asphalt festival 2026

"Out of the theatre, into the city" is asphalt's original idea. Art is for everyone and it has to deal with what people and society are currently concerned with. Art is relevant and must take place - not in an ivory tower, but in the centre of life, whether on a small stage, a large stage, indoors or outdoors. Since the first edition, asphalt has therefore not only presented its programme in established theatres and concert halls, but above all in special locations that are temporarily transformed into venues for the duration of the festival and each bring their own magic - including former industrial sites, museums, churches, private spaces, office buildings, streets and squares in public spaces or even a floating lake stage in a green area in the middle of the city. Every year, it is exciting to see where art will enrich the urban environment thanks to asphalt.

asphalt not only presents national and international guest performances, but also co-produces new artistic works. In this way, it contributes to the networking of artists and the creation of new art. The festival sees itself as a production platform that initiates and co-finances the development of new artistic works. Since 2012, almost 130 co-productions in the fields of theatre, music and dance have been created, which began at asphalt and have since been shown in many other theatres, concert halls and at festivals. Groundbreaking asphalt co-productions in recent years include "TANZ" and "Ophelia's Got Talent" by Florentina Holzinger and the play "Verrückt nach Trost" with Sebastian Blomberg, André Jung, Ursina Lardi and Devid Striesow, which director Thorsten Lensing realised together with asphalt and the Salzburg Festival.

The asphalt Festival also maintains close collaborations with other cultural institutions and festivals, locally, nationally and internationally. Since 2025, the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, for example, has left its four stages on Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz to the asphalt Festival for the next few years in the last week of its season. asphalt presents outstanding national and international co-productions, guest performances and concerts in the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus during this week. This means that an international programme from the performing arts sector can be experienced in the D'haus in the last week of the season, which will appeal to an additional audience. Thanks to the cooperation, the asphalt Festival has the planning security to invite major theatre productions with several years' lead time and to be able to present them with optimal technical conditions.

The asphalt Festival opens up spaces for art experiences and encounters, for new discourses and social developments. In the best sense of the word, it is a festival of the arts in the city, for the country and for a diverse society. (Source: asphalt festival gGmbH)