From a Berlin Parking Lot to Paris: Reference Festival's 7 Years

Reference Festival, which began in a Berlin parking lot in 2019, is holding its first-ever French edition in Paris from October 19 to 25, 2026. Titled 'FREIE KUNST' (German for 'free art' or 'fine art'), it runs alongside Art Basel Paris, where 211 galleries from 41 countries and regions gather at the Grand Palais from October 23 to 25.

From a 24-Hour Free Event to a Multi-Venue Festival

The first edition, held in May 2019 in Berlin's Neukölln district, was a free 24-hour event with about 40 teams presenting installations, films, performances, music and talks. Comme des Garçons, Gentle Monster and designer Matthew Williams took part. The 2021 edition added an online platform, and in 2024 the organizer, Reference Studios, staged a fashion week project called 'Intervention' in a former department store.

In Paris, programs are spread across venues including Dover Street Market Paris, Reference Salon, Silencio and the Institut du Monde Arabe. Artists such as Donna Huanca, Dozie Kanu and Bjarne Melgaard are on the lineup, along with a joint project by Rich Horton and media artist John Gerrard, plus a film program with FKA twigs and director Jordan Hemingway. Access now varies by program, with free events, pre-registration, invitation-only sessions and ticketed club shows. The festival also receives support from the city of Berlin's economic affairs department.

Why It Matters

The festival shows how a fashion communications company's creative network can grow into an international cultural event timed to a major art market week. It also shows the trade-offs of scale, as a free parking-lot gathering becomes a multi-venue program with varied entry conditions.

Read the original article in Korean: K trendy NEWS