The Bregenz Festival could achieve a record number of visitors with its 80th season. If the weather permits the final three performances, 193,468 people will have seen Verdi's opera "La traviata" on the floating stage. The organizers announced in Bregenz on Friday that all 28 performances, the dress rehearsal, and the Young People's Night were 100 percent sold out.

Balance sheet press conference Bregenz Festival 2026

By the time the festival concludes on Sunday, approximately 273,000 spectators will have attended the five-week event. The three performances of Leoš Janáček's opera "The Excursions of Mr. Brouček" at the Festspielhaus attracted 4,495 visitors, representing a 98 percent capacity. All four performances of the Opera Studio's production of Gaetano Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore" at the Theater am Kornmarkt were sold out. Orchestral concerts were presented by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Vorarlberg Symphony Orchestra, and the Bavarian Radio Choir performed a choral concert.

With around 15,000 visitors, August 1st, 2026 was the most popular day in the festival's 80-year history. The "Singalong by the Lake" alone saw 6,548 people singing together on the lakeside stage.

"Whether grand stage productions, intimate formats, well-known masterpieces or experimental music theatre – our anniversary summer has shown how much diversity is an integral part of the Bregenz Festival ," said Artistic Director Lilli Paasikivi. "I am delighted to see the openness and curiosity with which our audience is joining us on this journey."

Next year, the Bregenz Festival open in the Festspielhaus with the rarely performed opera "Penthesilea" by Swiss composer Othmar Schoeck. "La traviata" returns to the floating stage on the lake. The 81st edition of the festival will run from July 21 to August 22, 2027.

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