• The event will take place under the patronage of H.E. Mr. Mircea Abrudean, President of the Senate of Romania, and Nadia Comăneci, a world-renowned sports personality who this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first perfect score of ten in history awarded in an Olympic gymnastics competition, at the Summer Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976.
• The event is organized by the Michael Schmidt Foundation in partnership with the Tabaluga Foundation / Peter Maffay Stiftung, and will take place in ten localities in Haferland (the Land of Oats): Archita, Saschiz, Homorod, Rupea, Criț, Roadeș, Meșendorf, Cloașterf, Bunești, and Viscri.
• The theme of this year’s, 14th edition of the festival is “Longing for Transylvania”, illustrating the bridge that connects the historical roots of this community with the future of the generations to come.
• The festival will also host the exhibition “AGAPI – Half a Century of Love”, signed by artist and actress Kira Hagi, an artistic project that interprets the idea of “home” as a place of memory and continuity and, at the same time, as an illustration of the theme “Longing for Transylvania.”

Bucharest, May 20, 2026

The 14th edition of the cultural festival Haferland Week, an event celebrating the history, culture, and traditions of the Transylvanian Saxon community, will take place this year from August 6 to August 9, in ten villages in Haferland (the Land of Oats): Archita, Saschiz, Homorod, Rupea, Criț, Roadeș, Meșendorf, Cloașterf, Bunești, and Viscri.

The event will take place under the patronage of the President of the Senate of Romania, Mr. Mircea Abrudean, and Nadia Comăneci.

This year, Romania celebrates together with Nadia Comăneci 50 years since the first perfect score of ten ever awarded in Olympic gymnastics competition, at the Summer Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976, when our athlete achieved a historic performance. One of the greatest athletes of all time, Nadia Comăneci has never ceased to represent us with pride, whether as an ambassador of sport or in support of humanitarian causes.

Visitors to the villages of Haferland during the festival will have the opportunity to attend approximately 60 events for the whole family: visits to the famous fortified churches (some of which are included on the UNESCO World Heritage List), concerts, theatre performances, traditional dance shows, conferences, guided tours to historical landmarks in the area, handicraft workshops for children and adults, as well as traditional Saxon dances and folk music concerts. In addition, this year the festival will host in Cloașterf a Maria Tănase tribute recital performed by Luiza Zan & Jazzpar Trio, as well as a jazz concert at Rupea Fortress performed by Luiza Zan, Mariano Castro, and Muse Quartet.

As every year, a traditional Saxon ball will also take place in Criț, accompanied by the Saxon music band Flamingo Sound from Nuremberg.

In addition, the 2026 edition will celebrate five years of collaboration between the Haferland Week festival and the Saxon brass band Kulturwerk der Siebenbürger Sachsen through a special performance on Saturday afternoon in the courtyard of the fortified church in Criț.

Also on Saturday afternoon, the Parade of Traditional Saxon Brass Bands will take place in Criț, featuring three bands participating in this year’s programme: Kulturwerk der Siebenbürger Sachsen, Original Karpaten-Express, and Siebenbürger Trachtenkapelle Göppingen.

Admission to all events is free of charge and open to all ages. More than 8,000 visitors from Romania and abroad are expected to attend Haferland Week.

The festival will also host the exhibition “AGAPI – Half a Century of Love”, created by artist and actress Kira Hagi. Conceived as an immersive space, Kira Hagi’s project focuses on the idea of home as a place of memory and continuity. Inspired by the meaning of the term “meraki” (a Greek word, also present in the Aromanian dialect, meaning “to do something with soul and devotion”), the house is constructed as a real space where image, object, and sound come together, offering visitors the opportunity to reflect on their own roots and personal relationship with the concept of “home.”

“I am particularly proud that, through sustained work carried out over nearly a decade and a half, we have succeeded in making Haferland Week perhaps the most important cultural gathering of the Transylvanian Saxon community, an opportunity for reunion and reaffirmation of the ties that Saxons living abroad maintain with their homeland and families,” says Michael Schmidt, President of the Michael Schmidt Foundation, co-organizer of the festival.

“For Saxons, longing for Transylvania is also a form of confidence. Confidence in our inner resources to continue building, to carry forward the story of the Transylvanian Saxons, to care for our cultural heritage and for the future of the generations to come. Last but not least, I would like to add that we are honoured by the generosity shown by H.E. Mircea Abrudean, President of the Senate of Romania, and Nadia Comăneci, a legendary figure in world sport, in agreeing to grant their patronage to our festival.”

At the press conference presenting the 2026 edition of Haferland Week, the theme of “Longing for Transylvania” and the return to the historical roots of the Saxons found an illustration in the donation made by Mr. Michael Schmidt to the benefit of the “Dimitrie Gusti” National Village Museum: a traditional dowry chest from Criț dating from 1897, previously part of the collection of traditional objects owned by the Michael Schmidt Foundation.

Thus, a small part of the valuable material heritage of the Transylvanian Saxons will enter the collection of the most important museum of rural civilization in Romania, where it can be admired by all visitors. At the same time, the donation represents both an expression of the Michael Schmidt Foundation’s dedication to preserving the cultural heritage of the Saxons of Haferland and a gesture of gratitude addressed to this prestigious cultural institution, the National Village Museum, for its long-standing partnership and support for the festival.

Founded 14 years ago, Haferland Week has become one of the most important cultural events of the Saxon community in Romania and throughout the diaspora. The event is organized by the Michael Schmidt Foundation in partnership with the Tabaluga Foundation / Peter Maffay Stiftung, organizations founded by German musician of Romanian origin Peter Maffay.

The festival was launched by Michael Schmidt and Peter Maffay as a joint project dedicated to recovering and strengthening the cultural memory of the Transylvanian Saxons, the two co-founders being linked by a friendship spanning more than two decades.

Youth Haferland, a Unique Experience for Young People, in Partnership with The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Romania, Reaches Its Third Edition

Thanks to the partnership launched in 2024 between the Michael Schmidt Foundation and The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Romania, the festival also includes a component dedicated to young people: the Youth Haferland initiative, an educational and adventure camp intended to build bridges between young people, communities, and local cultural heritage, with a focus on civic engagement and identity.

This year, two international teams will participate in Youth Haferland for the first time, alongside the Romanian national team: one from Bulgaria and one from the Czech Republic.

Implemented globally, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award programme provides international recognition and a structured framework of non-formal educational activities for young people aged 14 to 24. Internationally, the programme is patronized by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, while in Romania it is patronized by Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown.

The 14th edition of Haferland Week is organized in partnership with the “Dimitrie Gusti” National Village Museum in Bucharest, with the support of the Bucharest City Hall and ARCUB – The Cultural Centre of the Municipality of Bucharest, a project supported by CEC Bank, Geiger, Aqua Carpatica, Domeniile Sâmburești, Automobile Bavaria, and MHS Truck & Bus.

The event is organized by the Michael Schmidt Foundation and the Tabaluga Foundation / Peter Maffay Stiftung, with support from the following partners: the Democratic Forum of Germans in Transylvania, the Association of Transylvanian Saxons in Germany, the Evangelical Church A.B. in Romania through the District Consistory of the Evangelical Church A.B. Brașov, the Cultural Centre of the Transylvanian Saxons in Bavaria, the Mihai Eminescu Trust Foundation, the ADEPT Transylvania Foundation, the Nowero Association, Rupea Town Hall, the Discover Archita Association, Vânători Town Hall (Mureș County), Saschiz Town Hall (Mureș County), the Women’s Neighbourhood Association of Saschiz, and Bunești Town Hall (Brașov County).