Welcome to the Valley: Why This Year's Static Roots Welcome Night Is the Perfect Place to Begin
Thursday, 9 July | JuBB, Essen-Werden | Doors 7:30pm | Show 8pm
Every great festival weekend deserves a great opening night. And this year, we're kicking things off somewhere truly special.
Before the main stages fire up, before the Ruhr Valley fills with the sound of banjos and steel guitars, we invite you to arrive a little early - and discover one of the most charming corners of Germany that most people have never heard of.
Welcome to Essen-Werden.
A Town That Time Didn't Forget
Tucked into the southern bend of the Ruhr River, Essen-Werden feels like it belongs to a different world entirely. While much of the Ruhr Valley was shaped and scarred by the industrial age, Werden was quietly left alone. Its medieval streets survived the Second World War largely intact, making it one of the rare places in this entire region where history still breathes through the cobblestones.
The story here begins in 799, when the missionary Ludgerus founded a Benedictine monastery on these very banks. Over twelve centuries later, that same monastic complex now houses one of Germany's most celebrated arts universities - the internationally renowned Folkwang University of the Arts, which has called Essen-Werden home since 1927. Music, dance, theatre - the creative spirit of this place runs deep, and you can feel it in the air as you walk through town.
The old market square, framed by half-timbered houses and the imposing silhouette of the St. Ludgerus Basilica, is the kind of place you want to sit down in and simply stay for a while. Narrow lanes fan out in every direction, lined with independent shops, bakeries, and restaurants. In July, the outdoor tables fill up early, and the evening light over the Ruhr River is the kind of thing that makes you reach for your camera.
This is a town with roots. And that, we think, makes it the perfect place to begin a roots music festival.
Make a Night of It - Dinner Before the Show
We'd love for you to arrive in Werden with time to spare. Explore the old town, stroll along the river, and sit down for a proper meal before the music begins.
Two of our favourite spots are just a five-minute walk from the venue:
A genuine Werden institution. The Amalfi has been welcoming guests since 1974, serving traditional specialities of the Amalfi coast alongside dishes from other Italian regions. Run as a family business for years - warmly, without pretension - it has long been a favourite haunt of students and professors from the Folkwang University alike. Think classic pasta, fresh fish, and a menu that changes with the seasons, all in a cosy, unhurried atmosphere with a summer terrace out back. Great value, great wine, and the kind of place where you leave feeling genuinely well looked after.
If the Amalfi is Werden's Italian soul, the Buena Vida is its Spanish heart — and in summer, it really comes alive. Situated on the Laupendahler Landstraße directly by the Ruhr, it boasts a beautiful sunny terrace with over 60 seats, which invites you to linger from the very first ray of sunshine. The menu features over 40 different tapas - from Serrano ham with figs and honey to patatas bravas, Manchego, chorizo, and a rotating selection of fish and meat dishes. Order a glass of something Spanish, let the plates keep coming, and let the evening take care of itself. Buena Vida indeed.
Both restaurants are popular on summer evenings, so we'd warmly recommend booking a table in advance. (book your table via Google Maps - see links above)
The Show: The Southern Fold - Welcome Night & Album Release Party
And then, as the evening settles in over the Ruhr Valley, make your way to the JuBB - the Jugend- und Bürgerzentrum Werden - for a night that already feels like a reunion.
If you were with us last year in Oberhausen, you already know what's coming. If you weren't - you're in for something special.
The Southern Fold became one of the undisputed highlights of the 2025 Static Roots Festival. The five-piece band from Kilkenny, Ireland walked onto the stage and simply took the crowd with them - song by song, story by story - until the whole room felt like one living, breathing thing. Weeks after the festival, people were still talking about them. That's the kind of music The Southern Fold makes.
Founded in 2014 by Emlyn Holden, the band has spent years honing their craft on stages across Ireland and Great Britain, including the prestigious Kilkenny Roots Festival. When the world went quiet during the pandemic, they didn't stop - they wrote. The result is a brand new album, released on the beloved indie label Juke Joint 500, and they're bringing it to Essen-Werden for a very special release party.
This is Americana at its most genuine - raw, warm, and from the heart. The kind of music that feeds your soul and sends you into the weekend already feeling like something beautiful has happened. Grab your ticket and make Thursday night the start of something unforgettable.
Your Thursday Evening, Step by Step
Travel in - Starting from Oberhausen, Essen-Werden is easily reached by S-Bahn (Essen-Werden station - last regular train is leaving at midnight) or by car, about 20 minutes south of Essen city centre.
Dinner - Amalfi or Buena Vida, from around 6pm. Book ahead!
Show - JuBB, Jugend- und Bürgerzentrum Werden | Doors 7pm | Show 8pm
Tickets - Advance: €15 | Door: €17
Roots Music To Feed Your Soul - and this year, it starts in Werden.
Ready to kick off ...
... your Static Roots weekend the right way?