Salzburg Festival expects 99 percent occupancy with 261,300 guests

The Salzburg Festival expects occupancy of more than 99 percent and more than 261,300 guests by its closing day on Sunday, ORF reported on Friday. Ticket sales have generated 31.45 million euros.

The 106th festival included 172 performances and 37 events in the youth programme “jung & jede*r”. Visitors from 84 countries are expected to have attended by August 30, including admission and dress rehearsals.

More than 45,000 people also attended historical and current performances at the Siemens Festival Nights on Kapitelplatz, while around 28,500 visitors came to the three-day festival marking the opening of the event.

Festival president Kristina Hammer, artistic director Karin Bergmann and commercial director Lukas Crepaz said they were highly satisfied with both audience numbers and the festival’s financial performance. Bergmann said she was overwhelmed by the response.

Jedermann performances affected by weather

The drama programme included a revival of “Jedermann”, the premieres “Schnee von gestern, Schnee von morgen” by Peter Handke and “Unter Tieren” by Elfriede Jelinek, new productions of “Faust I” and “Der Menschenfeind”, and the guest performances “De Profundis” and “Europa”.

Of the 15 performances of “Jedermann”, eight took place on Domplatz and five at the Großes Festspielhaus. Two performances had to be moved from Domplatz to the festival hall because of the weather.

Classical and modern works side by side

The 2026 programme combined classical repertoire with modern works and premieres. The opera programme featured nine productions. New productions included “Carmen”, “Ariadne auf Naxos” and “Saint François d’Assise”. Revivals included “Il viaggio a Reims” and a new production of “Così fan tutte”. “Lucio Silla” was staged semi-concertante, while “Passion”, “Werther” and “Der Prinz von Homburg” were presented in concert performances.

The concert programme comprised 84 performances. Eight concerts and the concert performance of “Passion” formed part of the Ouverture spirituelle series, which this year focused on the theme “Miserere”. Former artistic director Markus Hinterhäuser performed his two scheduled concerts after his departure from the festival and received a standing ovation for his piano performances.

The festival also presented the archive festival “Staging Realities – The Living Archive” for the first time in Salzburg. In total, 78 different programme booklets were published, containing introductory essays, interviews, artist biographies, song texts and background information on staged productions and concerts. Hundreds of pages of librettos were also made available digitally in German and English.

A total of 1,007 young singers applied for this year’s Young Singers Project, with 14 taking part in the public masterclasses. The festival also produced eight television and streaming programmes and 21 radio recordings with partners. It said European Broadcasting Union partners had helped reach a global audience of millions.

Decisions expected in October

The festival faces several decisions in the coming months. Hammer’s term as president ends at the end of the year, while a successor to interim artistic director Karin Bergmann is being sought following Hinterhäuser’s departure in the spring. Hearings are expected to take place in the coming weeks, with a decision due at a meeting of the festival board in October.

Decisions are also pending on the “Festspielbezirk 2030” construction project. The festival must identify replacement venues for the Großes Festspielhaus, which will be unavailable for two seasons from autumn 2028 to spring 2031 because of construction work. It must also determine how to finance the renovation of the Haus für Mozart and the Felsenreitschule within a recently imposed cost ceiling. The festival management plans to present a solution by the October board meeting.