Ring tight
The Musikfest am Ring (aka Ringfest ) was an annual open-air music event in Cologne , at which stages were set up at various locations in Cologne city center, on which live bands performed, but also other events were presented. The ring festival stretched from the Mediapark over the rings to the Neumarkt. Similar to a fair, stalls were set up between the stages to supply drinks, food and souvenirs. The sponsors of the ring festival were largely tobacco companies, manufacturers of alcoholic mixed drinks, radio and television companies and manufacturers of games consoles. Here they met their predominantly young target group at their lavishly designed stands. For this they waived entrance fees.
The ring festival took place for the first time in 1993. Around 200 music groups were presented each year. Groups like Brings , Fettes Brot and Caught in the Act , but also many new bands appeared. The trend moved away from the chart toppers bred in casting shows towards live musicians, not least in the hope of being able to revive the sales of CDs again. In 2005 around 500,000 visitors were counted.
For 2006, the ring festival was canceled one month before the planned date. The organizers justified their step with the "current conditions on the music market", which no longer made a big festival possible. Since then there has been no ring festival.
The music fair Popkomm, which took place parallel to the Ringfest for a long time, took place in Berlin from 2004 to 2008 . Since 2004 there has been a “ c / o pop ” festival for electronic pop culture alongside the Ringfest . The Cologne On Pop presents itself as a combination of music and art festival as well as a congress. The music and art events take place both on the Deutz bank of the Rhine and in the various clubs in the city. At the premiere in 2004, 50,000 visitors came to this festival.
The Ringfest ended with the last event in August 2003 and then moved to Berlin because the music industry stayed there more than in Cologne.
