schauspielhaus Köln on the Schäl Sick.

In times of escalating culture wars over identity, body, skin color, gender, love, and sexuality, the festival’s topics remain as relevant as ever. You’re invited to “Britneyland,” regardless of your own identity or self-perception, to explore questions of love and solidarity – even within your own community.