The citizens of Salzburg celebrate the start of the Salzburg Festival with an opulent cultural programme, the Festival Opening 2024

“The festival opening is an offer to all Salzburgers to get in the mood for the festival summer. 85 varied programme items in 31 venues invite all age groups to experience art and culture from a wide range of disciplines,” writes Festival President Kristina Hammer on the Salzburg Festival website.

The festival opening is named after Max Reinhardt, one of the three founders of the Salzburg Festival. In 1920, Reinhardt was particularly keen on the idea of creating a cultural festival not only for the well-heeled, but also to give the “less well-off audience” access to opera, theatre and music.

So this summer, on 22 and 23 July, the popular and important festival will once again be held to mark the opening of the festival. Two days full of music, theatre and performance – the whole city will be on its feet for the start of this year’s festival. And the special thing about it: all events are free, just as Max Reinhardt wanted. The extensive programme and access to free tickets for some events from 6 July can be found here.

Date/Time
Fri, 19.7.24 - Sun, 21.7.24