Since 1875, the Bavarian State Opera (Bayerische Staatsoper) has organised the Munich Opera Festival, an annual highlight in Munich's cultural calendar. This year, the event goes down in history as it celebrates 150 years of the Munich Opera Festival!

As one of the oldest festivals of its kind, the event consists of a six-week programme of spectacular productions that delight thousands of visitors every summer, including premieres, first-time performances and free, open-air "Opera for All" (Oper für Alle) concerts.

Opera, ballet and more at the Munich Opera Festival

Opera Director Christine Lagarde will open this year's Munich Opera Festival programme at the National Theatre, conducting opera gems by Handel Purcell and Rameau, with Sonya Yoncheva and Avery Amereau singing the leading roles. 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera Don Giovanni will be performed on the first day of the festival, sung in the German language with English surtitles. The opera Penelope by Gabriel Faure is another major highlight of the festival, as well as world premieres of operas that have not been heard by German audiences.

Opera for All

Get ready for the open-air opera experience, Opera for All, on the two last Saturdays of the festival. The open-air festival concert will take place, with numerous opera favourites ringing out across the city plaza. Don Giovanni will be performed as a live audiovisual broadcast on Marstallplatz on July 6. Numerous chamber concerts, song recitals, and baroque concerts complement the Opera For All programme.

Get your tickets to the Munich Opera Festival

You can purchase tickets for any of the Munich Opera Festival shows online. Tickets are available via the Bavarian State Opera website, as well as via various ticket agencies.