Guided Tours

Due to the coronavirus situation there are no guided tours taking place at the moment. Thank you for your understanding!

8 July 2020: Information on Corona Case
A temporary employee of the Salzburg Festival who took up her position on 18 June 2020, after a negative initial test, was unfortunately tested positive for coronavirus today. So far, she has only exhibited light symptoms, such as a scratchy throat. Since she had been keeping a health and contact diary, as required by the Salzburg Festival’s prevention plan, the health authorities could immediately be informed of all Category I contact persons.

By way of explanation, a Category I contact person is any person who has spent more than 15 minutes at a distance of less than 2 metres in the same room with an infected person.

Those Festival employees who are Category I contact persons are now into quarantine for 14 days. Preferring to err on the side of caution, however, the Festival is also testing persons beyond Category I (i.e. those who were in contact with the employee in question for a shorter period of time, or at a greater distance). All tests of the five Category I contact persons of the employee have come back negative, but they will remain in quarantine for the full 14 days.

Regrettably, the prevention concept thereby had to prove its practicability for the first time, which it fortunately did. The prescribed procedures and measures, for example the health and contact diary, ensured that the first rule of rapid containment, i.e. immediate traceability, was adhered to.
Preparations for the Festival are not endangered by this regrettable case.

Information prevention concept, 9 June 2020
The Salzburg Festival has modified its programme, reducing the number of performance venues from 16 to 8. The organization has developed a prevention concept which is currently being coordinated with the Festival’s council of experts and the authorities. It will be adapted continuously to accommodate any new developments.

The following members serve on the Festival’s council of experts:

Prim. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uta Hoppe – Head of Internal Medicine II of the Paracelsus University of Medicine, Cardiology and Internistic Intensive Care with A&E
Prim. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Michael Studnicka – Head of Pneumology at the Salzburg University Hospital
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Markus Hell – Specialist in Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, Medilab Salzburg
OA Dr. Bodo Kirchner – Specialist in Internal Medicine, Hygiene Commissioner of the Salzburg Emergency Hospital, also chairman of the Association of Theatre and Festival Doctors
Dr. Josef Schlömicher-Thier – Specialist in ENT and occupational physician of the Salzburg Festival

Key Points of the Security and Prevention Plan (as of 8 June 2020)

Modified and significantly reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Salzburg Festival will take place in compliance with the measures decreed by the federal government and additional, self-imposed security measures. The prevention plan will continuously be coordinated with the council of experts named above and the authorities, and will be adapted to any new developments. Current key points of the prevention plan for audience and staff are as follows:

Audience

General obligation to wear a facemask, except when seated during a performance

Active audience guiding to support compliance with the 1-metre distancing rule: among other measures, the venues will be divided into sectors

In order to avoid larger agglomerations of people and thereby minimize the risk of infection, there will be

a significant reduction in performance venues and events; instead of the 16 venues originally planned, there will now be 8.

a separation of admittance and egress. Unlike regular Festival summer practice, there will be no simultaneous events in the Festspielhäuser, in order to prevent groups of visitors from meeting.

no intervals and no catering as a general rule. Since controlling queues outside of bars or toilets would be very difficult, there will be no refreshments. This means that all the bars at the Festival’s venues will be closed, including before and after events.

Personalized tickets, enabling authorities to speed up contact tracing. Ticket purchasers must show ID to the ticket-takers without being requested to do so.

Special measures of hygiene: these include disinfection stations at all points of entry and at neuralgic points, frequent cleaning of contact surfaces, etc.

Significant reduction of seating, in keeping with distancing rules: as a matter of principle, these are arranged in a chequerboard pattern. In areas with more than 1 metre distance to the seats behind them, other forms of seating allocation are being examined.

The audience will be informed via all the Salzburg Festival’s channels in detail and in due time before the Festival opens about the security measures then current and in place.

Artists / Staff

Significant modification and reduction of the rehearsal and performance schedule and the artistic and technical operations of the 2020 Salzburg Festival

Obligatory initial testing and submission of a certificate of health for all artists and temporary staff, dated no more than 4 days before they begin their work

Obligatory hygiene regulations and rules on wearing facemasks

Division into three groups with corresponding additional prevention measures:

Red Group
Stage performers who cannot comply with distancing rules and cannot wear facemasks: PCR screening, Health log, Hygiene rules, Behaviour rules

Orange Group
Artists who can practice distancing in principle
Staff in contact with red group who can wear facemasks: Initial testing, Health log, Temporary facemasks in keeping with prevention plan, Hygiene rules, Behaviour rules

Yellow Group
Staff who can practice distancing at all times: Initial testing, Temporary facemasks in keeping with prevention plan, Hygiene rules, Behaviour rules

25 May 2020
The 2020 Salzburg Festival will take place from 1 to 30 August, but in a modified and shortened form, due to coronavirus containment measures. Learn more

15 May 2020
A modified Festival seems possible. Learn more

6 April 2020
As announced in the press conference of the Austrian government on April 6, 2020, it is necessary to prohibit performances of all kind in Austria until the end of June, in order not to imperil the containment of the coronavirus, which has been successful so far. To our deep regret, we are thereby also prohibited from presenting the performances of this year’s Whitsun Festival.

Please consider the following changes due to the coronavirus:

Public guided tours and group tours at the Festival Halls are not taking place until further notice.

The Salzburg State Exhibition “Great World Theatre – 100 Years Salzburg Festival” could not start on the scheduled date (25 April) and will be on show from 26 July 2020 to 31 October 2021.

The artistic intervention “The Dream of a Fairy Temple” is postponed and will be on show from July to December 2020.

You have a question?
Our ticket office for personal customer service is open during the usual opening hours, as well as by phone or E-Mail.

Questions & Answers

Where do the guided tours start and end?

The meeting point and end point of the guided tours is directly in front of the entrance to the Haus für Mozart / the Felsenreitschule at the shop of the Salzburg Festival (Hofstallgasse 1, 5020 Salzburg).

Does the guided visit include a tour of the Grosse Festspielhaus?

Yes, as a general rule, the Grosse Festspielhaus, the Felsenreitschule and the Haus für Mozart are all stops on our guided tours. Our venues are not a static museum, but rather a living place where art is produced the whole year round. As such, it may happen that tours do not visit all of the sites due to rehearsals or ongoing renovation work or are rescheduled altogether. We kindly ask for your understanding.

Is the backstage area open to visitors?

Yes, in principle, a look behind the scenes is part of every guided tour. However, during the ongoing Festival season, this is unfortunately not possible due to tight scheduling as well as for safety reasons.

Is the Felsenreitschule open to visitors?

Yes, as a general rule, the Große Festspielhaus, the Felsenreitschule and the Haus für Mozart are all stops on our guided tours. Our venues are not a static museum, but rather a living place where art is produced the whole year round. As such, it may happen that tours do not visit all of the sites due to rehearsals or ongoing renovation work or are rescheduled altogether. We kindly ask for your understanding.

Is it possible to visit the workshops?

No, unfortunately, a visit to the workshops is not possible.

Are visitors permitted to take photographs and videos during the tour?

Yes, provided your guide permits it, you are welcome to take photos and videos during the tour. However, any recordings of set designs are strictly forbidden.

Are the guided tours suitable for children?

Yes, we welcome our young visitors to come along on the tour. The guided tours are recommended for children from 6 years of age.

Are there any discounts for children?

Yes, for children and adolescents aged six to 16, the tour costs € 4,- (incl. 10 % VAT). For children under six years of age, the tour is free of charge.

Does the regular guided tour involve taking an elevator?

No, the regular tours lead visitors up several flights of stairs and are therefore only partially suited for wheelchair-bound visitors.

Do you offer tours suitable for persons with disabilities?

Yes, for guests with special needs we offer specialized tours. If interested, please contact us directly: fuehrungen@salzburgfestival.at

Are dogs allowed?

No, generally speaking, dogs and other pets are not allowed on the Salzburg Festival’s premises. Guide dogs and seeing-eye dogs are exempt from this rule.