Düsseldorf Festival! 2026

Düsseldorf Festival, the festival for the performing arts in the fields of theatre, music, contemporary circus and dance. The wide-ranging programme is primarily dedicated to cross-disciplinary and cross-genre arts. Established in the early 1990s as the ‘Altstadtherbst Kulturfestival’, the festival saw itself as an alternative to the traditional sector-based operations of the city’s public theatres and classical concert venues. To this day, the festival centre on Burgplatz – the large theatre tent – hosts a top-class international programme whose influence extends far into the region.

Our large white theatre tent stands on Burgplatz, right on the banks of the Rhine. It is the heart of the festival. This is where dance, contemporary circus, theatre and music from all over the world are performed before an audience of 900; this is where the lifeblood of the festival beats. This is where the entire 70-strong festival team works: technicians and stagehands, riggers, lighting and sound engineers; ticketing, production, and the canteen crew, comprising a large number of volunteers from Düsseldorf. The tent is a meeting place for audiences, artists and staff. In a specially built container village, everyone who helps run the festival lives and works here for six weeks. Our red retro bar also serves as our foyer; this is where the audience and sponsors meet for a drink together before and after the performances.

In addition to the large international stage in the theatre tent, the Düsseldorf Festival spills out into the city every year, filling smaller spaces – some of which are not usually accessible to the cultural sector – with music.

The two artistic directors, Christiane Oxenfort and Andreas Dahmen, have been responsible for the artistic direction of the programme since the festival’s founding in 1991, and have also been responsible for the overall management as managing partners of the non-profit Festival GmbH since 1996. Originally musicians and internationally successful with their ViF Flute Quartet, they have made a commitment to experimentation and openness to new trends, whilst maintaining a high artistic standard. (Source: Düsseldorf Festival gGmbH)