Rudolstadt Festival will return July 2–5, 2026. The event is set to bring world music concerts, workshops, discussions, and a large children’s program to venues throughout the city of Rudolstadt in Thuringia. Organizers are planning around 300 events for the festival’s 34th edition, with artists expected from more than 30 countries.
Austria will be the festival’s country focus in 2026, with around ten ensembles scheduled to represent a wide range of current Austrian music. Confirmed names include RIAN and Agnes Palmisano.
Palmisano is known for interpreting Viennese Dudler, a vocal tradition that combines alpine yodeling elements with coloratura technique and is listed as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.
The 2026 lineup is set to move across styles, from electro-folk to world jazz, with additional contrasts emphasized in early confirmations.
Estonian act, Duo Ruut will bring vocal harmonies and four-handed playing on the Estonian zither. From Tamil Nadu, sisters M. Lalitha & M. Nandini are known for combining South Indian and Western classical approaches on the violin, with an emphasis on original compositions and technical performance.
English folk band Blowzabella has also been confirmed, with Rudolstadt slated to be one of the group’s final concerts outside England ahead of its planned retirement from live performance.
The festival’s collaboration with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) will continue in 2026, with around a dozen groups expected to appear through the partnership. Participating broadcasters include MDR, BR, and ORF.
Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) has selected Brustmann – Schäfer – Horn, bringing together cabaret artist and musician Josef Brustmann with two musicians associated with Dreiviertelblut.
Several venues will change in 2026 due to renovation and construction work at Heidecksburg Castle and its surroundings by the Thuringian Castles and Gardens Foundation. Festival directors Petra Rottschalk and Simone Dake said the castle stages are central to the event’s atmosphere, but the festival still plans a full program across more than 20 stages.
New concert spaces will include the Luther Church and the reopened Schiller Theatre, according to program director Bernhard Hanneken. The festival also plans a new outdoor stage in the city and more concerts in Heinepark.
Orchestral programming will continue despite the castle closure. The annual project with the Thuringian Symphony Orchestra Saalfeld-Rudolstadt will move to another stage, and youth folk orchestra performances are also scheduled to proceed. Workshops and discussions will expand as well, with multiple halls at Cineplex Rudolstadt set to be used for the first time.
A four-day pass remains priced at €132, with a 50% concession discount. Tickets are available via TIXFORGIGS and through local outlets, including tourist information offices in Rudolstadt, Saalfeld, and Bad Blankenburg, plus Kom-Bus service centers.
More info at rudolstadt-festival.de
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central