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Dance pavilion - Thursday 19

Brincadeira

Brincadeira returns once again with explosive percussion, movement, and infectious energy. The Barcelona-based collective transforms Danslogen, the festival site, and the streets of Näsåker into a living celebration where the audience is swept away by the rhythms.

This year, they bring their new piece, MEROGRADE, where music, body, and movement come together in a powerful and pulsating interplay. Born out of percussion gatherings in Barcelona, Brincadeira has evolved into a unique collective that creates melodies through movement, bodily expression, and community. Come, feel the rhythms and dance along! 

Also, don’t miss the body percussion workshop that Brincadeira will hold during the festival weekend.

Dance pavilion- Saturday 13.30

Blannedans

Get ready for a boiling hot dance floor as “BLNDNS” takes over Danslogen on Friday night. Joined by live percussion, the Malmö duo will deliver heavy bass, disco and electronic rhythms from around the world. For Blannedans, groove always comes before prestige, so expect a sweaty, playful night of dancing!

Behind the duo we find Johanna “J-OL” Olofsson and Sebastian “Sordez” Chirco, known for their dynamic and dancefloor-focused sets. Together they also host the radio show Kalejdoskop on P2. At Urkult, they will be joined by percussionist Elis Olofsson Gomar, adding extra live swing and rhythmic energy to the party.

Dance pavilion - Friday 1

Frank Heinkel

When Frank Heinkel performed at Urkult's open stage, Solchansen, last year, he made quite an impression. With skilful overtone and throat singing, accompanied by meditative plucking on his handmade n'goni—a pentatonic harp originating in West Africa—he captivated the audience with tones that reached deep and, perhaps, touched something ancient. Alongside Mongolian singing techniques and the n'goni, Frank uses instruments such as the didgeridoo and gong to express himself through music. This year, we are delighted to welcome Frank Heinkel back to Urkult for a full concert experience in Ådals-Lidens Church.

Church - Saturday 16

Världens band

Get ready for a fireworks display of melodies and rhythms as Världens Band returns to Urkult with its own brand of "transglobal roots fusion." Thirteen musicians, six countries, three continents, one band. Världens Band creates an irresistible blend of folk and roots music from around the world in a lush musical collision. Swedish melodies meet Scottish reels, English guitar accompanies Indian classical singing, Galician bagpipes play Balkan melodies, and the Senegalese kora intertwines with rhythms from the Mediterranean. Surrender to an inspiring blend of cultures, personalities, and styles, and let the skilled musicians of Världens Band guide you through soothing grooves and euphoric dancing.

Sun stage - Friday 16.30

Kroke

Expect a concert filled with presence, emotion, and music that lingers long after the final note when Kroke returns to Urkult! When Tomasz Kukurba, Jerzy Bawol, and Tomasz Lato first began playing together, their focus was primarily on klezmer music, a musical tradition performed by Jewish musicians in Eastern and Central Europe before the Second World War. Over the course of their twenty-five-year journey, Kroke has developed a distinctive artistic language of its own, drawing inspiration from folk music and rhythms from around the world, woven together with their own improvisations. Simply put: Kroke music. Their atmospheric, cinematic sound has enchanted audiences at many Urkult festivals (1999, 2004, 2010, 2014, 2019), and Kroke's return will be a welcome reunion as we celebrate 30 years of Urkult.

Sun stage - Thursday 19

BIM

Founded as a tribute to Benin's rich musical traditions, Benin International Musical (BIM) brings the rhythms and spirit of Beninese vodou into the present. Blending rock, rap and traditional vodou rhythms, the five-piece collective creates a powerful musical journey where heritage meets contemporary expression. Their performances are immersive experiences filled with pulsating rhythms, emotional intensity and spirit that draw the audience in. The influence of vodou can be heard in many of the major musical genres of the 20th century, from jazz and blues to gospel, Afrobeat, rock and rap. When BIM performs, these musical encounters come to life through a blend of ceremonial singing, hypnotic rhythms, steamroller grooves and punk-hop riffs.

Main stage - Saturday 21

Tuuletar

Tuuletar is a Finnish-language vocal group renowned for the sound effects and sonic textures they create using only the human voice. Four singers come together to form a rich and dynamic soundscape, where harmonies, rhythms, vocal percussion, and beatboxing merge into a seamless whole. Their original repertoire moves effortlessly between tradition and the present day, drawing inspiration from Finnish runo singing, contemporary folk music, and urban vocal styles. Tuuletar's music was featured in the promotional trailer for the hugely popular TV series Game of Thrones, and it's easy to understand why. Their acrobatic voices create a mythical sound that effortlessly evokes the sensation of soaring like a dragon, cool air filling your lungs as you dive between rugged mountain peaks and lush valleys.

Sun stage - Saturday 16.30

Teodor Wolgers

A crack in time opens when Teodor Wolgers' melodies meet the poems of his grandfather, Beppe Wolgers. Delicate yet profound soundscapes, meditation through piano tones, and the sounds of summer. In an attempt to get to know his grandfather, Teodor travelled in 2023 to the Jämtland that Beppe had portrayed in works such as the film "Dunderklumpen!" and the poetry collection “Episod i Vikens kapell – om en händelse i somras”. There, beside the same chapel, half a century later, an auditory collage began to take shape—Teodor's compositions, traditional music from Jämtland, poems set to music, and the sounds of nature and the water outside Vikens Chapel. His grandfather is present through archival voice recordings. It is a story about heritage and environment, about humanity's relationship with nature, with God, and with family.

Church - Thursday 19

Abdou Cissokho

From Casamance in southern Senegal, Abdou Cissokho carries a griot tradition that stretches back to the 14th century. Raised in a family where music and storytelling are the hub of life, he shaped his expression by listening to his older brother Lamine and capturing his father's subtle nuances. The result is a personal and deeply rooted sound where every note carries traces of the family's history and generations of craftsmanship that have been passed down from father to son for centuries. Now living in Stockholm, Abdou plays in a number of different projects such as Karoo, Världens Band and the Bambo Cissokho trio. Abdou comes to Urkult as a solo artist and offers an intimate and scaled-down encounter with the Kora and griot music from his childhood as well as with his own personal compositions.

Church - Saturday 11

Nadin & Emilia

Children's & Family Concert

Two powerful musical forces come together as nyckelharpa world champion Emilia Amper and internationally acclaimed singer and multi-instrumentalist Nadin Al Khalidi meet on stage for a concert for children and their families! The duo takes young audiences on a musical journey around the world, exploring songs and rhythms from a wide range of places and traditions. Songs in Swedish, Arabic, Farsi, Norwegian, Somali, and Spanish are performed on instruments such as the Swedish nyckelharpa, the Algerian mandole, the Persian daf drum, and the Turkish kopuz. Guided by love songs, hymns, and lullabies, the journey moves through joy, tears, reconciliation, and beyond. At the heart of Nadin and Emilia's musical voyage are the universal human emotions and expressions that can reach us all, regardless of language or geography. 

Church - Friday 16

Chocolate Remix

Sexy but never sexist. From Tucumán, Argentina's smallest yet most densely populated province, and via the global club scene's safe spaces, Chocolate Remix returns to Urkult with its bass-heavy dance music. Through a queer perspective, Choco reshapes the stale, hypersexualized world of reggaeton with a concoction of the best from Latin America's underground genres: bouncy dembow, heavy baile funk, satirical guaracha, and steamy-hot perreo. Chocolate Remix transforms the dance floor into a bold celebration of norm-defying identity, where the desire to sweat and dance becomes a radical act of resistance. 

Dance pavilion - Friday 22.30

Toussaint Chiza

Searching, unrest, and unwavering love—Toussaint Chiza's soulful songs vibrate with life and longing. A few years ago, in pursuit of greater artistic freedom, he left the major record labels behind, along with his former stage name "Tusse". In its place emerged a new sound inspired by African gospel and the Black music scenes of London and the United States. His debut album "It Takes a Village to Love a Child" reflects his journey—from his childhood in the Congo and his escape on the back of a lorry, through his upbringing in Sweden, to his return to Africa. A powerful experience awaits when Toussaint Chiza comes to Urkult with a new band and an international gospel choir to share stories of identity, queerness, family, and the courage to embrace his own story.

Main stage - Thursday 15

Charu Hariharan

Charu Hariharan is a percussionist, singer, composer, and music producer with deep roots in Carnatic music—one of the two main traditions of Indian classical music, originating in southern India. Charu has been immersed in this tradition since childhood, born into a musical family, and has deepened her studies in both vocal music and percussion over the years. Her creative work extends into a wide range of experimental and genre-crossing collaborations. Over time, she has moved across broad musical landscapes, from encounters with traditional music from other countries to electronic music, rap, and jazz. At Urkult, we will meet her as the solo instrumental virtuoso she has become, along with guest appearances from friends who share her love of music.

Church - Friday 11

Nana Benz

Togolese vodou tradition meets soul in Nana Benz's music. The energy of the ancestors blends with feminist and ecological themes. In some of its forms, vodou can be described as an ancient trance practice. Its rhythms take you back to the roots of house and techno. The band's name is inspired by a group of women from Togo who rose to success in the textile trade during the 1950s. Their entrepreneurial spirit made them the wealthiest women in the country and an inspiration for generations to come. Nana Benz plays the "gazé tuyau", a homemade bass instrument built from PVC pipes, which produces an organic sub-bass sound interwoven with complex polyrhythms. The singers use their voices like electro-soul preachers. The result is raw, immensely powerful, and transcendent.

Sun stage - Saturday 22.30

Värttinä

Värttinä is a folk music legend with roots deeply embedded in the Finnish soil. At the heart of their sound are rich, powerful vocal harmonies, driving arrangements, and ancient Finno-Ugric poetry. Värttinä brings tradition into a contemporary space. Through complex rhythms and masterful musicianship, they have carved out a unique place of their own within the genre. Post-folk. Experimental. Dark, profound, and uplifting. Over the years, the band has evolved, its members and sound have changed, yet the spirit of Karelian and Finnish folk music has been faithfully carried forward for five decades. At last, Värttinä returns to Urkult, and we can't wait for another electrifying live performance!

Main stage - Saturday 18

Lele Lele Orchestra

Bulgarisk folkmusik och romsk musik från Balkan är Lele Lele Orchestras expertis! Den bulgarisk-svenska oBulgarian folk music and Romani music from the Balkans are Lele Lele Orchestra's specialty! The Bulgarian-Swedish orchestra, based in Stockholm, has tirelessly explored Bulgarian folk music since 2003 with fiery energy, playfulness, and a drive for innovation. Lele Lele's live performances are known for engaging audiences with circle dancing and singing. And if we know our Urkult audience well, you won't need much persuading—when the orchestra invites you to an interactive and wildly festive Balkan celebration, you'll be more than ready to join in!

Sun stage - Friday 22.30

Amanda Bergman

Amanda Bergman possesses one of Sweden’s warmest and most distinctive voices. Since making her solo debut in 2016, she has become a farmer, released several acclaimed albums, both as a solo artist and with the supergroup Amason. won awards, and founded the concert venue “Rockbonden”. Amanda’s music wraps you in a comforting blanket of soft ’80s rock, folk, indie pop and country. It carries you along a dusty country road bathed in the glow of an endless golden sunset. Her songs explore the relentless passage of time, the people who disappear from our lives, love as an act of resistance, and the bewildering mix of euphoria and despair that comes with simply being alive in this moment.

Main stage - Saturday 15

Tonskalv

Tonskalv is a quartet that boldly and curiously explores contemporary folk music with its gaze firmly fixed on the women who came before them. Formed in 2020, the band brings together four musicians with a shared desire to forge new paths within Swedish folk music and to tell the stories that have too rarely been heard. In Tonskalv's music, the strings are free to creak a little more, and funk finds its place in the polskas. With sensitivity and precision, they embrace tradition, letting it resonate through the swirling dance of flutes and fiddles, anchored by the reassuring pulse of the bass. Listen to women telling the stories of the women who came before them—of lives lived, emotions felt, and sisterhood that reaches beyond time. 

Dance pavilion - Friday 16.30

Assu

Áššu means “ember” and is a vibrant trio performing traditional joiks and original compositions, infused with the diverse musical backgrounds they come from. Ulla Pirttijärvi-Länsman has long been an active presence on the Sámi music scene, enriching it with her genuine and deeply present voice. The trio moves across a wide geographical axis, weaving hidden gems from a variety of rhythmic traditions into their evocative compositions. Take the opportunity to join Áššu on a spellbinding musical journey through their embracing sonic landscape – where heavy, pulsating rhythms meet a voice rising from the heart of the earth, creating a fusion that reflects the glowing creative spirit of humanity across time and space.

Dance pavilion- Saturday 16.30

GANNA & Laura Robles

The Ukrainian singer, composer, and producer GANNA (Ganna Gryniva) invites us into a world of ancestral melodies, ritual songs, and field recordings from Ukrainian villages, exploring themes of resilience, matriarchy, and belonging. At Urkult, she appears as a duo together with percussionist and cajón player Laura Robles. Laura moves across a wide spectrum of rhythms. Through her parents’ heritage, she has encountered diverse origins and traditions, while also growing up as a world traveler. Her sonic universe is infused with Cuban, Argentine, and South African roots, yet it takes on a new form through her own identity and artistic expression. Together, the duo presents Ukrainian folk traditions, jazz-influenced arrangements, electronic soundscapes, live looping, and rhythmic solo passages. A new sonic world emerges—one that both retrieves from the past and explores a multifaceted landscape drawn from within as well as from the wider world. 

Dance pavilion- Saturday 22.30

Omega Nebula

The future dub duo Omega Nebula draws on elements of dub and dubstep to create a heart-opening and deeply moving sonic identity of its own. Their sound sweeps through the British sound system scene, dub clubs, and bass-driven underground culture like a breath of fresh air. The two multi-instrumentalists combine accomplished songwriting with a rich performance background, creating an epic electronic hybrid show featuring live instrumentation and outstanding vocals. With lyrics centred on unity and growth, and their distinctive sound, Omega Nebula has won the hearts of both the new generation of dub enthusiasts and old-school dub and reggae veterans.

Main stage - Thursday 0.45

Sara Parkman

Sara Parkman is the folk musician who has unapologetically and thoughtfully challenged tradition while embracing it at the same time. Her singular musical universe has made her one of the leading figures in contemporary Swedish folk music—and one of Urkult's audience favourites, whom we are delighted to welcome back. Sara's hallmark is her powerful voice, heartfelt lyrics, and magnificent musical compositions. Her songs are unafraid to explore both vulnerability and sorrow, as well as political themes such as feminism and capitalism. Radical and sacred. A storm that never ceases to rage. Sometimes you watch it through the window, safe and warm inside. Sometimes you're swept away by the wind, soaked and shivering. Sometimes you find yourself in the eye of the storm. The one thing you cannot do is remain untouched.

Main stage - Saturday 24

Hekate

The folk vocal trio Hekate weaves together traditional Norwegian dance melodies with improvisation through mystique, drive, and commanding presence. Through vocal harmonies and electrifying soundscapes, the vocal tradition sets off on an adventure, stepping out to claim its own place in an unconventional club environment. The trio's unique vocal styles and powerful sonic landscapes offer the listener a seductive blend of something both ancient and modern. Hekate doesn't simply give you a concert—Hekate strikes a chord, hits you hard, and sweeps you up in swirling triple-time magic.

Dance pavilion- Saturday 19.30

The Poozies

The Poozies began as an all-female Scottish trad band. When they formed in 1990, they stood at the forefront of the wave that revolutionised traditional Scottish and Gaelic music. Over the years, the band has toured the world, earning recognition and acclaim for its distinctive arrangements and exquisite vocal harmonies. The Poozies build their music on magnificent bass playing, adventurous electric harp, the untamed energy of twin fiddles, and rebellious guitars. Their exploration of new musical dimensions has been a bold process of reinvention for 35 years. With enduring curiosity, The Poozies continue to embrace their unique brand of trad punk with energy, seduction, mischief, and inventiveness.

Dance pavilion - Thursday 22

Valérie Ékoumè

Valérie Ékoumè grew up in a music-loving family and was shaped from an early age by a rich musical palette, ranging from Congolese rumba and pop icons like Michael Jackson to traditional Cameroonian music. Based in France, Valérie has spent the past few years touring extensively on stages around the world, establishing herself as a distinctive and expressive artist. At the heart of Valérie's vibrant musical universe is love, expressed through her own powerful blend of afropop and rock. Through collaborations that cross cultural and musical boundaries, she is part of a new, multicultural generation of artists who come together to create masterful arrangements and share meaningful messages. Dance into the night in a swirling celebration of rhythms, energy, and boundless love.

Main stage - Thursday 24

Helt Off

A Swedish reggae classic is a regular feature at Urkult, and this year we're delighted to welcome Helt Off back to Näsåker! The Skåne-based, roots reggae-inspired band broke through in the summer of 2004 with the song "Babylonsjukan." Since then, they have spread their down-to-earth, uncompromising music, built on drums, bass, guitar, organ, and vocals with rich harmonies. Helt Off raises issues surrounding society's unequal distribution of resources and, in many ways, carries the immense musical legacy left by Peps Persson. Backbeat as medicine. Quality roots. Reggae that lasts a long time. A really, really long time.

Main stage - Thursday 18

Efia Abu & Drömbandet

Names like Peps, Timbuktu, Erykah Badu, and Radiohead often come up when people describe Efia Abu & Drömbandet – their music is best described as roots reggae and soul sung in the Scanian dialect. Deep, earthy roots and heavenly praise fill the air as Efia invites you to dance barefoot alongside her outstanding band. Straightforward messages about life's deepest principles are woven into playful melodies, epic basslines, and echoing offbeats. Drawing inspiration from her own life, Efia transforms negatives into positives, creating a kind of magical realism that bridges the spiritual and the physical. At its heart is a message of love and an invitation to embrace our unique, authentic selves and let our light shine in the world.

Sun stage - Saturday 19.30

Pumpegris

The rising folk music phenomenon Pumpegris comes to Urkult to spread celebration and vibrant energy. In their compositions, Norwegian cultural heritage meets today's youth, melodies meet rap, and fuzz guitar meets hymn tunes. Pumpegris draws inspiration from genres such as funk, shoegaze, folk pop, and hip-hop. Through their music, they transform folk traditions into something intimate, raw, and groovy. It is heavy yet fragile. Authentic and full of life, it captures both the melancholy of life and its intoxicating joy. Celebrate the contrasts and dance somewhere between the vulnerable and the humorous in the twilight haze of the festival night.

Dance pavilion - Friday 19.30

DAM

DAM was formed in the 1990s and is one of the first Palestinian hip-hop groups. Powerful Arabic rap and urban hip-hop blend with Arabic rhythms and influences from across the Middle East. Through their music, the members portray their upbringing as second-class citizens, speaking of oppression, violence, war, racism, and sexism. The group has become known for speaking openly about taboo subjects such as the social pressure surrounding marriage. "These are difficult times, and we have always spoken about the darkness we live in. But as we say in one of our songs, 'Hada Yidi'e Sitna': 'This is not the darkness of the grave; we are in the darkness of the womb.'" DAM's music invites you to dance to rhythms that inspire hope for a new era of freedom for all.

Sun stage - Thursday 22

AySay

AySay is a band that brings together Anatolian folk traditions and Nordic electronica, a fusion rooted in singer Luna Ersahin’s family heritage. Singing in Turkish, Kurdish, and Danish, they create a psychedelic space where boundaries dissolve and only the raw human experience remains. AySay’s music celebrates diversity and bridges cultures, making them a distinctive voice on the global music scene. By combining traditional instruments such as the saz with modern pop and electronic elements, AySay crafts an innovative sonic universe that transcends genres and connects worlds. Come and dance into the evening, hand in hand with both the ancient and the future.

Sun stage - Friday 19.30

Hoven Droven & Gangar

Swedish Hoven Droven and Norwegian Gangar are two of the biggest names in folk rock. This year, they join forces on the Main Stage to celebrate folk rock and Urkult's 30th anniversary! Hoven Droven performed at the very first festival in 1995 and has returned regularly ever since, always eagerly awaited and bringing the same unstoppable energy and joy of playing. To connect the past with the present, Hoven Droven will this time share the stage with the young Norwegian folk rock band Gangar. Inspired by their musical predecessors, the young quartet proudly carries the tradition forward. Join the folk rock party of the ages as Hoven Droven and Gangar, separated by three decades, meet in a shared explosion of distorted triple-time rhythms. Folk on!

Main stage - Thursday 21