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Soundgarten announces farewell to Bad Sooden-Allendorf!
The Soundgarten will leave Bad Sooden-Allendorf in 2025 and will take place in Heiligenstadt due to economic challenges.
Soundgarten announces farewell to Bad Sooden-Allendorf!
A change in the Werra Valley: The popular Soundgarten open-air festival is leaving Bad Sooden-Allendorf and moving to the neighboring town of Heiligenstadt in 2025. The organizers Hessensound announced this because the festival was no longer economically viable at its previous location. “We had to go for it,” says managing director Mario Borschel, who emphasizes that economic hurdles and political quarrels influenced the decision. In the 2023 referendum, almost 80 percent of voters voted for a long-term lease, but the city only provided a six-week right of use.
Political hurdles and new perspectives
The decision to move the festival to Heiligenstadt comes after a turbulent year in which the dispute over the use of the festival site tied up the organizers' forces. Events such as the Vitalpark Open Air are now to be bundled together, which could bring a new cultural attraction to Heiligenstadt. Mayor Thomas Spielmann sees this as an opportunity to further establish the place as a cultural center, while ticket sales for the first event on July 12th have already begun.
Mayor Frank Hix of Bad Sooden-Allendorf regrets the departure of the festival, which attracted thousands of guests to the Werra Valley and supported local businesses. "It's bitter, but we're opening the doors for future collaborations. Maybe there will be a new attempt for the Soundgarten in Bad Sooden-Allendorf in 2026," says Hix optimistically. Meanwhile, Sebastian Fromm, head of the Vitalpark, praises the new opportunities and excellent infrastructure that the location in Heiligenstadt offers.
The festival, which once attracted up to 10,000 visitors a year, is a well-known event with artists such as Ronan Keating and the Fantastischen Vier. The move also represents a loss for the loyal fan base that is already vocal on social media. “It was precisely the beautiful atmosphere of the half-timbered houses that drew people here,” commented one user. However, the Soundgarten team assures fans that the move is not the end, but the beginning of a new chapter in the festival's history.
For detailed information about the new events and ticket sales, we recommend the official websites of Soundgarten and Bad Sooden-Allendorf. You can find further background information on the change of location via the Reporting by HNA and the Information from the city of Bad Sooden-Allendorf.