The (aka ) was an annual outdoor music event in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

held for the first time in 1993 and halted in 2006. In various locations of downtown Cologne stages were set up and live bands performed and also other events were presented. The Ringfest used to be held at the

MediaPark The MediaPark is an urban regeneration neighborhood in Cologne, Germany, completed by the turn of the millennium. It was set up to accommodate companies of the media and communication industry, as well as cultural institutions, a hotel and some a ...

, on the Cologne Ring and the Neumarkt square. In 1993 some visitors attended the festival already, growing to around people in 1997, causing the organizers to claim the event to be the world's largest music festival. In 2005, about visitors attended the festival. The Ringfest was held for the first time in 1993. Approximately 200 bands have performed each year. Famous German groups such as Selig,

Element of Crime Element of Crime is a German rock band that plays melancholic chanson, pop and rock music with guitar, bass guitar, drums and voice/trumpet. Band history The band was founded in 1985 by Sven Regener who subsequently became known as the aut ...

Die Fantastischen Vier Die Fantastischen Vier (, "The Fantastic Four"), often shortened to Fanta 4, is a German hip hop band from Stuttgart. The members are Michael Schmidt (Smudo), Andreas Rieke, Thomas Dürr, ''janitor''), and Michi Beck. They were, together with ...

Brings Brings (, ) are a band from Germany which perform most songs in the local dialect of Cologne, Kölsch. Founded in 1990, they established themselves playing rock music; their lyrics are performed in Kölsch and, since 1995, also in standard Germ ...

Fettes Brot Fettes Brot () is a German hip hop group that formed in 1992. History Band name Fettes Brot means ''fat bread'' in German. "Fett" is a German slang term for "excellent" and brot is slang for "hash". The band took the name from a fan who ca ...

, Caught in the Act, Söhne Mannheims,

Guano Apes Guano Apes are a German rock band formed in 1994 in Göttingen. The band consists of Sandra Nasić (vocals), Henning Rümenapp (guitars, backing vocals), Stefan Ude (bass, backing vocals), and Dennis Poschwatta (drums, backing vocals). AllMus ...

H-Blockx H-Blockx is a German rock band founded in Münster in 1991. After the success of their debut album in 1994, ''Time to Move'', the band received a nomination for Best Breakthrough Artist at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards. In 1999, the World Wr ...

, ,

Sabrina Setlur Sabrina Setlur (born 10 January 1974), formerly known as Schwester S., is a German singer, rapper, songwriter and occasional actress. Her debut was in 1995 under the guidance of 3p Records executive and mentor Moses Pelham, producer of her breakt ...

Götz Alsmann Götz Alsmann (born 12 July 1957) is a German musician, singer and former television presenter. Biography Born in Münster, Alsmann studied German studies, music and communication studies at the University of Münster from 1977 to 1985. Fro ...

Jürgen Drews Jürgen Ludwig Drews (born 2 April 1945) is a German Schlager singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Life Drews was born in Nauen near Berlin, and brought up in Schleswig. After finishing school, he went on to study medicine at the Univer ...

, Anne Haigis,

Extrabreit Extrabreit is a German band established in Hagen, Germany in 1978. The band was one of the most successful exponents of the Neue Deutsche Welle movement of the 1980s. History The band was founded around the end of 1978, when they began their ...

Reamonn Reamonn was a German pop rock band fronted by local-based Irish singer/songwriter Rea Garvey. Formed in 1999, they have recorded and released a total of six full-length studio albums which were highly successful in Germany and also saw some succ ...

, and

Sportfreunde Stiller Sportfreunde Stiller () is a German indie rock band from Germering near Munich, Bavaria. History The band was founded by Peter Brugger (guitar, vocals), Florian "Flo" Weber (drums), and Andi Erhard (bass). They initially wanted to name themsel ...

, local bands such as

Bläck Fööss The Bläck Fööss ( Ripuarian ''De Bläck Fööss'') are a music group from Cologne, Germany, started in 1970. Name of the band The band's name in Kölsch, a local dialect of Ripuarian, in which the group predominantly sings, means barefoo ...

Höhner De Höhner ( Kölsch for "The Chickens", , ) is a band from Cologne, Germany. They sing in the local dialect of Cologne, Kölsch. The group was founded in 1972 by Peter Werner and Janus Fröhlich. During their first year, the band wore chicken c ...

, , , , , Renate Otta,

Die Firma Die Firma is a hip hop group formed in 1996 in Cologne, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most pop ...

and , as well as international stars such as

Heather Nova Heather Nova (born Heather Allison Frith, July 6, 1968) is a Bermudian singer-songwriter and poet. , she has released eleven full-length albums, six EPs and twelve singles. Biography Heather Nova was born Heather Allison Frith on Bermuda, a B ...

, Sparks, Joshua Kadison,

Runrig Runrig were a Scottish Celtic rock band formed on the Isle of Skye in 1973. From its inception, the band's line-up included songwriters Rory Macdonald and Calum Macdonald. The line-up during most of the 1980s and 1990s (the band's most succe ...

, The King, Julian Dawson, Cardigans, Manowar, Paul Carrack,

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

and

Geri Halliwell Geraldine Estelle Horner (née Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, author, and actress. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls. With over 100 million records ...

have also performed. Since 2006 the Ringfest has not been held any longer. The organizers have justified the lack of organization with the difficulties of the music market. In the last three years of its life Ringfest held parallel to the music fair

Popkomm Popkomm was an international trade show for the music and entertainment business during the 1990s and 2000s, and also integrated a congress and festival. It was held in Cologne for most of its existence, later moved to Berlin with entries from at ...

, which has taken place in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

since 2004. Since 2004, the festival has been held in Cologne. The festival focuses on electronic pop music. At the premiere 2004 visitors attended the festival.

References

External links

c/o pop festival homepage
{{Authority control Music festivals in Germany 1993 establishments in Germany 2006 disestablishments in Germany Music festivals established in 1993 Recurring events disestablished in 2006 Annual events in Germany