Castle Festival Heidelberg

What is the Heidelberger Castle Festival?

The Heidelberg Castle ruin is not only so world-famous because of the extensive gardens, parks, dreamy nooks and crannies, which are reminiscent of the earlier times of the Renaissance, and a popular place for tourists from all over the world.

In addition to the castle lighting, which takes place three times a year, the so-called Heidelberg Castle Festival is also held every summer. The Heidelberg Castle, provides the perfect atmosphere for the most famous and most visited open-air theater games in the north of Baden-Württemberg.

…a cultural flagship of the first rank for the city and the region.

Gerhard Stratthaus

(2001, former finance minister Baden-Württemberg)

When does it take place?

Every summer the Heidelberg Castle Festival takes place and offers the perfect backdrop for all kinds of music, play and dance in the old castle ruins. The season of the popular event usually starts in mid-June and ends on the beginning of August, more detailed information can be found on the website of the city theater.

Where does it take place?

Every summer, well-known and lesser-known plays are performed outdoors in the courtyard of Heidelberg Castle, but the large ruin offers other venues for magical performances aswell. For example, the thick tower or the so-called English building are a popular stage for many events.

The address of the event venue is: Heidelberg Castle 1, 69117 Heidelberg and can be reached by calling 6577-16 or +49 6221 5384-31.

More information can also be found on the castle’s website.

Here to the website

Who is the organizer?

The Heidelberg Castle Festival is organized by the Theater und Orchester Heidelberg.

In 1926, the Heidelberg Castle Festival was launched with a production of the well-known play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by the famous English playwright and poet William Shakespeare in the castle courtyard.

While in the past, and especially in the pre-war period, guest performances were also integrated, the current management places a lot of emphasis on the in-house production of the Heidelberg Municipal Theater. However, they made an exception in the summer of 2022.

The Theater and Orchester Heidelberg held a benefit matinee for the victims of the war in Ukraine and collected around 44,000 euros. Not only did they show their deepest compassion and social affection, the management of the Castle Festival changed the program in favor of the Ukrainian artists who had fled and gave them the opportunity to present their own productions and concerts.

I am so proud of the colleagues and artists here at Heidelberg Theater. Without hesitation, they have put their own interests aside. We all feel a deep need to help our Ukrainian colleagues. What we can contribute is performance and work opportunities, and that’s what we’re doing here now at this year’s Heidelberg Castle Festival.

Holger Schultze

(Theater and Orchestra Director Heidelberg)

What is in the program?

The Castle Plays program is suitable for young and old and presents a wide variety of concerts, films, plays and songs, all of which tell a story. This year, the play Shakespeare in Love, based on the script by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, was one of the most popular performances.

The program can be found on the Heidelberg Theater website or by clicking here.

Here to the program

How much does the fun cost?

Starting at 16 euros, anyone can grab a ticket for the popular open-air theater at Theater Heidelberg on the website, on-site at Theaterstraße 10, 69117 Heidelberg, or by phone at 06221 5820000.

Buy tickets here

One advantage of the event tickets is that they are valid on the day of the performance,4 hours before the start, as a transport ticket in the VRN area (in the Rhine-Neckar transport network) on all buses, streetcars and regional trains four hours before the performance begins.

The tickets also make it possible to ride the mountain railroad up to the castle, which is an experience in itself. As a tourist, it is virtually obligatory to ride the mountain railroad at least once.

Here you can find more information about the mountain railroad.