［CITY］
Bochum / Essen / Duisburg / Gladbeck … Germany
［SCHEDULE］
2026：8.20 … 9.20
To the festival site ▷
The late Gérard Mortier caused a stir in the opera world as a young man with his innovative line at the Royal Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, Belgium, and later served as artistic director of the Salzburg Festival and the Opéra National de Paris.
One of his legacies is this comprehensive arts festival, which has been held annually since 2002 and continues to present experimental performances in a wide range of genres from theater, dance, opera, jazz, pop music, and fine art.
Mortier’s idea was to combine the forefront of contemporary art with industrial heritage that has marked the history of the region, and the Ruhr region in western Germany is used as a venue for the festival, including former machine shops and coke factories.
The Ruhr region on the Rhine River coast flourished as Germany’s largest industrial area in the 19th century, when the development of coal fields led to the development of the steel, machinery, and chemical industries, which took advantage of water transportation. Festival is based in Bochum, performances are held in Essen, Duisburg, and Gladbeck.
After Mortier, the artistic directorship of the company has changed every three years, with Jürgen Flimm, Willy Decker, Heiner Goebbels, and Johann Simons taking over as artistic directors.
From 2021, Barbara Frey, director and manager of the Zurich Theatre until 2019, took over the role. It has also been announced that Belgian director Ivo van Hove will be the next artistic director starting in 2024.
