What is the Bregenz Festival?
Bregenz is a small Austrian town on the eastern shore of Lake Constance, where Austria, Germany and Switzerland meet. Every summer, it becomes home to one of the most spectacular opera festivals in the world. The Bregenzer Festspiele began in 1946, just after the Second World War, when the first performances were staged on barges moored in the lake. Today its heart is the Seebühne, a huge floating stage on the water, facing a grandstand on the shore with about 7,000 seats.
The sets on the lake stage are famous. Each production is designed for the lake, with gigantic constructions that rise out of the water: a vast eye, a crumbling wall, giant hands, skeletons and warriors, lit up against the night sky with the lake and the mountains as a backdrop. Many productions run for two consecutive summers, and the sets stay on the lake between seasons, becoming landmarks in their own right. In 2008, scenes for the James Bond film Quantum of Solace were shot during a performance of Tosca on the lake stage.
Performances on the lake begin after sunset, so that the lighting and effects can work their magic as darkness falls, and they are amplified so that every seat in the vast grandstand can hear. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra has played at the festival every year since its beginning, and the program also includes rarer operas, concerts, theatre and new works in the Festspielhaus, the festival's indoor house next to the lake.
The festival draws more than 200,000 visitors in its five weeks, many of them from Germany and Switzerland across the lake. In 2027, the lake stage will host Verdi's La traviata.
What to expect
The festival runs for about five weeks from late July to late August, with performances on the lake stage on most evenings.
Afternoon
By the lake
Spend the afternoon on the lakeside promenade, take a boat on Lake Constance, or join a guided tour of the lake stage and its set.
Evening
The lake stage
The audience takes its seats in the grandstand on the shore, and the performance begins as the sun sets over the lake, with the set lit up against the darkening sky.
Late evening
After the opera
The performance ends in darkness, and the audience spills out onto the lakeside, where bars and restaurants stay open late.
Part of the Turandot set on the Bregenz lake stage
Photo by Kecko / flickr · CC BY 2.0
Planning your trip
Getting there
Bregenz is on the railway between Zurich, Munich and Innsbruck, with direct trains from all three, and the station is a short walk from the lake stage. The nearest airports are Friedrichshafen and St. Gallen-Altenrhein, with Zurich and Munich further away. Boats on Lake Constance connect Bregenz with Lindau, Friedrichshafen and Konstanz.
Where to stay
Bregenz's hotels fill early for the festival, so book well ahead. Lindau, an island town just across the German border, is a beautiful alternative, as are other towns around Lake Constance, connected by boat, train and bus.
What it costs
Tickets for the lake stage range from moderate to expensive, depending on the seat. Bregenz and Lake Constance are pricey in summer, especially for hotels and restaurants. Combining the opera with a lakeside holiday makes the trip worthwhile.
Go like you know
- Take a guided tour of the lake stage during the day to see the set up close.
- Ride the Pfänder cable car above Bregenz for views over Lake Constance.
- Visit the Kunsthaus Bregenz, a striking contemporary art museum near the lake.
- Book a table by the lake for an early dinner, and arrive at the grandstand with time to watch the light change over the water.
- Switzerland's Montreux Jazz Festival, in July, is another great festival by a lake.
- France's Festival d'Avignon, in July, stages theatre in the courtyard of a papal palace.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Bregenz Festival?
For about five weeks from late July to late August. In 2027 the festival opens on July 21, with La traviata on the lake stage from July 22 to August 22. Tickets go on sale well in advance, and the most popular dates sell out quickly.
Is the lake stage performance in the open air?
Yes. The audience sits in an open-air grandstand on the shore, facing the stage on the lake. The performances are amplified so that everyone can hear. In heavy rain, performances may be moved to the indoor Festspielhaus, with fewer seats; check the ticket conditions.
Do I need to understand opera?
No. The lake stage productions are designed to be spectacular, with huge sets, lighting and effects that can be enjoyed by first-timers as much as by opera lovers. Reading a short summary of the story beforehand will help you follow it.
