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All Theatre
Festivals und theatre premieres
The theatre scene in Thuringia is impressive and diverse - from modern multi-genre theatres to historic amateur theatres. Above all, the ‘theatre duke’ Georg II of Saxe-Meiningen, who would celebrate his 200th birthday in 2026, shaped the development of modern theatre. He sent ‘Die Meininger’ on tour throughout Europe. An overview of the festivals and premieres can be found here.
Thüringer Bachwochen
At Thuringia's largest music festival specialising in Baroque music, the authentic places where Johann Sebastian Bach lived and worked provide the stage and setting for sophisticated concerts.
11 April - 04 May 2025, Thüringen
27 March -19 April 2026
www.thueringer-bachwochen.de
Faust.Der Tragödie erster Teil
by Johann Wolfgang v. Goethe, at the German National Theatre in Weimar
250 years ago, in 1775, the young Johann Wolfgang Goethe arrives in Weimar and becomes a princely tutor. In his pocket he has the very first version of his Faust poem, later called ‘Urfaust’. In Weimar, then during his trip to Italy and with the encouragement of his poet friend Schiller, the manuscript grew and was completed in 1808 as ‘Faust. Part One of the Tragedy’ in 1808.
Season 2025/26 Dates on request, Weimar
www.nationaltheater-weimar.de
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"Don Giovanni" at the Meiningen State Theatre
Dramma giocoso in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte
In Italian with German surtitles
Conducted by: GMD Killian Farrell, Kens Lui | Direction, stage, costumes: Hinrich Horstkotte | Chorus: Roman David Rothenaicher | Dramaturgy: Matthias Heilmann Meininger Hofkapelle
31 August 2025, 13 and 21 September 2025, 30 October 2025, 14 November 2025, 25 December 2025, Großes Haus
www.staatstheater-meiningen.de/produktionen/don-giovanni.html
Jekyll & Hide at the Meiningen State Theatre
Music by Frank Wildhorn, book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
Conducted by: Christopher Važan, Noori Cho | Direction, choreography, lighting: Cusch Jung | Stage: Karin Fritz | Costumes: Sven Bindseil | Chorus: Roman David Rothenaicher | Dramaturgy: Matthias Heilmann | Meininger Hofkapelle
24 September 2025, 15 and 30 November 2025, 22 December 2025, 02, 25 and 30 January 2026, 17 May 2026, Großes Haus
www.staatstheater-meiningen.de/produktionen/jekyll-hyde.html
La Bohème at the Meiningen State Theatre
Opera in four scenes by Giacomo Puccini, libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica after Henri Murger
In Italian with German surtitles
Conducted by: GMD Killian Farrell, Kens Lui | Director, stage, costumes: Markus Lüpertz | Co-director: Maximilian Eisenacher | Stage, costumes in collaboration with: Ruth Groß | Chorus: Roman David Rothenaicher | Dramaturgy: Julia Terwald | Meininger Hofkapelle
01 November 2025, 24 January 2026, 07 February 2026, Großes Haus
www.staatstheater-meiningen.de/preview/produktionen/la-bohme.htm
"Thüringer Spezialitäten" at the Meiningen State Theatre
A revue by Frank Behnke and Bettina Ostermeier, world premiere
Director: Frank Behnke | Musical direction: Bettina Ostermeier | Stage: Christian Rinke | Costumes: Michael Lindner | Choreography: Tatiana Diara | Dramaturgy: Katja Stoppa
27 September 2025, 19 October 2025, 28 November 2025, 17 January 2026, 01 March 2026, Großes Haus
www.staatstheater-meiningen.de/produktionen/thueringer-spezialitaeten-eine-revue.html
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"Good bye, Lenin" at the Meiningen State Theatre
Theatre version by Bernd Lichtenberg based on the film by Wolfgang Becker and Bernd Lichtenberg
Director: Thomas Dannemann | Stage: Justus Saretz | Costumes: Cornelia Kraske, Assistance: Ariana Moll | Music: Matthias Flake | Video: Andreas Klein | Dramaturgy: Katja Stoppa
03, 11 and 31 October 2025, 03 January 2026, Großes Haus
www.staatstheater-meiningen.de/produktionen/good-bye-lenin.html
"Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti" at the Meiningen State Theatre
Folk play by Bertolt Brecht
Director, Stage: Andreas Kriegenburg | Costumes: Andrea Schraad | Dramaturgy: Katja Stoppa
07.10.2025, 16.11.2025, Großes Haus
www.staatstheater-meiningen.de/produktionen/herr-puntila-und-sein-knecht-matti.html
Brahms Festiva Meiningen and Altenstein
Johannes Brahms had a particularly close affinity with the Meiningen court orchestra, but also with Duke George II of Saxe-Meiningen and his wife, Helene Baroness of Heldburg. For this reason, a Brahms Festival is held every two years in Meiningen and Altenstein with concerts by the Meiningen Court Orchestra, the Thuringia Philharmonic Orchestra Gotha-Eisenach and other orchestras.
20 to 25 May 2026, Meiningen and Altenstein Park and Castle
https://meiningen.de
‘Courtly party’ stage ball at the Meiningen State Theatre
The Meiningen State Theatre opens its doors and invites you to an opulent stage ball! Celebrate with us in a splendidly decorated theatre full of music, dancing and surprises. In our anniversary year, we travel back to the time of theatre duke Georg II and celebrate a courtly festival between late Romanticism and the Belle Époque.
24 and 25 April 2026, Großes Haus
www.staatstheater-meiningen.de
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Tannhäuser and the Singer´s War at the Wartburg Castle
Romantic opera in three acts by Richard Wagner, semi-concert performance
Musical Director: GMD Killian Farrell | Director: Ansgar Haag | Meininger Hofkapelle
Wagner's ‘Tannhäuser’ at the legendary original location has attracted audiences from all over the world to Wartburg Castle for years. Where the legendary war of the singers was fought, you can immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of medieval myths.
01, 03, 07, and 16 May at the Wartburg Castle Eisenach
advance ticket sale: www.wartburg.de, phone +49 3691 250202
www.staatstheater-meiningen.de/produktionen/tannhaeuser-und-der-saengerkrieg-auf-wartburg.html
Liszt-Biennale Thüringen
More than ten years after the start of this extraordinary festival, more than a dozen organisers are dedicating 2025 to the musical genius and Thuringian Franz Liszt under the motto ‘Landscapes and Souls’.
04 to 06.2025, Meiningen and Bad Liebenstein
Liszt-Biennale Thüringen
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Thuringian CHORAL jewels
In June 2026, this choir festival will take place in the historic ambience of Thuringia's castles and residences. Over 40 choirs from all over Germany will let their voices ring out in the festival halls, festival halls and castle churches.
June 2026
Schatzkammer Thüringen Rückblick CHORSchätze 2024
Classic Open Air with the Altenburg Gera Theatre on the Altenburg market square
The Classic Open Air Altenburg transforms Altenburg's historic market square into a breathtaking concert stage. Surrounded by magnificent town houses and the Altenburg Town Hall, visitors experience an unforgettable classical music event in the open air.
20 and 21 June 2025
19 and 20 June 2026
theater-altenburg-gera.de
Weimar Summer
Highlights include the open-air concert night with the Staatskapelle, the Weimar Masterclasses organised by the Franz Liszt University of Music Weimar, the Genius Loci façade projection festival, the Weimar Art Festival and the events surrounding Goethe's birthday.
21 June - 15 September 2025
21 June - 15 September 2026
www.weimarer-sommer.de
Thuringian Castle Festival at Sondershausen
The most popular open-air festival in the border triangle of Thuringia, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt continues Sondershausen's rich musical tradition. Against the backdrop of the castle, the area is transformed into a special theatre stage.
On the programme for 2025: the musical Zorro (in the castle courtyard) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's singspiel ‘Bastien und Bastienne’ (on the theatre lawn)
20 June - 19 July 2025
www.schlossfestspiele-sondershausen.de
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MDR Music Summer
Concerts at the most beautiful locations in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia make the MDR Music Summer a unique music festival in Middle Germany.
Thuringia
www.mdr-musiksommer.de
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Summer theatre at the e-Werk Weimar
with a theatre production by the Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar
05 June - 03 July 2026
www.nationaltheater-weimar.de
Concert Night with the Staatskapelle at Weimar in the park at Weimarhalle
04 July 2026
www.nationaltheater-weimar.de
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Prinzenraub spectacle in Altenburg
The Prinzenraub spectacle in Altenburg Castle courtyard takes visitors into the exciting world of the Middle Ages and brings the legendary story of the Altenburg prince kidnapping to life. The dramatic abduction of the Saxon princes by Kunz von Kauffungen in 1455 is impressively re-enacted with elaborate staging, historical costumes and spectacular stunts.
Accompanied by medieval music, market stalls, jugglers and jousting, the event offers a unique experience for the whole family. The impressive backdrop of Altenburg Castle adds to the atmosphere and makes the prince's robbery spectacle an unforgettable highlight in the town's calendar of events.
01 to 05 July 025
06, 09 and 11 July 2026
www.gesamtkunstwerk4.de/prinzenraub/
Ekhof Festival at Friedenstein Castle
Friedenstein Castle in Gotha is home to one of the oldest baroque theatres in the world with still existing and functioning stage machinery. Historical productions with 18th century backdrops and costumes are enchanting here. In 2025, Molière's comedy ‘TARTUFFE or the Deceiver’, directed by Naemi Friedmann, takes centre stage at the festival.
17 May - 25 October 2025
June - September 2026
www.ekhof-festival.de
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Rudolstadt Festival
Germany's most important folk and world music festival attracts musicians from all over the world to Rudolstadt. There is music and dance on over 20 stages - in the park, in the castle courtyard, on the streets and squares of the old town centre.
03 to 06 July 2025
02 to 05 July 2026
www.rudolstadt-festival.de
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KulturArena Jena
It's not gladiators who take to the arena on Jena's theatre forecourt, but a whole host of cultural events. The festival with concerts, theatre and cinema offers stars and newcomers alike an exciting platform - and the best entertainment for the audience. The festival traditionally opens with the theatre's summer spectacle.
02 to 17 August 2025, Jena
www.kulturarena.de
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DomStufen Festival Erfurt
During the DomStufen Festival, the 70 steps of the Domberg are being transformed into a spectacular open-air festival stage. For three weeks, Erfurt Cathedral Square becomes the setting for unforgettable evenings for around 2,200 guests against the impressive backdrop of the cathedral and Severi Church - an experience not to be missed!
The programm:
08 - 29 August 2025: opera "La Bohème" by Giacomo Puccini
07 - 28 August 2026: Rock-Musical JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR by Andrew Lloyd Webber
www.domstufen-festspiele.de
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SonneMondSterne-Open-Air
Every year on the second weekend in August, an exuberant audience celebrates one of the biggest open-air festivals of electronic dance music on the banks of the Thuringian Sea near Saalburg.
07 to 10 August 2025, Saalburg
06 to 09 August 2026
www.sonnemondsterne.de
Kunstfest Weimar 2026
under the new artistic direction of Katharina Germo and Juliane Hahn
28 August - 12 September 2026
www.nationaltheater-weimar.de
15th International Puppet Theatre Festival Synergura in Erfurt
The Waidspeicher Theatre in Erfurt has been organising the renowned international festival of puppetry art as a biennial since 1992. The diverse and high-quality programme is curated by the festival director and artistic director of the Waidspeicher Theatre, Sibylle Tröster. Over five days, ensembles from Germany and abroad will present outstanding productions for children, young people and adults. Synergura is a cultural highlight for Thuringian theatre audiences, foreign guests and an international specialist audience.
09 to 13 September 2026
www.waidspeicher.de
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Altenburg Music Festival
The Altenburg Music Festival offers high-calibre concerts and diverse sound experiences in the town of Skat. Whether classical, jazz or modern music - renowned artists and ensembles provide unforgettable musical moments.
Visitors experience first-class music in a special atmosphere at unique venues throughout the district.
15- 30 August 2026
orgelgesellschaft.de/altenburger-musikfestival
ACHAVA Festival Thüringen
The Hebrew word ‘ACHAVA’ means brotherhood and is the key word for the themes of humanity, peace, tolerance and dialogue that characterise the festival. In addition to great concerts by international artists, there are exhibitions, panel discussions, discussion series and school programmes.
07 - 21 September 2025, Erfurt
24 September - 11 October 2026
www.achava-festspiele.de
Güldener Herbst - Festival of Old Music
Early music’ is the focus of the festival “Der GÜLDENE Herbst”. In 2025, the festival in Meiningen will be dedicated to the motto ‘Indulgence’. The most diverse facets of enjoyment will be played and sung about in this edition.
26 - 28 September 2025, Meiningen
27 - 27 September 2026, Gotha
gueldener-herbst.de
Image Archive CUMULUS
The Thuringia image archive offers an extensive selection of Thuringian motifs on various topics. Use our archive to illustrate your articles and catalogues.
