With this annual musical festival, the Bavarian town of Bayreuth in Bavaria pays tribute to the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner. The world's largest Wagner Festival has been sold out since 1876, and Wagner fans get their tickets up to 10 years in advance to enjoy some of the composer's best operas, from The Ring Cycle, to Parsifal.
Want to get one of those hard-to-come-by tickets to one of the most famous festivals in the world ? Check out these tips on how to attend the festival, from joining Wagner societies, to buying last-minute tickets.
- When: July 25 - August 28, 2010
- Where: Festspielhaus, Bayreuth
- Website of the Richard Wagner Festival
- Profile of Richard Wagner
I like Wagner as much as the next guy but how is it possible that it is sold out ten years in advance? Is it in one venue with seating for five?
The festival draws thousands of Wagner fans each year and it is indeed very difficult to get tickets; demand (estimated at 500,000) exceeds supply (58,000 tickets), so fans must apply for a ticket. The application process entails submitting an order form every summer; if you don’t apply every year, you are being placed at the back of the queue.