The end of 2021 brought a host of announcements of concerts, while festivals that could not hold editions last year have started reconfirming their lineups. Sting, Maluma, Iron Maiden and Pet Shop Boys are just some of the big names who will entertain the fans in Romania this year. Most of the concerts are scheduled in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca, while a new winter festival from the organizers of Untold and Neversea is planned in Brașov.

Winterfest - February 18 -22

Held in Poiana Brașov, the event covers winter sports competitions and activities and live music acts from Subcarpati, Spike, CTC, Argatu & Moș Martin, Gojira & Planet H, DJ Shiver & ZDA, K-lu, Dj. Sauce, Suburbia 11, Madliquid, Adrian Saguna, Prankie, Ikim, Keeble.

Massif Winter - March 6-13

Massif Winter 2022, to take place between March 6 and March 13, will have a program of electronic music shows, live acts, parties, culinary experiences and activities for winter sports fans. More about it here.

Sting - March 15 

Sting will perform in Cluj Napoca as part of the European My Songs tour. The concert is scheduled to take place on March 15, at BT Arena. In the tour, he is accompanied by an ensemble made up of Dominic Miller (guitar), Josh Freese (drums), Rufus Miller (guitar), Kevon Webster (keyboard), Shane Sager (harmonica), and Melissa Musique and Gene Noble (backing vocals). Joe Sumner, Sting's son, features as special guest.

Maluma - April 8

Colombian singer Maluma is scheduled to perform on April 8 at Romexpo as part of the world tour promoting his latest album Papi Juancho.

Pink Martini - April 9/10

The band formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994, was due to perform in the country in 2020, but the concerts have been rescheduled because of the pandemic. This year, the group is set for two performances in Bucharest, alongside soloist China Forbes: one at Sala Palatului on April 9, and the second at Fratelli Studios, on April 10. More about the event and the ticket options here.

David Garrett - May 17/20

Another concert rescheduled several times is that of classical and crossover violinist David Garrett. He is set to return to Romania for performances on May 17 at Sala Palatului in Bucharest and May 20 in Cluj-Napoca at BT Arena, as part of his Alive tour. More details here.

Hooverphonic - May 21/22/24

The Belgian group is scheduled to perform in Braşov, Cluj-Napoca, and Bucharest. The concert in Braşov is to take place on May 21 at Khrunen Musik Halle, the one in Cluj-Napoca on May 22 at FORM Space, and the one in Bucharest on May 24 at Arenele Romane. The concerts will be marked by the return of soloist Geike Arnaert, who performed with Hooverphonic from 1997 to 2008. She returned to the group in November of last year, and they re-released the well-known piece Mad About You. 

Iron Maiden - May 26

The British heavy metal group is scheduled to perform in Bucharest on May 26 at Romexpo, bringing their Legacy of the Beast world tour to the city. German group Lord Of The Lost will perform in the opening of the Bucharest show. 

Gorillaz, Deftones, Twenty One Pilots - Electric Castle, July 13-17

The festival held on the domain of Banffy Castle, near Cluj-Napoca, has reconfirmed Gorillaz, Deftones and Twenty One Pilots for this year's edition of the event, rescheduled from 2021. Updates about the lineup are posted here.

Pet Shop Boys - July 4

The second concert in the country of the English synth-pop duo is scheduled for July 4 at Arenele Romane, as part of their Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live tour. More details here.

Black Eyed Peas - Neversea, July 7 -10

Alan Walker, Black Eyed Peas, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, and Don Diablo are among the artists set to perform at next year's edition of Neversea. Black Eyed Peas, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, and Don Diablo are among those who were scheduled to perform at last year's edition of the event, which was not held because of the pandemic. The announced lineup for the 2022 edition of Neversea also includes Tchami, Timmy Trumpet, Tujamo, Ummet Ozcan, W&W and ZHU. The festival is scheduled to take place between July 7 and July 10, 2022. More here.

Placebo - July 14

Another UK band returning to Bucharest is Placebo, with a performance set for July 14 at Romexpo. The band, formed in London in 1994 by vocalist-guitarist Brian Molko and bassist–guitarist Stefan Olsdal, last performed in Bucharest in 2017.

Kiss, Whitesnake, Powerwolf - July 16

After a pandemic break, Rock the City festival is set to return with an edition lining up Kiss, Whitesnake and Powerwolf for concerts on July 16 at Romexpo. Both Kiss and Whitesnake will be on farewell tours. More here.

Il Volo - July 16

Italian pop-opera trio Il Volo, consisting of baritone Gianluca Ginoble and tenors Piero Barone and Ignazio Boschetto, have included Bucharest in their world tour Il Volo Sings Morricone. They are scheduled to perform at Sala Palatului on July 16.

Judas Priest - July 18

The rescheduled date for English heavy metal band Judas Priest's Bucharest concert is July 18. The performance is set to take place at Arenele Romane, and The Dead Daisies and Amalgama will be special guests.

Nightwish - August 1

The Finnish symphonic metal band is scheduled for an August 1 performance in Bucharest, at Romexpo. The concert is part of the band's "Human.:II: Nature." tour promoting its latest album.

Untold - August 4 - 7

Untold, one of the largest music festivals in Romania, will hold a new edition between August 4 and August 7, 2022. The event, which takes place in Cluj-Napoca, announces updates about the lineup on its website.

Arctic Monkeys - Summer Well, August 13

English band Arctic Monkeys, consisting of Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Nick O'Malley, and Matt Helders, will perform at the 2022 edition of Sumer Well, which is scheduled to take place between August 12 and August 14 at the Stirbey Domain in Buftea, close to Bucharest. The event will feature next year a larger hip-hop stage and after-parties with top names of electronic music, among other surprises to be revealed, the organizers said.

Armin van Buuren - September 24

A solo show from Armin van Buuren, initially planned for 2021, has been moved to September 24, 2022. The initial announcement of the show explained van Buuren was set to play special sets from two stages, with the Palace of Parliament the backdrop for a live projection.

Uriah Heep – October 27

The English rock band is scheduled to bring their 50th Anniversary Tour to Bucharest on October 27, for a performance at Sala Palatului. More details here.

(Photo: Electric Castle by Catalin Grigoriu | Dreamstime.com)

simona@romania-insider.com