Confluence of European Water Bodies 2026

3 September – 6 September 2026

The Confluence of European Water Bodies 2025 in Amsterdam and Bergen aan Zee, Netherlands. Photo: Katarina Rakušček

For the fourth iteration of the Confluence of European Water Bodies, taking place from September 3–6, 2026, the River Spree will become a gathering point for water stewards from across Europe. Over 40 rivers, lakes, seas, glaciers, and wetlands from more than 15 countries will come together to explore the possibility of giving voice and political representation to the continent's waters, exchange experiences, and build alliances in support of the legal, social, ethical, cultural, and political dimensions of Rights of Nature.

The Confluence is a growing pan-European network of water bodies and their communities, working across art, ecology, law, activism, research, and public engagement. Launched in 2023 by the Embassy of the North Sea, TBA21–Academy, and ILP Mar Menor at the shores of the Spanish saltwater lagoon, the first ecosystem in Europe with legal personhood, it calls for the legal and cultural recognition of water bodies as living entities with rights, intrinsic value, and agency. Acting as a campaign, research network, and community of practice, the Confluence explores what forms of democracy, artistic practice, governance, and stewardship might emerge when ecosystems are recognized as political and legal actors alongside humans.

The Spree as the Host

This year’s edition is curated by Léon Gross and Jakob Kukula of the Berlin-based ecological design studio Symbiotic Lab, and organized in close collaboration with local partners including the Rights of the Spree initiative, the Berlin University Alliance, and the Confluence “Stream”, a coordination group organizing the network's long-term development and continuity across Europe.

This year's edition unfolds across four locations in Berlin: FLUSSBAD Campus, SPORE Initiative, Spreepark Art Space, and Floating ~~University~~ Berlin. Over four days, participants will gather through workshops, performances, collective meals, rituals, listening sessions, artistic interventions, public conversations, and a multispecies parliament. The program also features a keynote by renowned hydrofeminist philosopher and cultural theorist Astrida Neimanis.

PROGRAM

DAY 1: FLUSSBAD CAMPUS / Thursday, September 3 | 4pm–10pm
“Attuning to the waters” / Opening with a keynote by hydrofeminist theorist Astrida Neimanis, sound performance, collective singing, and a shared gathering by the River Spree.
Closed / Sold Out

DAY 2: SPORE INITIATIVE / Friday, September 4 | 09:30am–9pm
“Confluencing Minds” / Full day of workshops and panels, Rights of Nature, Indigenous perspectives on water stewardship, lessons from the Mar Menor, collective meals, artistic interventions, and evening celebrations.
Open to the public – register here

DAY 3: SPREEPARK ART SPACE / Saturday, September 5 | 09:30am–10pm
“Sensing the River” / Day by the water with kayaking expeditions, microscopy and painting workshops, rainwater knowledge, river food practices, collective cooking, artistic interventions, exhibitions, and water ceremony
Closed / Sold Out

DAY 4: FLOATING UNIVERSITY BERLIN × ON WATER PARCOURS / Sunday, September 6 | 10am–8pm
“Multispecies Realities” / Closing day, including a Spree Species Parliament, multispecies workshops, water listening sessions, performances, children’s activities, and a collective closing.
Open to the public – register here!

CONFLUENCE 2026

Curatorial, Design & Research Lead
Léon Gross & Jakob Kukula
(Symbiotic Lab)

Host Institutions
FLUSSBAD Campus · SPORE Initiative · Spreepark Art Space · Floating ~~University~~ Berlin

Co-hosts & Co-curators
Netzwerk Stadtraumkultur · Berlin University Alliance · On Water. Parcours · Bildungswerk Berlin der Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung · SPORE Initiative

Collaborators
Rights of the Spree Initiative · Confluence STREAM · Embassy of the North Sea · TBA21–Academy · ILP Mar Menor

Supported by / Funded by
Bildungswerk Berlin der Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung · JUA Foundation · Okeanos Foundation · Berlin University Alliance · On Water. Parcours · IVU Stiftung · Stiftung Living Rivers / GRÜNE LIGA · Goethe-Institut · Campus Stadtnatur Berlin · Hochschule Darmstadt · Rechte der Natur e.V.· Netzwerk Rechte der Natur · Backstagetourism · Berliner Landeszentrale für politische Bildung

In partnership with
Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) · Organismendemokratie e.V. · buero gross · River Collective · Polisphere · SpreeBerlin · Theresa Maria Forthaus (Photo & Video) · Freddy Adelmann (Graphic Design)

Learn more

Confluence of European Water Bodies 2026

The Spree as the Host

The Confluence of European Water Bodies

Nature Speaks. Listening for Rights of Nature in Venice and Europe

Confluence of European Water Bodies 2025

Confluence of European Water Bodies 2024