Piranha Arts is a Berlin-based independent creative company up against all kinds of walls. From the beginning, Piranha has celebrated an open, diverse society and art, fiercely biting back against all forms of discrimination. 

Our journey began in early 1987 with the German live premiere of Memphis Soul Man Rufus Thomas and the release of our first vinyl LP, ‘Beat! Apartheid’. Today, we continue to embrace the spirit of carnival and babel, bringing together a rich diversity of cultures, arts, languages, and individuals in a bold, sometimes noisy, but always unique way.

We are a team of two dozen Piranhas, inspired by our totem animal— a communal, swarming creature that fights back when attacked and is memorable across all languages and regions. We operate both locally and globally, active as cultural innovators, tech developers, curators, educators, partners, and multipliers.

Through our pioneering festivals ‘Heimatklänge’—introducing the sounds of our home, planet Earth, the Ballroom nights of the Jüdische Kulturtage, Die Nächte des Ramadan, Fete de la Musique, Classical:NEXT and many others, we have played a part in reinventing Berlin as an international cultural capital since the fall of the Wall in 1989.

In Berlin, we are best known for the Karneval der Kulturen, the million-strong annual street parade and festival, which has grown since 1996 to become the largest celebration of cultural diversity in Germany.

Our internationally renowned music showcase, conference, and trade fair event WOMEX — the Worldwide Music Expo — has been on an neverending tour since 1994, helping us better understand the diversity of Europe and offering opportunities to come together as a community.

It all started with our own record and publishing activities under the Piranha Records flag. Since then, we’ve been dedicated to bringing new sounds and artists from around the world to a international audience, with a divers selection of global sounds ranging from traditional to tradi-modern, from classical to hip hop, representing artists from the Americas, Africa and the Balkan region.