The first sunrays of the day peaked through the grey clouds as Lollapalooza Berlin’s gates opened for its 11th edition on Saturday, July 18th. The forecast predicted a rainy day, but still most festival goers had put on their best summery festival outfit and were excited for a day full of music. All photos from day 1 can be found here.
Baran Kok kicked off this year’s festival on the Essence Stage at 12pm. The Kurdish rapper who grew up in Germany ran onto the stage full of energy and immediately had the crowd singing along every word. His lyrics feature a large variety of very sexually explicit lyrics but nobody really minded. A lot of fans were wearing merch that said ‘I ❤️ Kok’ or were holding signs. Recently, Kok has built himself a lot of popularity, especially in the queer German rap scene, and it’s safe to say this popularity will rise even further. One week after Lollapalooza, he will be performing at Berlin’s Christopher Street Day.
On the TK Maxx Stage to the right, another German act followed. Jolle already won everyone over before her set even started, as the stage was decorated with huge colourful teddy bears backed by a banner that also showed a teddy bear. The microphone stand was covered in smaller bears top to bottom. Jolle’s appearance was also impressive with long braids reaching the floor and her somewhat rough but soft voice. Her set lasted 40 minutes and she performed songs such as ‘alle märchen sind gelogen’ and ‘Märchenwald’.
The first international act this year were the brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley, known as Balu Brigada. Hailing from New Zealand, the duo brought their unique sound to the Essence Stage. Their songs are very chill and vibey and feature alt-pop riffs as well as catchy hooks. Formed in 2016, Balu Brigadas fan base rapidly grew after they opened for Twenty One Pilots all around the globe in 2024 and 2025. Since then, they have released their debut album Portal and went on a headline show with multiple sold out dates. Having lived in Berlin, the brothers stated it is very special for them to be performing here at Lollapalooza this year.
Simultaneously, Berlin-based duo Schmerzis inaugurated the New Horizon Stage. Located on the upper part of the festival grounds right next to the Olympiastadion, the stage features upcoming artists. It’s a perfect place for more intimate shows that build a connection between artist and fans. Schmerzis performed a mixture of Pop, Indie and Wave and got the stage bouncing for the first time.
Another stage that was definitely bouncing was the TK Maxx Stage as soon as J-pop group Atarashii Gakko! started their performance. The four-piece blew everyone away with their energetic dance moves and matching visuals on the LED screen in the back, with no one in the audience standing still. Atarashii Gakko’s songs are mostly Japanese, but also feature parts in English. Either way, their performance was understood by everyone.
For the Spanish-speaking community, a first highlight came up when Puerto Rican Young Miko took to the Essence Stage at 3pm. The GRAMMY-nominated rapper was welcomed by her fans who held up signs and waved flags. Those who didn’t know her yet got convinced by her cool and strong attitude and genre blending tracks.
In general, this year’s Lollapalooza featured a wide range of Latin and Spanish music with artists like Anitta, Funk Tribu or Usted Señalemelo. It’s only fitting that Spain won the World Cup the same weekend. For those who preferred raw beats over lyrics, DJ Lovefoxy brought 90’s house vibes to the newly located Perry’s Stage. Contrary to past years, the Perry’s Stage was now located on the outside of the stadium to replicate the feeling of day raves. Lovefoxy got the crowd dancing in no time and could also be seen dancing herself on top of the DJ desk. Her set spanned the entirety of Young Miko’s performance and ended while makko was performing on the TK Maxx stage, starting at 3:50pm.
Coming from the Berlin skater scene, makko has gained popularity all across Germany and showed he is talented beyond skateboarding too. As his set started, the clouds opened up once again and sunrays touched the stage which was decorated with two leafless trees and a large statue of Justitia. In the background hung a large banner which showed various texts throughout the performance. The last phrase was ‘Liebe > Hass’ (‘Love > Hate’). makko played songs such as ‘Zickzack’ (‘Zigzag’) and ‘Leben ist zu kurz um Angst zu haben’ (‘Life is too short to be scared’).
By this time of day, the sun had sneakily peaked through the clouds so frequently and surprised most visitors so much that a large majority of them were painted in bright red sunburn. Right after makko, time came for a totally different kind of music, when Tom Odell sat down behind his piano. His 55-minute set was filled with ballads full of heartbreak and deep emotions, the songs evoking tears and goosebumps all around. Besides his hit ‘Another Love’ from 2013, which has amassed a staggering amount of 3.6 billion streams on Spotify, he also played songs like ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Best Day Of My Life’.
In a break, the set design on the Essence Stage got drastically transformed. Tom Odell’s piano made room for Zara Larsson’s extraordinary, colourful and multilayered setup. Two platforms decorated with cutouts of green landscapes and plants held up two members of Larsson’s band each. The background was made up of a large LED screen displaying a dreamy forest or highly saturated blue skies with rainbows and pink butterflies. A pink staircase in the centre, which was frequented by Larsson and her large group of dancers, connected the different parts of the setup. After her 2016 hit ‘Lush Life’, the Swedish artist recently celebrated a massive comeback when songs like ‘Midnight Sun’, ‘Eurosummer’, and ‘Symphony’ regained popularity as a viral internet phenomenon.
The minute Zara Larsson concluded her show, Nieve Ella stepped onto the New Horizon stage. The young British singer mixes Indie Pop with Punk vibes, and already gathers quite a solid fanbase behind her. Despite the relatively small stage, she delivered a very expressive show that was carried by her strong voice and stage presence. At the same time, German pop star AYLIVA enchanted her fans at the TK Maxx stage with songs like ‘Lilien’ (‘Lilies’), an unreleased one called ‘Liebe tut weh’ (‘Love hurts’) and ‘Wunder’ (‘Wonders’). Her dedicated fan base sang along every word.
Next up were not one but two Pitbulls! When James Marriott and his band entered the New Horizon stage, they were all wearing bald caps and Pitbull’s signature sunglasses, to the amusement of the spectators. Their set had sadly fallen into the same slot as the one by the actual Pitbull, so they had to make up with a slightly smaller but still surprisingly large and dedicated audience. James Marriott’s expressive moves and honest lyrics connected with the crowd and offered a great alternative for everyone who isn’t a fan of Pitbull’s party anthems.
For those who are though, at 9:25pm it was finally time to throw themselves into the party that spread all across the infield. No matter where you looked, there were people dancing and jumping around to hits like ‘Timber’, ‘Don’t Stop The Party’ and ‘DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love Again’. Thousands of fans in bald caps populated the scene as Pitbull and his dancers moved across the stage. In between the songs, in two speeches, Pitbull emphasised on the importance of love as the most powerful thing and time as the most valuable thing in life. He stated that the most disrespectful thing anyone could do is waste someone else’s time, and since Pitbull didn’t want to waste the audience’s time, he quickly went back to party-mode. Shortly before 11pm, the party and consequently Day 1 of Lollapalooza Berlin 2026 ended. The large crowd slowly dispersed as everyone made their way back home to prepare for Day 2.
All photos from day 1 can be found here.
