Bayreuth Festival
Bayreuth Festival takes place Jul 25 - Aug 26, 2026 (150th anniversary season) in Bayreuth, Germany. The dress code is Formal: evening dress, dark suit or black tie is the long-standing tradition, even in summer heat. Typical cost ranges from 800 to 3500 EUR per person.
The festival dedicated exclusively to Richard Wagner's operas, performed in the acoustically singular Festspielhaus the composer built himself. The 2026 season marks 150 years since the first festival, with a one-off Rienzi, the Ring cycle, Der fliegende Hollaender and Parsifal, plus free open-air orchestra concerts on the Green Hill. Attending remains one of opera's great pilgrimages.
- When
- Jul 25 - Aug 26, 2026 (150th anniversary season)
- Where
- Bayreuth, Germany
- Dress code
- Formal: evening dress, dark suit or black tie is the long-standing tradition, even in summer heat
- Cost
- Typical cost ranges from 800 to 3500 EUR per person.
- Weather
- 18 - 27C, warm; the wooden Festspielhaus has no air conditioning and gets hot
- When to book
- Online sales open months ahead and top nights sell out in minutes; apply early via the official shop or use returns, package tours and the day-of queue
- Getting there
- NUE (Nuremberg), about 1h by car or train
- Where to stay
- Hotel Goldener Anker, Bayerischer Hof Bayreuth, Schlosshotel Thiergarten
- Official site
- https://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/en/
How to attend
Tickets sell through bayreuther-festspiele.de, with a large share now sold online each spring; face values run roughly 30 - 450 euros. Demand far outstrips supply for the anniversary year, so also try official package tours, returns, or the day-of queue for unsold seats. Plan many months ahead.
Insider tip
Intervals run up to an hour - reserve interval dining in advance, and bring or rent a cushion because the Festspielhaus's famous wooden seats are unpadded.
Get inside Bayreuth Festival
Booking matters here: online sales open months ahead and top nights sell out in minutes; apply early via the official shop or use returns, package tours and the day-of queue. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
Free while in beta. One email when your invitation is ready, nothing else.