Once again this year, Bregenz and Lake Constance will serve as the backdrop for the annual Bregenz Festival in the summer months of July and August. From 19 July to 20 August 2023, Bregenz will be transformed into an artistic spectacle of unique performances such as music theatre, concerts and drama. Spectacular productions will offer spectators from all over the world 80 different events that will provide unforgettable moments. Surrounded by the impressive mountain landscape, the stage set, which is designed to match the lake, merges with nature year after year and the lake stage becomes Bregenz's temporary second landmark.

Festival with a 75-year tradition

In 1946, just one year after the end of the Second World War, the first Bregenz Festival took place. Since Bregenz had no theatre at the time, Lake Constance served as the stage. Initially chosen merely as a stopgap solution, the choice of Lake Constance eventually turned out to be decisive for the success and made the Festival unique worldwide. With the founding of the Bregenz Festival Community in 1950, the event was given permanent organisers who continued to develop the Festival.

In the course of the 1950s to 1970s, among other things, the Kornmarkttheater was opened and the stage programme expanded, which also extended the duration of the Festival year after year. The new lake stage, inaugurated in 1979, consists of a concrete core in the centre, which houses the necessary infrastructure for the festival as well as the orchestra pit. The construction offers numerous possibilities for extraordinary stage settings, which are offered to the audience year after year on the lake stage. With the opening of the Festival and Congress House in 1980, it was possible for the first time to offer some of the audience a performance even in bad weather.

Since 1985, the plays on the lake stage have always been performed two years in a row. Thus, the elaborate stage sets could be constantly developed and presented to an even larger audience in more performances. The musical West Side Story in 2003 and 2004 and the opera The Magic Flute in 2013 and 2014 were particularly successful, with both performances attracting over 200,000 visitors in two years.

Especially the unique productions on the lake stage are the annual highlight of the festival and are usually sold out after a short time. But the other events are also always well attended and it is worth buying tickets in good time. So that you too can experience the spectacular Bregenz Festival, we therefore recommend that you buy your tickets early. This year and next, Giuseppe Verdi's opera Rigoletto will be performed on the lake stage, thrilling audiences with its elaborate stage design against the breathtaking backdrop of Lake Constance. You can already look forward to the Bregenz Festival 2020 and enjoy a musical evening in an unforgettable atmosphere.

Programme highlights 2023

Once again, the Bregenz Festival programme will offer its audience unforgettable moments. The various venues - the Seebühne, the Festspielhaus, the Theater am Kornmarkt, the Seestudio as well as the Werkstattbühne - present versatile performances of the highest cultural quality.

With numerous top-class performances such as Madame Butterfly, Ernani, Die gefesselte Phantasie, Der zerbrochne Krug or Werther, you can watch a successful selection of plays. Events such as the orchestra concerts or the concert in the Kub will also take place again this year.

Romantik recommendation for a successful stay

Surrounded by the Bregenz Forest, the Romantik Hotel Das Schiff is located in Hittisau, only half an hour away from the Bregenz Festival. Thanks to its location, the hotel is the ideal starting point for the festival and at the same time offers the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful nature in the region in an exclusive atmosphere. Since its foundation in 1840, the Romantik Hotel Das Schiff has been offering its guests an unforgettable stay in an elegant ambience. The hotel's own restaurant complements the offer with true moments of pleasure and successfully combines traditional with modern and international with regional cuisine.

In addition to a stay at the Romantik Hotel Das Schiff, a visit to the Romantik Restaurant Altes Gericht is also an option in the Bregenz region. The restaurant is only about 25 minutes away from the Bregenz Festival in Sulz and is therefore ideal as a culinary highlight before a performance. The Romantik Restaurant Altes Gericht is located in a house dating back to the 13th century, which has been completely renovated and has five rooms on two floors. Here you will be offered excellent, varied cuisine with a focus on Lake Constance.