In May 2026, the Wiesbaden International May Festival will once again host a top-class festival of the performing arts. Grand musical dramas, iconic operas, and symphonic concert events will shape the program and turn Wiesbaden into an international meeting place for musical theater for several weeks.
The May Festival 2026 will place a central focus on musical theater. With Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde , one of the most radical works in opera history, will be featured several times in the program of the Großes Haus. The music drama about love, longing, and the dissolution of all boundaries unfolds its full effect in a score that is still considered a turning point in musical modernism today. This monumental cycle will be complemented by Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata, whose intimate tragedy focuses on the conflict between social norms and personal freedom. The festival concludes with Georges Bizet's Carmen, a work of unbroken popularity whose rhythmic energy and strong characters continue to fascinate audiences to this day.
In addition to musical theater, the May Festival also features symphonic highlights. At the Kurhaus, the 7th symphony concert, conducted by Jonathan Nott, will be dedicated to Jonathan Nott Gustav Mahler's First Symphony, "Titan" – a work combining late Romantic sonority, irony, and existential urgency. The festival thus opens up space for musical perspectives beyond the opera stage and broadens its artistic spectrum.
Hessian State Theater Wiesbaden © Sven Helge Czichy
A special highlight of the May Festival 2026 is the glamorous gala recital by Plácido Domingo at the Hessian State Theater in Wiesbaden. The performance by one of the most influential artists in international opera lends the festival an extraordinary aura. With a program that reflects key stages in his long career, this evening will be a musical event of exceptional significance.
With its combination of grand operas, symphonic music, and outstanding guest performances, the 2026 International May Festival demonstrates its particular strength: it combines musical tradition and artistic intensity to create a festival that offers a concentrated experience of emotional depth, historical significance, and international presence.
May 1 to 31, 2026
