Ahead of Nibirii Festival’s sixth edition, co-founder Björn Grimm discusses the festival’s origins, its growth, and this year’s lineup.

Recently we got to chat with Björn Grimm, co-founder of Nibirii Festival, in the lead up to the festival’s 6th edition. We discussed the story behind Nibirii, how it’s grown, and what everyone can expect from it this year.

First off take us back to the beginning. Where did the idea for Nibirii Festival come from and how did it all come together?

I was listening to a Vini Vici track by coincidence at the time and it had me thinking of a concept for bringing sounds together at Bootshaus Cologne, which were underrepresented at that time. It became a successful event series pretty quickly and someone offered us a nice place (Dürener Badesee) so we thought about bringing this to the next level – and so we did!

Since that first edition Nibirii has come a long way. How has it been for you to watch it grow from a single day event to a multistage, full weekend festival?

To be honest, it is really hard for me to see it growing because it was huge for me right from the beginning and I am not the person counting and comparing numbers. I think you can compare it with being a parent and you see your child growing and so time is passing and someday you say “wow when did you become a grown adult.” I think it is similar because I was raising this event and was so close to it.

– This year you’ve pulled together an incredible lineup with the likes of Dimension, Hannah Laing, I Hate Models, and Vini Vici to just name a few. What’s the process like in pulling together such a lineup and deciding who you want on those stages?

I think booking is a really difficult task nowadays. Music is changing fast, artists are getting a lot of attention within a few days. Trying to look into the future is nearly impossible. I think the good thing is that we have a great relationship to the artists and we know what we want, and our booker is maybe one of the best in Germany. Shoutout to Paul.

– Nibirii has grown rapidly year on year. What can festivalgoers expect this year that’s maybe developed since 2025?

If we look back at last year, the Unreal stage might have been the biggest thing, and it will be for the Techno genre in 2026. But the other stages have also had a new facelift.

– Planning a festival is a huge challenge to take on. You’ve already had 5 very successful editions, but what are the emotions like for you in the buildup? Do you get nervous or is it all just excitement?

I think this is part of the deal. You will not do this with your heart if you are not getting nervous and excited, sad and happy, frustrated and the full emotional rollercoaster ride.

– How important is it to you to have each stage feel unique in both style and sound?

Stages should be great, 100%. The experience is not only created by the artists playing. It is the surrounding, the friends and people around you, the sound… everything is important. You can have the best stage in front of you but if you can’t share this with someone this stage is worthless.

– What would you say makes Nibirii different to other festivals and has kept on bringing more and more people back?

It is the vibe, the location, the local hosts we bring to the festival.

– What is your favourite thing about Nibirii?

It is the people I am seeing there. Seeing them smiling makes me happy and reminds me why I’m doing this.

– If you had to describe Nibirii in 3 words to someone who hasn’t been before what words you choose?

MUSIC, BEACH, FRIENDS