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DEAG Acquires Majority Stake in ROCKHARZ Festival
September15
Berlin-based live entertainment company DEAG Deutsche Entertainment AG has acquired a majority stake in the ROCKHARZ Festival, one of Germany’s largest rock and metal events.
The deal was made through its subsidiary DEAG Festivals GmbH and expands the group’s portfolio of open-air festivals.
ROCKHARZ, held annually in Ballenstedt, attracts over 25,000 visitors and is the largest rock and metal festival in eastern Germany.
Founded in 1993, the event marked its 30th anniversary this year with performances from acts such as Powerwolf, Heaven Shall Burn, In Extremo and Saxon. Tickets for the 2026 edition, featuring artists including Alice Cooper, Helloween, Biohazard and Subway to Sally, sold out within three days of going on sale.
With the acquisition, DEAG strengthens its position in the European festival market. The company already operates or books for festivals such as Rockfest Barcelona in Spain and Rock the Lakes in Switzerland.
In recent years, DEAG has built a strong presence in electronic music with events including Airbeat One, MAYDAY, Nature One and Sputnik Springbreak.
The ROCKHARZ organizers, Daniela Glogner and Thorsten “Buddy” Kohlrausch, will remain involved as shareholders and continue to manage the event.
“With DEAG, we now have a strong partner at our side. We are thrilled by the cooperative attitude of the DEAG team and the high regard in which our work on the festival has been held to date. Together, we will build on the strengths and unique features of ROCKHARZ and develop them further for the future. We are very much looking forward to working with DEAG and its many partners,” concluded Daniela Glogner and Thorsten “Buddy” Kohlrausch, organisers and Managing Directors of Veruga.
“ROCKHARZ is an excellent addition to DEAG’s festival portfolio. We are continuing to expand successfully both domestically and abroad and are consistently implementing our Buy & Build strategy. We continue to see high growth potential in the festival sector. The ROCKHARZ festival will strengthen our market position through synergies with our festivals and across national borders,” said Detlef Kornett, Group CEO of DEAG.
“Over 30 artists from our roster were already part of the line-up – not by chance, but rather a reflection of the close connection between touring and festivals. The fact that a festival of this size sold out after three days speaks to substance rather than hype. ROCKHARZ is a logical addition for us: it combines quality, relevance and continuity. Touring and festivals are no longer an “either/or” proposition. The market is increasingly thinking in terms of integration. That’s exactly where synergies arise – when content, partnerships and reach fit together. ROCKHARZ has it all,” added Oliver Hoppe, Managing Director of Wizard Live GmbH and Executive Vice President of DEAG:
Founded in 1978, DEAG is one of Europe’s leading live entertainment providers with operations in Germany, the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain and Italy. The company organizes more than 6,000 events annually and sells over 10 million tickets, partly through its own platforms including myticket.de and gigantic.com.
Pictures from L-R: Benedikt Alder (DEAG), Daniela Glogner (Rockharz) Oliver Hoppe (Wizard Live) und Thorsten Kohlrausch (Rockharz). Foto: Claudia Surel
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