About
The East of Culture – Different Sounds Festival is a true celebration of music and unforgettable live concert experiences. To enjoy them fully and for years to come, it is worth checking your hearing regularly. Together with Audika, we invite festival participants to take advantage of free hearing tests.
Music fans are particularly exposed to prolonged periods of loud sound. Regular hearing tests help detect potential problems at an early stage, assess hearing health, and encourage conscious protection of hearing. Early diagnosis also increases the chances of effectively preventing further deterioration. Thanks to this, we can enjoy our favourite sounds, concerts, and the full richness of musical experiences for longer.
Festival participants are invited to register for free hearing tests conducted by specialists from Audika. The short examination will assess the condition of your hearing and, if necessary, help identify the first warning signs of potential problems. It is a simple way to take care of your hearing and ensure the enjoyment of music today and in the future.
Details
When: 2–5 July (Thursday–Sunday), 10:00–13:00 (the test takes approx. 15 minutes and is painless)
Where: Workshops of Culture in Lublin, Grodzka 5a, first floor
For: adults
Registration for tests: via the registration form
How to prepare for the test
- Rest before your visit: avoid loud sounds and noisy places for a few hours before the test.
- Take care of ear hygiene: wash your ears thoroughly before leaving home, but avoid using cotton swabs.
- If you wear a hearing aid, bring it with you.
- If you are ill, reschedule your appointment; a cold, runny nose, or ear infection may affect the test results.
If there is a large amount of earwax in the ear canal, the test may not be possible. In such a case, as well as if any irregularities are detected, a specialist from Audika will recommend further diagnostics if necessary.
Audika are true experts in hearing health. The company offers professional hearing tests, specialist consultations, and modern solutions supporting hearing comfort. Thanks to its experience and use of the latest technologies, Audika helps detect hearing problems early and effectively prevent them.
Enjoy the music, listen wisely!
Here are 6 tips for protecting your ears during the Different Sounds festival.
1. Check your hearing with Audika
Together with Audika, we invite you to take part in free hearing tests. On four festival mornings, Audika specialists will check how your hearing is doing. The test is painless and takes only a few minutes. Advance registration is required!
2. Use earplugs
Special concert earplugs provide hearing protection while modern acoustic filters do not reduce sound quality. Even simple foam earplugs can help. Whatever type of hearing protection you choose, keep it with you at all times!
Don’t have your own earplugs? We’ve got you covered! Every festival day at our festival shop in Ludowy Park, you can rent noise-reducing headphones for both adults and children with a 100 PLN deposit.
3. Take regular breaks
Use breaks between concerts to rest and move away from sound sources. You can visit our Relaxation and Quiet Zone in Ludowy Park. Or satisfy your hunger at the food truck area. Or maybe do some quick shopping at the festival store?
Our hearing needs around 8 hours to regenerate, rest, and return to better function. Before the next festival day, make sure to get a good night’s sleep and rest in silence.
4. Keep a safe distance from speakers
Don’t spend the entire festival night close to the speakers! Inne Brzmienia is not only the main stage under the tent, but also a screening zone with deckchairs where sound levels are lower. Give your ears a moment of rest—grab a deckchair in one hand, a refreshing drink from Browar Zakładowy in the other, and enjoy the concert from a greater distance while exploring the festival space.
5. Reset your hearing with field recordings
Feeling tired after yesterday’s concerts? Give your ears a sound reset with field recordings. From Friday to Sunday, we invite you to morning listening sessions. In a darkened room, lying down under a blanket, surrounded by sets prepared by Maciej Wirmański, Ludwig Berger, and Iza Smelczyńska. Relaxation and a reset for your ears!
6. Watch for symptoms
Ringing in the ears? Tinnitus? A feeling of blocked ears? Pain? If disturbing symptoms persist despite post-festival rest, do not ignore them. In the case of acoustic injuries, time is crucial, so do not delay a medical consultation! Early diagnosis and treatment can significantly increase the chances of restoring normal hearing function.
About the East of Culture – Different Sounds
The East of Culture – Different Sounds festival is a tribute to musicians who choose authenticity over popularity built on artistic compromise. At a time when culture is increasingly becoming a luxury commodity, Different Sounds serves as a reminder that quality should never be a privilege. It is an event for those who believe that music can be a space for encounter, reflection, and a sense of community—not merely consumption. For seekers who understand that the greatest revelations emerge where there are no ready-made answers. In a world where everything seems to have a price, Different Sounds offers something beyond value: a moment when sound becomes a language of communication and the audience becomes a co-creator of the experience.
This year’s line-up features Backengrillen, Therapy?, Sun Ra Arkestra, Dead Bob, Kap Bambino, Dälek, Tramhaus, Leila Bordreuil & Drew McDowall, Mats Gustafsson & Kimmo Pohjonen, Drank, Furia Plays Cinema, Marcin Masecki & Boleros, YANA, Hinode Tapes, Only Mess & Guests, Grupa Torpedo, AcidSitter, Nina Eba, Heinali & Andriana—Yaroslava Saienko, and The B17. The organisers will also host the renowned Vienna-based record label Trost Records.
The East of Culture – Different Sounds festival is not only about music. It is also a meeting place for some of the most compelling voices in contemporary Central and Eastern European literature. These encounters will take place within the Eastern Express series, featuring conversations with authors, translators, and literary professionals, as well as presentations of the latest releases published by Workshops of Culture Publishing House.
The programme will also include exhibitions, talks, music workshops for children, and the return of last year’s audience favourite–the Sound Resets.
As always, admission to all festival events is free of charge, with more announcements coming soon.
More information about the festival can be found at innebrzmienia.eu and nck.pl/projekty-kulturalne/projekty/wschod-kultury.
East of Culture – Different Sounds
July 2-5, 2026, Lublin
Admission free
Organizers: Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego, Narodowe Centrum Kultury, the City of Lublin, Workshops of Culture in Lublin
Sponsors: Browar Zakładowy, Strabag, Audika
Partners: Keychange, Teatr Stary w Lublinie, Gardzienice, Bus Bonus, Stowarzyszenie „Nigdy Więcej”
The event is held under the Honorary Patronage of Krzysztof Żuk, Mayor of the City of Lublin.
Media patronage: Polityka, Trójka – Program Trzeci Polskiego Radia, Onet, Gazeta Wyborcza, TVP Kultura, TVP ABC, TVP3 Lublin, Polskie Radio Lublin, Kultura Enter