The festival goes back to the former
East German Fest des deutschen Volkstanzes (Festival of German folk dancing) in 1955. In line with the official cultural policy, it was intended as a rejection of the "American barbarism of
jazz and
boogie-woogie". Renamed Tanz & Folk Fest (TFF) Rudolstadt, the first festival in 1991 after
German reunification initiated a completely new focus presenting alternative folk and world music styles, also known as part of
Roots revival. In 2016 the festival changed its name to
Rudolstadt Festival corresponding to the participation of both German and international bands in the line-up. It is organized by the cultural affairs department of the city of Rudolstadt, a 1240-year-old town of 24,000 inhabitants. Initially, Rudolstadt was chosen to host the event due to its central location in East Germany and the town's historic centre with its parks and castle, undamaged during the
war. Since 2016, the Rudolstadt Festival is spread across multiple locations of the town, including the
Heidecksburg castle ruins, the city's market square, and the Heinepark, all of which host multiple stages. According to the organizers, it is one of the important international folk and world music festivals in Europe. The festival budget is mainly covered through the sale of tickets and by sponsors. In 2025, a ticket for all concerts during the four festival days amounted to Euro 132. According to the organizers, the costs are kept low as participating
street musicians – other than the main acts – are paid no fee nor travel expenses, but only receive free admission and accommodation on the festival campsite. from
Ukraine at Rudolstadt Festival 2016During the first full weekend in July, activities start on Thursday evening and last for three days and nights. Every year the whole town is taken over by the festival and swept up in "folk fever", according to Anja Beinroth of
Folk World. Due to restrictions imposed by the
COVID-19 pandemic, the festival did not take place in 2020 and 2021. According to the organizers, the 30th festival in 2022 attracted more than 20,000 visitors daily. More than 150 bands performed in 300 concerts, along with street musicians and solo artists from around 40 countries. The closing concerts in Heinepark during that year were performed by
Pussy Riot and
Goran Bregović & His Wedding and Funeral Band. In 2023 and again in 2025, roughly 1,000 musicians representing some 120 bands from more than thirty countries played for a total yearly crowd of 90,000 music fans. == Special focus ==