The Blood Network campaign opened its 12th edition on June 6 in Ploiești and Craiova, dispatching a mobile caravan that will cross 10 Romanian cities through July 12. Since its launch in 2015, the initiative has supported over 23,000 donors and contributed to saving more than 70,000 lives, making it the longest-running blood donation campaign in Romania. Donors who register through the "Și Eu Donez" platform between 8:00 a.

m. and 2:00 p. m.

at caravan stops receive a free one-day ticket to UNTOLD 2026, scheduled for August 6-9 in Cluj-Napoca. The caravan moves next to Târgu Mureș, Timișoara, Oradea, Alexandria, Zalău, Bucharest, Iași, and Cluj-Napoca. At each stop, residents can donate blood during morning hours, with registration handled through the "Și Eu Donez" database, a digital platform that tracks donor participation and coordinates with the National Institute of Blood Transfusion.

The festival ticket serves as both incentive and acknowledgment — a day at UNTOLD in exchange for a donation that enters the national blood supply. Edy Chereji, co-founder of UNTOLD Universe, described the campaign as a transformation of the festival community's energy into tangible healthcare support. The partnership between UNTOLD, Kaufland Romania, the "Și Eu Donez" platform, and the National Institute of Blood Transfusion has sustained the campaign across more than a decade, addressing chronic shortages in Romanian hospitals while building a recurring donor base.

Blood Network operates on a model that links cultural events to public health infrastructure, using the appeal of a major festival to draw participants who might not otherwise engage with donation campaigns. UNTOLD 2026 opens on August 6 with performances by Sting, The Chainsmokers, James Hype, Maddix, Carl Cox, Gramatik, and Grasu XXL. The opening day lineup adds weight to the ticket offer, particularly in cities where festival access requires travel and advance planning.

For donors in Zalău or Alexandria, the ticket represents not only admission but a direct connection between a local act — donating blood at a caravan stop — and participation in a national cultural event. The campaign's structure relies on the mobile caravan, which eliminates the need for donors to locate fixed transfusion centers and compresses the donation window into a single day per city. This approach has proven effective in reaching populations outside major urban centers, where blood donation infrastructure is less accessible.

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The "Și Eu Donez" platform functions as the campaign's operational backbone, maintaining donor records and enabling the National Institute of Blood Transfusion to coordinate collection and distribution across regions. Kaufland Romania's involvement provides logistical and financial support, including caravan deployment and on-site coordination. The partnership model reflects a broader trend in Romanian public health, where private sector resources supplement state capacity in addressing systemic gaps.

Blood shortages remain a persistent issue in Romanian hospitals, particularly during summer months when donation rates typically decline. Blood Network counters this pattern by concentrating donor activity into a six-week window, using the UNTOLD ticket as a time-bound incentive. The campaign's longevity — 12 editions since 2015 — suggests a stable donor base and consistent organizational capacity.

Over 23,000 donors have participated across all editions, contributing to a cumulative impact of more than 70,000 lives saved, a figure that includes surgical patients, trauma cases, and individuals with chronic conditions requiring regular transfusions. Each donation can be separated into multiple components — red blood cells, plasma, platelets — multiplying the number of recipients per donor. Blood Network's geographic spread — 10 cities in 2026 — reflects an effort to distribute donation opportunities beyond Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca, reaching mid-sized cities like Zalău and Alexandria where donor recruitment faces greater challenges.

The caravan model allows the campaign to maintain a presence in these locations without establishing permanent infrastructure, reducing costs while expanding reach. The integration of UNTOLD into the campaign use the festival's national profile, particularly among younger demographics who represent a key donor segment. The festival's cultural capital — its reputation, its lineup, its association with Cluj-Napoca's urban identity — transfers to the blood donation act, reframing it as participation in a broader community event rather than an isolated medical procedure.

This reframing has implications for donor retention, as participants who associate donation with a positive cultural experience are more likely to return in subsequent years. The campaign runs through July 12, with the caravan's final stops scheduled for Iași and Cluj-Napoca. Donors in Bucharest, Craiova, Timișoara, Ploiești, Cluj-Napoca, Zalău, Târgu Mureș, Iași, Oradea, and Alexandria can participate at designated caravan locations during morning hours.

Registration through "Și Eu Donez" is required to receive the UNTOLD ticket, linking donation records to festival admission and ensuring that only verified donors gain access. The ticket is valid for August 6, the festival's opening day, when the headline acts perform.