Stone Techno Festival confirms 2026 dates, lineup highlights and new Curation Series
Industry BriefPublished: 2025-12-11 By: Michael Lawson
Stone Techno Festival has announced its 2026 edition, returning to Essen’s UNESCO-listed Zeche Zollverein from July 10th through 12th. Alongside a stacked partial lineup, the event introduces a six-artist Curation Series and a new ambient-focused stage.
Key details
- Dates: July 10–12, 2026, at Zeche Zollverein in Essen
- New Curation Series: Alarico, D.Dan, GiGi FM, Freddy K, Verraco and Oscar Mulero each curate a 12-hour programme
- Each curator will also release a 12-inch VA featuring artists from their lineups
- Partial lineup includes DVS1, DJ MARIA., Skee Mask, Efdemin, Barker, upsammy, Legowelt and more (full lineup TBA)
- New stage: the Listening Floor, dedicated to ambient and experimental listening
- Organiser: The Third Room, which launched the festival in 2022
Dates, venue and scope
Stone Techno Festival will run from July 10th to 12th, 2026, at Zeche Zollverein, the former coal mining complex in Essen recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The three-day weekender was launched by local promoter, record label and studio The Third Room in 2022 and returns next summer with its most expansive concept to date.
While the full programme is still to be announced, organisers have shared a broad cross-section of artists spanning techno, experimental and adjacent sounds, reflecting the festival’s architectural setting and system-led approach to curation.
Introducing the Curation Series
New for 2026, the Curation Series brings six distinct perspectives to the festival. Alarico, D.Dan, GiGi FM, Freddy K, Verraco and Oscar Mulero will each take over for a continuous 12-hour programme, assembling their own rosters and shaping the arc of the day.
Extending beyond the dancefloor, each curated programme will be paired with a 12-inch VA vinyl release featuring tracks from artists included in that curator’s lineup. The model deepens the link between the live experience and recorded output, offering a snapshot of each curator’s aesthetic through both performance and artifact.
Lineup highlights and the Listening Floor
Among the names confirmed so far are DVS1, DJ MARIA., 1morning, Quelza, Powder, Skee Mask, Yanamaste, Efdemin, Barker, Carrier, Kangding Ray, upsammy, Legowelt, Emily Jeanne and Vladimir Ivkovic, with more to be revealed. A broader list tied to the weekend points to additional appearances from artists such as Oscar Mulero, Freddy K, D.Dan and GiGi FM, among many others.
Another addition for 2026 is the Listening Floor, a stage dedicated to ambient and experimental listening. Designed for deep focus and lower-tempo exploration, the space complements the festival’s high-intensity programming elsewhere on site.
