“Everyman awaits a feast,” as Goethe wrote. A feast in this city of which the great Austrian poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal said, “Salzburg is the heart of the heart of Europe. It lies halfway between South and North, between Switzerland and the Slavic countries.”

The Salzburg Festival was founded 90 years ago by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Max Reinhardt and Richard Strauss, and is a magnet today more than ever. We are often asked what the secret of this Festival is and what makes it so special and magical. There are three main factors that make the Festival such a success:
First of all, the Salzburg Festival offers a broader artistic program than any other festival: Salzburg features opera, drama and concerts. And in the selection of works and interpretations, it also offers the broadest spectrum from Mozart, the genius loci, to modern works, from classical interpretations to avant-garde experimentation, from Hofmannsthal’s Jedermann to Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. And only the best and most famous artists from all over the world are invited to Salzburg.
Furthermore, visitors to the Salzburg Festival can combine the enjoyment of art with vacationing. During the daytime, the unique surroundings and the lakes of the Salzkammergut make for wonderful excursions and golfing – in the evening, the Festival beckons with incomparable performances.
And finally, the Salzburg Festival has a very special flair. Salzburg’s Hofstallgasse and the entire Baroque old city center form the Festival’s backdrop.

We look forward to seeing you in Salzburg in the summer!

The Salzburg Festival’s Directors:
Helga Rabl-Stadler, President
Jürgen Flimm, Artistic Director
Gerbert Schwaighofer, Business Director