Transilvania Blues Festival returns to Brașov from 25 to 27 September 2026, bringing three days of international blues to the historic Weavers’ Bastion.
Now in its eighth edition, the festival is moving outdoors for the first time, placing artists from Italy, the UK, the United States and Romania inside one of Brașov’s best-preserved medieval fortifications.
Traditionally held on the final weekend of September, Transilvania Blues Festival once again brings Romania’s blues festival season to a close, but this year with a new venue and expanded three-day format.
International blues in Brașov
The festival opens on Friday 25 September with Italian trio Gloria and the Doctors.
Led by singer and drummer Gloria Turrini, with Simone Scifoni on keys and Riccardo Ferrini on guitar, the group blends blues, soul and Afro-American influences. They finished second at the 2026 European Blues Challenge in Katowice and will make their first appearance in Romania.
Their latest album, Dat Nola Trip, was recorded in New Orleans.
Friday’s headline set comes from Robbin Kapsalis & Giles Robson Band.
Kapsalis, born in Chicago and raised in Atlanta, previously led soul-blues band Vintage #18 before launching her solo career. Her 2025 debut album, The Blues Is in the House, produced by Giles Robson, received a 2026 Blues Music Award nomination for Best Emerging Artist Album.
British harmonica player Robson returns to Transilvania Blues Festival after appearing in 2025 with John Primer. His collaboration with Kapsalis will mark their first performance together in Romania.
John Németh leads Saturday’s programme
Saturday 26 September brings Chris Rand & The Heavy Echo to Brașov for the first time.
Led by British pianist, saxophonist and vocalist Chris Rand, the project draws from blues, jazz, soul and R&B.
They are followed by American vocalist and harmonica player John Németh, a multiple Blues Music Award winner whose music moves between blues, soul, gospel and R&B.
Németh has built a long international career on a sound rooted in classic American soul and blues traditions, making his appearance one of the major draws of this year’s festival.
Blues meets Nosferatu
The final evening takes the festival in a very different direction.
Sunday 27 September closes with Blüesferatü – Eine Symphonie des Blues, an original cine-concert created in Brașov around F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent film Nosferatu.
Six Brașov musicians perform an original psychedelic blues score live alongside the film, turning the final night into something closer to an immersive performance than a traditional concert.
First presented in 2023, the project has since appeared at Bran Castle, TIFF Timișoara and other cultural venues across Romania.
For the 2026 edition, Blüesferatü expands further with holographic installations, VR experiences and new visual elements.
Visual artists Costin Chioreanu and Olivia Chioreanu have also created a new animated interpretation inspired by Murnau’s original vision.
A medieval setting for the blues
The move to the Weavers’ Bastion gives this year’s festival a very different atmosphere.
Built between the 15th and 16th centuries, the site is one of Brașov’s most significant surviving fortifications and is now administered by the Brașov County History Museum.
For three days, the courtyard will become a live music space for blues fans, artists and visitors to the city.
The setting also strengthens the festival’s connection between music and cultural tourism, giving travelling fans the chance to combine the concerts with time in one of Romania’s best-known historic cities.
A growing European blues meeting point
Since launching, Transilvania Blues Festival has built relationships with musicians, promoters and blues organisations across Europe and the United States.
That international approach continues in 2026, while the festival also keeps a clear connection to the Romanian and local Brașov blues scene.
The return of Giles Robson is part of that story, with the British harmonica player’s relationship with the festival stretching back to 2018.
Transilvania Blues Festival 2026 takes place from 25 to 27 September at the Weavers’ Bastion in Brașov, Romania.
Tickets and further information are available from https://transilvaniablues.ro.
