History
1999-2000
The early days
What began in an East German youth club in 1998 was to write international music history. In Chemnitz, then one of the of the country's secret hip-hop strongholds, a few hip-hop fans, rappers and hip-hop fans, rappers and DJs created the vision of a festival - by the scene scene for the scene. In the best DIY style and under the motto “Doesn't exist? Let's do it!”, they initially launched a one-day indoor festival with six live acts at the Kraftwerk Chemnitz in 1998. The following year, splash! moved to the Oberrabenstein reservoir. With a lot of love for hip-hop and a good dose of naivety, the team not only brought the crème de la crème of the German rap scene to Saxony, but also attracts over 10,000 fans. over 10,000 fans. By 2000, there were twice as many. Parallel to the first German rap hype, splash! develops into a home for culture for culture and played a key role in shaping the success of hip-hop. with it.
Credits: n/a
2001-2006
History in the making
In 2001, splash! continues to grow and consolidates its reputation as a hip-hop class reunion. Over the next few years, acts such as Kool Savas, Samy Deluxe, SEEED, the Beginner, but also the Aggro Berlin Aggro Berlin posse around Sido go down in German rap history with their performances. German rap history with their performances. They share the stages with American rap stars such as Gangstarr, Busta Rhymes and Redman. The splash! reflects the true greatness of German hip-hop. In addition to live rap, there are breakdance and skate battles, the ITF DJ Championship and the Write4Gold graffiti contest take place here. But: economically, the splash! is struggling, because the festival site at the Oberrabenstein reservoir is too expensive. In addition massive weather problems are leading to ever decreasing attendance figures. An appeal for donations and a legendary charity concert with numerous rap acts and the and the Robert Schumann Philharmonic Orchestra Chemnitz saved what had become largest hip-hop festival in Europe from insolvency.
Credits: n/a
2007-2008
Moving on
For its tenth birthday, splash! dares to make a new start on the Pouch peninsula near Bitterfeld. For hip-hop in Europe, this is a phase of upheaval, bringing forth a completely new generation of rap acts acts - including Casper and Marteria, who celebrated their first successes at the splash! In addition to space for new talents the festival is also counting on real world stars: Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, M.O.P. and and many other rap legends will be performing on the main stage. And yet: storms and rain also put splash! the splash! in these two years too. The solution: another relocation.
Credits: Bildhauer
2009-2019
Home at last
In Ferropolis, the splash! 2009 will finally find its permanent home. The significantly more weatherproof location with its huge bucket wheel excavators is still symbolic of the the home base of German hip-hop culture. At the same time German rap and the splash! are opening up to new musical influences: Whether live bands a la Kraftklub or cloud rap a la Lgoony - hip-hop is bigger and broader than ever before. The splash! gives these new trends a stage from the very beginning and develops into a permanently sold-out creative hub by 2019. This is where What the scene is talking about all year round takes place here, be it the joint performance by Future and Ufo361 or the collabo between Haftbefehl and Gucci Mane.
Credits: Bildhauer
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2022 - BLUE
2022 - RED
2023
2020-today
And it don't stop
The year 2020 probably marks a major turning point for all festivals the corona pandemic also forces splash! to take a two-year break. a two-year break. In 2022, the now longest-serving hip-hop festival in Germany will return with a new team and twice the power. power: splash! will take place twice this year. will take place twice this year. The double edition with the Blue and Red Weekend makes up for for the lockdown years. Since then, splash! has continued its mission unwavering: to give hip-hop a home in Central Europe, to push young acts acts and celebrate rap legends, but also to hold up a mirror to the culture. but also to hold up a mirror to the culture. From the scene for the scene.
Credits: Timmy Ty
03 – 05.07.2025
Ferropolis
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