About us

blacksheep Kulturinitiative Bonfeld e.V. 

  • Founded in October 2012 in Bad Rappenau-Bonfeld, Germany
  • We currently count around 240 members (September 2014)
  • Organisation chairman: Ulrich Schneider
  • Booker: Janina Zeller, Meike Möldner and Edgar Heckmann
  • Press and public relation: Ulrike Plapp-Schirmer
  • Past events: Show of Hands, The Levellers, Bell Book & Candle, Bruce Guthro, Foolsgarden, Cromdale, A Young Man’s Journey and many, many more.
  • Three days festival around the lovely area of Bonfeld Castle 

Events

  • blacksheep Festival – Live around Bonfeld Castle with Passenger, Bob Geldof, The Hooters, Wishbone Ash, Gotthard, Stefanie Heinzmann, Mothers Finest, New Model Army, Carlos Nunez, Horslips, Oysterband, Alan Doyle, Manfred Man’s Earthband, Uriah Heep, Foolsgarden, Bell Book & Candle, Ian Anderson and many many more
  • Concerts with Show of Hands, Foolsgarden, Bell Book & Candle, The Levellers, 3 Daft Monkeys, Bruce Guthro, Ray Wilson, Albert Hammind, Chris Thompson and many many more
  • St. Patricks Night with Dale Wilde, A Young Man’s Journey, The Krusty Moors, Cromdale, Weissdorn, Firkin, The Cannons
  • Member’s Only-Concerts with Old Blind Dogs, The Cannons and Foolsgarden
  • Kulturbesen with Grachmusikoff, Wendrsonn, Gitze & Band und Ernst & Heinrich
  • Gospel in Church with Sydney Youngblood, Big Mama & The Golden Six, The Flying Pickets
  • Comedy with Die Deutsche Museumsgesellschaft, Mundstuhl and Django Asül
  • Readings with Rainer Moritz, Henrike Spohr, Johannes Hucke and Ingrid Noll
  • Spanish Night with Café del Mundo
  • Carribean Nights with Pasion de Buena Vista
  • Tastings and Concert Journeys for example to Cropredy and to the Beautiful Days Festival from The Levellers
  • blacksheep Bandcontest about the FÖRCH Newcomer Award

1st blacksheep Festival – Live around Bonfeld Castle, 10th to 12th July 2014

Line-up: Jonathan Kluth, Die Happy, Drums United, Ignaz Netzer und Thomas Scheytt, Bell Book & Candle, Cajun Roosters, United Blues Experience, Morscheck & Burgmann, Leon and the Folks, Hidden Blue, Saori Joe, Ahab, Larkin Poe, Dicke Fische, Ray Wilson, Anyone’s Daughter.

Topacts: Mother Finest, New Model Army, Oysterband, Fairport Convention, Horslips

Walkingsacts: Schlagzeugmafia, Chris Lejeune, Duo Inflammable, Walking Factory

Special: After 35 years of abstinence, the famoust Irish folkrockband Horslips played again in Germany. First time ever, that the legendary Fairport Convention and the Horslips played at the same festival outside the UK.

Visitors: 5000

2nd blacksheep Festival – Live around Bonfeld Castle, 25th to 27th June 2015

Line-up: The Emma Project, Maas, Amanda Rheaume, We Banjo 3, Bruce Guthro, The Young Folk, Honig, Skerryvore, Toby, Impala Ray, Modern Earl, The Blackberry Brandies, Lisbee Staintin, Hunter & The Bear, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion.

Topacts: Bob Geldof, The Hooters, Carlos Núnez and Alan Doyle

Walkingsacts: Schlagzeugmafia, Tom Breckenridge, Schnellzeichner and Stelzenläufer

Visitors: 6000

3th blacksheep Festival – Live around Bonfeld Castle, 2nd to 4th June 2016

Line-up: Old Blind Dogs, Genevieve Chadwick, Fools Garden, Bloodmother, Wendrsonn, Geraldine MacGowan, Sieger des FÖRCH-Nachwuchswettbewerbs 2016, powered by CANTON: High Tide, Rusty Shackle, Bananafishbones, Bell Book & Candle, Keywest, Antigone Rising, Dream Catcher, Uriah Heep.

Topacts: Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson The Coronas und Uriah Heep.

Walkingsacts: Tom Breckenridge, Ehepaar Fischer (Drehorgelspieler), Glaskugel-Jongleuer Danelo (alias Daniel Berenguer), Art Artistica mit Stelzenläufern, Chriss Breuning, Heilix Blechle.

Specials: Kids- and Juniorclub, Merchandise in the Park, Meet & Greet with some of the greatest musician in history.

Visitors: 7500

4th blacksheep Festival – Live around Bonfeld Castle, 22th to 24th June 2017

Line-up: Tom James, Stacie Collins, Kids of Adelaide, Grachmusikoff, Sound of the Sirens, Steve’n’Seagulls, Sieger des FÖRCH-Nachwuchswettbewerbs 2017: DOTE, Damian Lynn, Hunter & The Bear, Jersey Julie, The Brandos, Micky & The Motorcars.

Topacts: David Knopfler, Alan Doyle, The Hooters, Nazareth, The Common Linnets, Saga.

Specials: Kids and Junior Club, Marketstreet in the Parc, Auction of Artist Banners for social projects, Meet & Greet.

Visitors: 8000

5th blacksheep Festival – Live around Bonfeld Castle, 7th to 9th June 2018

Line-up: Hanne Kah, Band of Heathens, Frontm3n, Gitze & Band, Django 3000, Levellers unplugged, Zervas & Pepper, Stefanie Heinzmann, Gotthard unplugged, Sean Koch and Band, Sieger des 5. blacksheep Bandcontest um den FÖRCH Nachwuchsförderpreis, Marc Broussard, Brother Dege, Passenger, Wishbone Ash. Mrs. Greenbird and Mighty Oaks.

Topacts: Frontm3n, Levellers, Stefanie Heinzmann, Passenger and Wishbone Ash

Specials: Kids and Junior Club, Marketstreet in the Parc, Auction of Artist Banners for social projects, Meet & Greet, a new chill out area and our own blacksheep stout.

Visitors: 7600

6th blacksheep Festival – Live around Bonfeld Castle – 27th to 29th June 2019

Line-up: Hannah & Falco, The Seer, Niedeckens BAP, Baskery, Folkshilfe, Wendrsonn, Albert Hammond, Max Mutzke & Monopunks, Doro, Sieger des 6. blacksheep Bandcontests um den FÖRCH Nachwuchsförderpreis, Hans Söllner, Westwood, Trails, Sons of the East, Ten Years After, Mando Diao

Topacts: Niedeckens BAP, Albert Hammond, Max Mutzke & Monopunks, Doro, Hans Söllner, Ten Years After, Mando Diao

Specials: Kids and Junior Club, Marketstreet in the Parc, Auction of Artist Banners for social projects, Meet & Greet, a new chill out area and our own blacksheep stout.

Visitor expactation: 8500

7nd blacksheep Festival – Live around Bonfeld Castle – 18th to 20th June 2020

Because of the worldwide pandemia in 2020 we had to cancel the 7th blacksheep festival. That was a hard for us, because we already had a booked very good line-up. Also in 2021 we had no festival. These bands would have played in 2020:

Thursday, 18th June 2020

  • Jack and the Weatherman (The Netherlands)
  • Ray Wilson (UK)
  • Stefanie Heinzmann (Switzerland)

Friday, 19th June 2020

  • Elliott Murphy (USA)
  • Toby (Australia)
  • Steve’n’Seagulls (Finland)
  • HISS (Germany)
  • Fischer-Z (UK)
  • La Brass Banda (Germany)

Saturday, 20th June 2020

  • Contest Winner about the FÖRCH Newcomer Award 2020
  • Red Hot Chilli Pipers (UK)
  • Amistat (Australia)
  • Sweet Alibi (Kanada)
  • Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards (Italy)
  • Walking on Cars (Irland)
  • Alphaville (Germany)

Visitors: 7700

7nd blacksheep Festival – – Live around Bonfeld Castle – 24th to 26th June 2021

Again we had to cancel a festival.

7th blacksheep Festival - – Live around Bonfeld Castle – 23rd to 25th June 2022

Finally: The 7th blacksheep Festival came back. We were able to keep most of the line-up, but had to make some changes. The Mighty Oaks played instead of Fisher-Z, and Uriah Heep played instead of LaBrass Banda. In the meantime, Walking on Cars had disbanded. So we booked Bukahara.

Thursday, 23th June 2022

  • Elliott Murphy (USA)
  • HISS (Germany)
  • Konstantin Wecker (Germany)

Friday, 24. Juni 2022

  • Black Sea Dahu (Australia)
  • Jack and the Weatherman (The Netherlands)
  • Steve’n’Seagulls (Finland)
  • Mighty Oaks (Germany)
  • Toby (Austalia)
  • Uriah Heep (UK)

Saturday, 25. Juni 2022

  • Kid the Child – Contest Winner about the FÖRCH Newcomer Award 2022
  • Amistat (Australia)
  • Red Hot Chilli Pipers (UK)
  • Sweet Alibi (Kanada)
  • Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards (Italy)
  • Bukahara (Germany)
  • Stefanie Heinzmann (Switzerland)
  • Alphaville (Germany)

Visitors: 7700

 

8th blacksheep Festival – Live around Bonfeld Castle – 22nd to 24th June 2023

Thursday, 22nd June 2023

  • Julian Pfoertner (Germany)
  • Steiner & Madlaina (Switzerland)
  • Bosse (Germany)

Friday, 23rd June 2023

  • BenJRose (Germany)
  • bölter. (Germany)
  • Ten Years After (UK)
  • Tom Gregory (UK)
  • Baskery (Sweden)
  • Suzi Quatro (USA)

Saturday, 24th June 2023

  • Zimt & Zorn – Winner oft the 8th blacksheep Bandcontests about the FÖRCH Newcomer Award (Germany)
  • The Great Crusades (USA)
  • Granada (Austria)
  • Fiddler’s Green (Germany)
  • Philine Sonny (Germany)
  • Larkin Poe (USA)
  • X Ambassadors (USA)
  • The Hooters (USA)

Visitors: 7600

The last blacksheep festival! The final show!

That was a tough decision. But with 18 international acts on three stages, we had reached a point that we could no longer top. Requirements, costs and burdens had exploded in recent years. The event industry as a whole was in a tight spot due to financial crises and wars in the Ukraine and Israel. Added to that was an extremely unstable spring. Ticket sales fell.

At this point, we resolved this for ourselves by drawing a line under it all. The blacksheep festival is a legend. The blacksheep cultural initiative still exists. And one day there might be another festival. A new Blacksheep!

But first of all we celebrated a great last festival with the following acts:

Thursday, 20th June 2024

  • Madison Violet (Canada)
  • Skerryvore (Scotland)
  • 10cc (UK)

Friday, 21st June2024

  • Diana Ezerex (Germany/Nigeria)
  • Give Me A Remedy (Germany)
  • Ray Wilson with Genesis Classic (UK)
  • Julian Dawson (UK)
  • Laura Cox (France/UK)
  • UB40 feat. Ali Campbell (UK)

Saturday, 22nd June 2024

  • Titanic Swim Team, Winner of the 9th blacksheep band contest for the FÖRCH Young Talent Award
  • Andreas Kümmert feat. Siggi Schwarz (Germany)
  • Beat the Drum – The Runrig Experience (Scotland)
  • Jack Savoretti (Great Britain/Italy)
  • Vanja Sky (Croatia)
  • Sons Of The East (Australia)
  • Tom Keller (Germany)
  • Paul Carrack (Great Britain)
  • Dire Straits Legacy (Great Britain)

Visitors: 5600