See you at Reeperbahn? MCN LIVE! is back
Hello from MCN,
September is here, and with it comes one of the busiest moments in the European music calendar.
This month, we’re heading to Hamburg for Reeperbahn Festival, where the Music Cities Network will once again bring together members, partners, friends and artists from across our cities.
From conversations about the future of the music sector to new connections and, of course, plenty of live music, there’s a lot happening across the network this September.
And if you’re heading to Hamburg too, we hope you’ll join us.
MCN at Reeperbahn Festival 2026
Reeperbahn Festival has become an important meeting point for the MCN community, and we’re excited to return this September with our MCN Reception and MCN LIVE! showcase.
On Thursday, 17 September, we’ll take over TWENTYFIVE CLUB on Hamburg’s Reeperbahn for an afternoon dedicated to exactly what MCN is about: bringing cities, people and music together.
We’ll begin with the MCN Reception from 14:00-15:00 - a chance to reconnect with familiar faces, meet colleagues from across the network and exchange ideas with people working across different music cities and ecosystems.
And afterwards, the stage belongs to the artists.
MCN LIVE! is back
Following the two previous editions, MCN LIVE! returns to Reeperbahn with four artists from four MCN member cities:
15:00–15:30 PRIDO (Manchester Music City, Manchester, UK)
16:00–16:30 Alina Orlova (Vilnius Night Office, Vilnius, LT)
17:00–17:30 Cucuun (PROMUS, Aarhus, DK)
18:00–18:30 Amor Vincit Omnia (Reykjavík, IS)
For us, MCN LIVE! is more than a showcase. Much of our work happens through policy discussions, city-to-city exchange and long-term ecosystem development - but ultimately, it all comes back to the people making music in our cities.
Bringing artists from different member cities onto one stage is one way of making those connections tangible, while giving the wider Reeperbahn community a glimpse into the sounds and scenes that make our network so diverse.
So, if you’re at Reeperbahn Festival this year, come and join us for a drink, a conversation and some very good live music.
MCN Reception & MCN LIVE!
Thursday, 17 September 2026
Reception | 14:00-15:00
MCN LIVE! | 15:00-19:00
TWENTYFIVE CLUB | Reeperbahn 25, Hamburg
Your MCN Guide to Reeperbahn
MCN LIVE! isn’t the only place you’ll find the network during Reeperbahn Festival.
Our members will be contributing to conversations and activities throughout the programme. So, if you’re attending this year, here are a few familiar MCN faces - and places - to look out for.
Daniela Stork | D.LIVE Düsseldorf
Wer glaubt zuerst den Act?
Our Düsseldorf representative Daniela Stork will join the Reeperbahn Festival conference programme for Wer glaubt zuerst den Act?
Friday | 12:30-13:30
East Hotel | Olive + Pepper
Community is Key - Why reach is no longer currency - and how to activate your community.
With attention spans shrinking and competition for audiences growing, reach alone no longer guarantees a full room. This session looks at how festivals, artists and events can turn audiences into active communities - and why genuine engagement is becoming increasingly valuable.
Thursday | 11:15-12:15
East Hotel | Amber
MIRAP Project End Event: Building Better Music Ecosystem
As part of the final MI-RAP event, Hamburg Music is hosting Building Better Music Ecosystems on Friday, 18 September, from 12:15–13:45 at 25 Club.
The topic is obviously very close to our work within MCN, looking at innovation, sustainability and education as building blocks for stronger local music ecosystems. We’re also very happy that our MCN colleague Michelle Daurat from Sunderland Music Citywill be sharing insights from Sunderland as part of the session.
Friday, 18 September | 12:15–13:4525
Club (2nd floor), Reeperbahn 25, Hamburg
Please register by 17 September, as capacity is limited:
Hamburg Music Business
Hamburg Haus 2026
New venue, fresh program! This year, Hamburg Haus is once again opening its doors at Reeperbahn Festival - this time with genuine Kiez club atmosphere at 25 Club, Reeperbahn 25. Alongside a few familiar faces (such as the Music Cities Network), we're also welcoming many member companies to Hamburg Haus for the first time this year. Here'sthe full overview of this year's program.
Careers Corner at Heiligengeistfeld – 2nd Edition
Following the great turnout last year, our Careers Corner at Heiligengeistfeld is back at Reeperbahn Festival in 2026. Free and open to everyone, it offers a particularly low-threshold entry point for anyone interested in jobs and career paths in the music industry. Throughout the festival, newcomers and career changers can explore different professional fields at our pavilion, step into real working environments via VR headset, and connect directly with industry professionals - spanning everything from live entertainment and management to publishing, recorded music, and the musical instruments industry. Our portal musicbusiness.careers serves as the central digital hub for all further information. Feel free to point any potential young talent in your network toward it!
Around the Network
September isn’t only about Hamburg. From new approaches to artist support to international opportunities and city-wide festivals, there’s plenty happening across our member cities too.
Aarhus asks: Is it time for a Danish Basic Income for Artists?
How can we create more sustainable working conditions for artists?
On 8 October, Promus, Performing Arts Platform, Aarhus Centre for Visual Art and Aarhus Literature Centre are bringing together artists, organisers, politicians, trade unions and cultural institutions to explore exactly that question.
The seminar will look beyond Denmark for inspiration, examining Ireland’s Basic Income for Artists alongside models from Belgium, Iceland and France - before asking what a Danish approach to supporting artists could look like.
8 October | 13:00-16:30
Bora Bora | Aarhus
Manchester Goes Global
Manchester Music City has launched Go Global Micro-Grants, a new pilot programme supporting independent music professionals and small businesses across Greater Manchester in pursuing international opportunities.
Grants of up to £2,500 can support international activity such as attending industry events, exploring new markets, developing partnerships and working with international collaborators. Participants will then bring their knowledge and connections back into Greater Manchester’s wider music ecosystem.
It’s a great example of how a city can turn international exchange into local value - and an approach that may offer inspiration for other MCN members.
Applications are open until 17 September at 23:00.
Düsseldorf’s Old Town becomes a stage again
Once an important hub for Düsseldorf’s music scene, the city’s Old Town is showing that it has everything it takes to become one again.
Following last year’s successful premiere, ALTSTADT LIVE returns from 23-26 September, transforming Düsseldorf’s Old Town into a decentralised festival for music, culture and connection.
Together with local promoters, clubs, bars and collectives, MUSIC DÜSSELDORF brings live music into established cultural spaces as well as small bars, cafés and off-spaces. Rather than creating one central festival site, each participating promoter curates their own programme - bringing different genres, scenes and audiences into conversation across the neighbourhood.
With more than 15 acts and over 10 promoters, the result is four days of musical discovery and a celebration of the people and places that make Düsseldorf’s music ecosystem what it is.
Looking Ahead
September is packed, but there’s plenty more happening across MCN as we move into the final months of 2026.
We’ll be sharing more about upcoming network activities, Working Groups and opportunities for members soon.
In the meantime, keep an eye on your inbox and our social channels - and keep sending us what’s happening in your city.
Stay Connected
Reeperbahn is always a good reminder of just how much is happening across our network - often simultaneously and in very different corners of Europe.
If your city has news, research, events, opportunities, artist successes or milestones that the wider network should know about, we’d love to hear from you.
And for everyone heading to Hamburg this month: see you at Reeperbahn!
Warm Regards,
Your MCN Headquarter