Bremer Zine-Festival 2025

From October 24 to 26, 2025, the Bremen Zine Festival celebrates its 7th edition at the Städtische Galerie Bremen and once again transforms the venue into a meeting place for independent print culture. Organized by Kulturnetz e.V., the festival welcomes over 70 exhibitors from Bremen, Germany and the world and offers a diverse selection of zines ranging from queer and political publications to poetry, comics, music fanzines and personal narratives.

Opening hours of the fair: Friday: 14:00 - 19:00, Saturday & Sunday: 11:00 - 19:00

Program highlights

• Comic Battle at Kukoon 24.10. Door: 19.30, start: 20.00

  Illustrator and graphic artist Luise Hahn returns to host our famous Bremen Comic Battle at Kukoon. Two comic artists compete against each other and draw short comics in just three minutes. The audience decides who wins. The Comic Battle makes for an action-packed start to the weekend.

• Comic reading: War Diary. Marisel and Pana Kota are saving cultural heritage

  Kokoon 24.10. Door: 19.30, start: 20.00

  With greetings from Alexandra Tacke from the Senator for Culture

  With Olena Iliasova (author) and Maria Apriatova (illustrator) - The reading will be held in English -

  Marisel and Panna Kota are ordinary cats who led a carefree and peaceful life in the unusual Odesa Museum, better known in Ukraine as the Bleshchunov House. February 24, 2022 is the day that changed the lives of people and animals in Ukraine forever. The museum cats decided to tell a story about the endangered cultural heritage of Ukraine and about real people and real animals.

Lectures & Talks

• Comic Culture from the Right. Themes, content and structures - 24.10. 15.30, Städtische Galerie Bremen

  Comic artist and author Nils Oskamp presents his research on extremist propaganda in comic form, drawing on his own award-winning autobiographical work.

• Urban Gardening - 24.10. 17.30, Städtische Galerie Bremen

  The zine-maker Fred Spenner has been publishing the punk magazine underdog for many years. He presents his themed issue on Urban Gardening /

• making noise - The Murf/Murw Festival 25.10 17.00, Musikerinitiative Bremen

  Murf/Murw is a festival and zine platform from Tilburg in the Netherlands that moves between music, theater, visual arts, film and publishing. What started as a DIY zine has evolved into a multidisciplinary festival where underground voices find space to explore experimental forms.

• Future needs remembrance: Jew-hatred, Shoah and Israel in comics. - 26.10. 15.30. Städtische Galerie Bremen.

  Journalist and media scientist Martin Frenzel examines how anti-Semitic images appear in the history of comics and how artists have questioned them.

Readings

• Comics reading Springmagazin 25.10 15.00, Musikeriinitiative Bremen, reading by Marialuisa Witte, who combines personal stories with seasonal reflections.

• Open Zine Stage 26.10 16.30 to 18.30 Open zine and comic readings for those who decide spontaneously. Short comics, poetry, graphic art or other zines can be presented. Registration for a 10 to 20 minute slot as part of the Zine Festival

Workshops & Spaces

• Open Zinetopia Workspace - 24. 10 14 - 18.00 + 26.10 12 - 18:00, Städtische Gallerie Open creative space for creating small zines, moderated by the Zinetopia zine workshop team at the Städtische Galerie on Friday and Saturday. Visitors can experiment with collages, drawings and folding techniques to create their own mini-publications.

• Zine Workshop 25.10. 12.00 to 18.00 All-day workshop for creating zines on Saturday at the Städtische Galerie with the Riso team from D.O.C.H. The workshop is a closed all-day workshop with a limited number of participants. Participation only with binding pre-registration. Maximum of 10 participants.

-----------------------------------------------

Bremen Zine Festival 2025

Date: October 24 - 26, 2025

Location: Städtische Galerie Bremen (exhibition) / Musikerinitiative Bremen (supporting program), Buntentorsteinweg 112, 28201 Bremen

Kukoon (comic battle) Buntentorsteinweg 29, 28201 Bremen

Opening hours fair: Friday 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Costs: Free admission!

Friday 25.10.25

• Open workspace with Zinetopia Städtische Galerie, 14:00 - 18:00:

• Lecture "Rechte Comics" by Nils Oskamp Municipal Gallery, first floor 3:30 pm:

• Reading "Urbangardening Zine" by Fred

  Spenner/ Underdogfanzine Municipal Gallery, first floor 5:30 pm:

• Comicbattle Kukoon, admission 19:30, start 20:00:

Saturday 26.10.

• Zine workshop with DOCH Städtische Galerie, 12:00 - 18:00:

• Comic reading "Springmagazin" Städtische Galerie, first floor 15:00:

• Lecture "Murf Murw Festival - Tilburg" Municipal Gallery, first floor 5:00 pm:

• Comic reading "War Diary"-

  Olena Iliasova &Maria Apriatova Kukoon, 20:00 - 22:00:

Sunday 27.10.

• Open workspace with Zinetopia Städtische Galerie, 12:00 - 18:00:

• Lecture: "Antisemitism in comics"

  by Martin Frenzel Municipal Gallery, 14:30 - 15:30:

• Open Mic/ Zine readings Städtische Galerie, 16:30 - 18:00:

Publication of exhibitors & supporting program: The complete supporting program as well as the list of all exhibitors will be published on the website in September:

https://kulturbuero-bremen.de/category/zinefestival/

Access to the Bremen Zine Festival trade fair is unfortunately only barrier-free to a limited extent. Access to the fair and the venues is wheelchair accessible, the toilets are not accessible with wheelchairs.

https://kulturbuero-bremen.de/

@raum404 @bremerzinefestival

Sponsors and partners:

Städtische Galerie Bremen, Senator für Kultur Bremen, Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen, Ortsamt Neustadt / Beirat Neustadt, Karin und Uwe Hollweg Stiftung, Waldemar Koch Stiftung, Sparkasse Bremen, Literaturkontor Bremen e.V., Artist Against Antisemitism, Kukoon, Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Bremen, Deutsch-Israelische Gesellschaft Bremenm Monom Stiftung, D.O.C.H. Zinetopia, Menorah liberal Jewish community,