Deus Vult at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
As all of you might have heard already from my side, Festival-Mediaval XVI took place from September 12th to 14th, 2025. The beautiful park of the Goldberg in Selb, Germany surrounded my most beloved festival once again, whilst tiny hints of autumn were hitting the trees already.
Livehörnchen and me had the pleasure to attend to unique and surprising concerts again, some by known acts of the scene, some by unusual formations to be seen for the first time there. We experienced three days as fickle and mercurial as the weather around us, always driven from one show to another as the official Social Media Team. Anyway, let’s start from the very beginning and with some photos of my broad Festival-Mediaval XVI gallery:
Friday: Goldberg, Gothic and very big Gigs
After tough but successful weeks of getting everything settled and prepared again on the Goldberg, Festival-Mediaval was finally ready for its Gothic Special and opened the doors to its sixteenth edition on Friday, September 12th, at noon. Several hours earlier than last year in order to avoid long queues before the entrance. It seems like this worked out pretty fine and so people had more time to stroll around the festival ground, enjoy the medieval market and some shows of artistry and acrobatics.
People at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
Later that afternoon, the festival was officially opened by the organiser and the head of town as its host. The sweet twin sisters of PurPur played the first show on the main stage, charming and relaxing the mind; it was their fifteenth performance at F-M already. Because there’s always too much to see and enjoy, we went off soon to make it to the comedy show at the harbour. Actually, we wanted to get to the literature tent first, but we didn’t make it. Too many things to see, too many people to greet and so on.
PurPur at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
At least at the harbour area, also called “New Nassau”, we could stay for a while and get to see the brand-new act of Imrímid, a small folk band performing one of their first big gigs. The clock is ticking though, time for Mila Mar back on the main stage now! Mystic and otherworldly, Anke Hachfeld and her band achieved to capture the audience in a special way. “Let’s skip the next act and stay here until the end!”, that was what we were thinking.
Mila Mar at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
We did, so our next shows started when it got dark already, but that fits perfectly to Goethes Erben. A truly unique event, somewhere between a wild and chaotic theatre and the most serious classical performance. Kudos to the band’s dancer, Ida Gross!
Circus Of Fools were playing at the same time, so we had to head off again to enjoy some good old clown metal! The show of my favourite horror clowns was fantastic again and they truly showed that they belong onto a bigger stage than the one the harbour area has to offer.
Circus Of Fools at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
The main stage though, was already reserved for ASP, one of Germany’s most eminently respectable acts of the Dark Scene, always delivering, and also this time. ASP came with a special best-of show to Selb, a truly unique one, as singer Alex Spreng doesn’t like “best-of” kind of things in any way. Whilst the show was great, we had to bugger off another time for the harbour, because All For Jolly were playing there. You’ve never heard of them? Maybe that’s because they renamed themselves from JollyRoger, which was the band who won the Rock Award in 2022 and playing the second main stage back in 2023. The powerful folk punk attitude of Samantha Hannah, “The Lady Of The Sea”, and her band always finds its way into my old rebel heart.
All For Jolly at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
Late night fans were welcome to join the LED and fire show as the last act of the night, but we already dropped off to get some sleep. Remember the Rock Award I mentioned before? Well, that one started quite early on Saturday morning, so there was no time left to waste! DTORN, Lykana and Bosparans Fall battled for the shiny Golden Dwarf until supper time. Read on to learn who won the award.
ASP at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
Saturday: Rock Award, Roses and Rebels
After the events of the Rock Award taking place at the theatre stage and a short visit to the literature tent (finally!) to find Bernhard Hennen, Mira Valentin and Sam Feuerbach reading “Mines of Power”, it was time to see who won last year’s award and how they play a show now. Totentanz Strumpfsockig went on the Schlossbühne, eerily, darkish, and wearing black and white striped socks. They delivered a charming mixture of folkish and rocky tunes to please eyes and ears as well.
Down at the Burgbühne, the smaller main stage, An Erminig performed a very enjoyable show to celebrate their 50th anniversary as a band. Seeing so many people dancing to Bal Folk tunes truly was a pleasure to the eyes. We only had a short glimpse at the Vogelsang (formerly known as Sören Vogelsang, after its mastermind) show at the theatre stage. A glimpse just long enough to make out that people were having quite the fun there as well.
Vogelsang at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
Then we headed up to the great Deus Vult show over at the main stage. Probably their biggest show yet? Musicians tend to get nervous before a gig, wondering if people would actually appear in front of the stage. I told them not to worry; and I was glad not to be wrong this time.
Deus Vult at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
It was getting evening again as Darth Polly started out on the harbour stage. Another small folk band made of and by such warm-hearted folks. We wished, we could have stayed longer, as we had to run off to Letzte Instanz at the main stage.
It was one of the last Instanz concerts we could attend, since the band will be gone by the end of the year. I will be able to be present at just one more Letzte Instanz gig at TANZT! Festival later this year. The concert was as much of a sad moment as an excellent time to spend in case you enjoy dark music and lyrics. The band will be very much missed from next year on.
Letzte Instanz at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
After sunset, Livehörnchen and me had to part ways, as there were two parallel shows, we wanted to cover. Hörnchen went to Die Habenichtse, where I joined her later. First, I headed down to the Burgbühne again to see QNTAL performing an exceptional set with lots of guests for the audience. It was a very special experience and I had to wait eagerly for the appearence of Beatrice Baumann in a unique angel-like costume right in the middle of the show. I ran off after that to find Livehörnchen and many more celebrating the gutter and vagabond life with Die Habenichtse. I wanted to take some photos of the actual show, but rightly as I was starting out, they told every musician to get up on stage and party with them. Well, somehow I found myself now on stage with a ton of medieval looking bards, revelling life, music and this concert in particular.
QNTAL at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
The last paragraph pretty much sounded like the end of the day, but it actually was not. The party went on with Wind Rose on the main stage, playing at Festival-Mediaval for the very first time. Dwarf Metal is a thing in Selb, though. I mean, of course it is, since they have the Goldberg and Golden Dwarves and all that, right? Many people brought their own plastic pickaxes to wave them at the band and they also seemed to enjoy it very much.
Wind Rose at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
The day’s finale finally went off with The Longest Johns, a witty folk act, known from Tiktok and their hit “The Wellerman”. The bards proved that they have more to perform than just that one and they truly delivered a fine and fun show. We went to bed exhaustedly, but still smiling.
The Longest Johns at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
This report is getting quite long, isn’t it? Well, I shall try to keep it short now. Sunday started with the renowned Folk Award. We had Pyrsch, Ragnarök and Whizbow running for the dwarf of gold that day. Although all of the bands were pretty good, it was quite obvious who would win this one. Yep, I’ll tell you later.
People at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
At first, we had to get ready for SPP und die 7 Generäle, a very one-of-a-kind pirate act, who won the Folk Award back in 2024. The pirates entered the main stage with great manpower (including women of course). The band got a ton of background singers who really made the show inimitably!
SPP und die 7 Generäle at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
Later, we watched a laid-back but atmospheric dark show by Delva, then we were peeking at the vaudeville show performed by many artists of the non-music business. Time was flying and so we had to skip some things again in order to get ready for the big boys at the end.
End Of Green were playing their first show in Selb ever and as they were celebrating some kind of dark mess of nihilism, they were also making small jokes in between. Apart from those gags only Germans could understand, they were having a blast by smashing their grungy riffs over the Goldberg.
End Of Green at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
As if Selb could not get any darker, Diary of Dreams proved people wrong who thought so. The transition to a truly black and Gothic audience was completed when they started their set. Even some people, who were still wearing their colourful mediaval clothes, showed their dark hearts by dancing to their gloomy rhythms.
By the way, you wanted to know who won the awards, right? Well, I have not forgotten, so let’s get to the point, finally: This year’s Rock Award went to Bosparans Fall! Congratulations! And the Folk Award went to Ragnarök! Congrats as well!
The participants of the Rock Award at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
The last headliner show of Festival-Mediaval XVI belonged to VNV Nation. Singer and head of the band, Ronan Harris, seemed unsure at first, if this was the place where his music belongs. The audience and their mood and spirit soon showed him, that there was no reason to be in doubt about that. VNV performed a powerful and intense show and everyone was vibing and dancing to their electronic beats as if there was no tomorrow.
VNV Nation at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025
Talking about the next day, there will be a tomorrow of course. Festival-Mediaval’s tomorrow will take place next year, though. The date has already been clarified: Festival-Mediaval XVII will be held from September 11th to 13th, 2026 and next year’s motto will be “Legends”. True legends of medieval and folk music will be there again, including In Extremo with their 30th anniversary show, Corvus Corax with orchestra, playing “Cantus Buranus” again, Subway To Sally performing their old “Nord Nord Ost” once again and another secret headliner. Mr. Hurley & Die Pulveraffen, Celtica – Pipes Rock!, Saor Patrol, Cara, Steve ‘n’ Seagulls, Estampie and many more are also confirmed already. Remember to get your tickets in presale to support the festival and also the free music scene!
Zouberi
Dusk at Festival-Mediaval XVI 2025