Bülent Ceylan at Rockhal

At school in Mannheim, Bülent Ceylan was already doing impressions for his classmates. His breakthrough came with a show called Döner for one in 2002, and his long hair, his local dialect and a family of characters he plays himself have been his trademarks since.

Bülent Ceylan brings Diktatürk to the Rockhal Main Hall on Friday 19 March 2027. Doors at 19:00.

Ceylan grew up in Mannheim with a Turkish father and a German mother, and has built one of the biggest comedy careers in Germany out of exactly that material, in the local dialect. He fills arenas at home.

The show is in German. Seated, Main Hall, promoted by Konzertbüro Augsburg. Worth checking your German before booking: the humour is regional and quick.

Who is Bülent Ceylan?

Bülent Ceylan is one of Germany’s best-known comedians, born in Mannheim in 1976 to a German mother and a Turkish father. He was already doing impressions for his classmates at school, Boris Becker among them. After his final school exams he headed for small stages, and his breakthrough came with the programme Döner for one in November 2002.

His trademarks are his long dark hair, his local dialect and a whole family of characters he plays himself. Metal runs through his work too: he has performed at the metal festivals Summer Breeze in 2010 and Wacken Open Air in 2011, and his hair gave its name to the programme Haardrock.

Stage and screen

• Stage programmes including Halb getürkt (2005), Kebabbel net (2007), Ganz schön turbülent! (2009), Wilde Kreatürken (2011), Haardrock (2014), Kronk (2016), Lassmalache (2018) and Yallah hopp!, which toured until December 2025.
• His own television show, Die Bülent Ceylan Show, launched on RTL in February 2011.
• Roles in Hausmeister Krause and Bewegte Männer, and host of the game show Game of Games in 2018.

Awards

• Bielefelder Kabarettpreis, 2001.
• Kleinkunstpreis Baden-Württemberg, 2002.
• German Comedy Award for Best Newcomer, 2009.
• Gold records in 2011 for Ganz schön turbülent and a live DVD.

The show: Diktatürk

Diktatürk turns the tables. Someone is always telling Bülent what to think, wear or eat, so this time he lays down the law. At home the family runs like a strict regime where even Bülent has to stand to attention, with familiar characters such as Anneliese, Harald and Hasan along for the ride. The satire stays among the characters and the family, with no real politics, and there are new musical numbers with metal and marching-band music. The German blurb signs off with a wink: buy your tickets, “just a suggestion, not an order”.