Heidelberg – the Romantic City of Festivals

Heidelberg is a city that is bursting with life and activity. The famous university and its interrelated research institutions are in themselves predominant contributors to the city's intellectual life. This "Living Spirit," a world view that combines the quest for innovative ideas and answers with centuries-old historical development, is also revealed in Heidelberg's multifaceted cultural life.
The spectacular symphony of the Castle ruin, with the Old Bridge, the Neckar River, and the baroque buildings that shape the city's skyline, all serve as a playground and a stage for manifold festivals and activities. Extraordinary festivals and street celebrations are organized year-round with large amounts of individual, institutional and municipal involvement.
Specific dates and other essential information for the more extensive events are given below. Yet even beyond the organized festival times, there are always fascinating discussions, exhibits, events and areas waiting to be discovered that all ensure one thing: life in Heidelberg is exhilerating!

November 25 - December 22, 2009
Heidelberg Christmas Market

Every year, on the last Wednesday in November at 5 p.m., the Christchild makes a special visit to Heidelberg's Market Square to festively open the Heidelberg Christmas Market. From then through December 22nd, the Old Town is aglow with the enchantment of Christmas. More than 140 special stands fill Heidelberg's large and small squares with an unending variety of all that makes the season unique. With a cup of hot mulled wine to warm the hand and heart, and delicious treats from the multiplicity of the region's gastronomic offerings, a leisurely stroll through the fairytale setting at the foot of the castle ruin is an experience not to be forgotten.

November 25, 2009 - January 3, 2010
Ice rink at the foot of the Castle

Daily between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. on the Karlsplatz, with a spectacular view of the Castle and surrounded by trees glistening with hundreds of stars, residents and guests can skate round one of the most beautiful open-air ice rinks in Germany to the accompaniment of Christmas music.

March 20 - April 24, 2010
14th Heidelberg Spring Festival
(Heidelberger Frühling)

In its 14th season the international music festival again will draw more than 25.000 aficionados from all across Germany and beyond to roughly 80 events with numerous renowned artists such as American star-baritone Thomas Hampson, French pianist Hélène Grimaud, Argentinean cellist Sol Gabetta and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Latvian violinist Baiba Skride.
Yet the "Heidelberger Frühling" is more than a festival of stars - above all, it is a festival of encounter and dialogue. In addition to the great festive concerts, a mainstay of the program is the furthering of young musicians from all over the world, and intensive interactive concentration on selected themes through master courses, discussion groups, lecture series, composer portraits, school projects and academic symposia. Special emphasis is given to the encouragement of contemporary music and towards making contemporary music accessible to a broader public.
An annual motto provides a frame for the multifaceted program. In 2010 the motto “Ach Europa” will explore the question of a common European identity and music’s contribution to creating one.

April 29 - May 9, 2010
Heidelberg Market of Plays
(Heidelberger Stückemarkt)

The "Heidelberger Stückemarkt" is one of the most important festivals in Germany for advancing young dramatic artists. Outstanding premiere performances by young directors are the framework of the heart of the festival, the authors' competition. At this event, nine playwrights present their texts for discussion. An independent jury awards three prizes, while the audience bestows the spectators' prize; overall, the sum of € 23,500 is distributed among young authors.
The host country of the 27th "Heidelberger Stückemarkt" is Israel, a nation which, although constantly finding itself in a state of emergency, maintains a very dynamic theatrical and cultural life. The repertoire consists almost exclusively of contemporary pieces relating to existential conflicts.

June 5, July 10, and September 4, 2010, at 10:15 p.m.
Castle Illumination with Fireworks

Already the "Winter King," Prince Elector Friedrich V, knew about the dazzling effects of a fireworks display in front of the romantic backdrop of the Heidelberg Castle. To welcome his young bride Elizabeth Stuart to Heidelberg in 1613, he enchanted her with just such a stunning spectacle. Each year again, the majestic castle ruin takes its place center stage amidst the castle illuminations and fireworks that by now are steeped in centuries of tradition. When night has fallen, the sky lights up!
The Castle Illuminations are seen at their best from the shores of the Neckar River or from Philosophenweg. A special event preceding the illumination and fireworks is the now traditional concert in the Holy Ghost Church.

June 10 - June 13, 2010
Heidelberg Literature Days

This literary festival has been a highlight of Heidelberg's cultural life since 1994. The festival's innovative program consists of readings by international writers, talks by authors, and musical contributions. The organizing team of the Heidelberg Literature Days puts special emphasis on wide variety in the program's offerings: in addition to renowned authors, young talent is invited, and a high value is placed on international selection. Very young talent is also encouraged with readings for children and young adults, as well as with a writing workshop.
The event takes place in an art nouveau tent on University Square.

June 25 - August 8, 2010
Heidelberg Castle Festival
(Heidelberger Schlossfestspiele)

Every summer, the Castle Festival is eagerly awaited by Heidelberg's residents and guests. The unique Renaissance buildings of the castle, its dreamy nooks and crannies, as well as the extensive gardens and parks, provide an architecturally and atmospherically fascinating locale for the artistic work of the theatre. It is, indeed, a theatre with tradition: the Shakespeare Globe Theatre group stayed here as a guest when in 1613 the Globe Theatre in London was destroyed by fire. The 2010 open-air theatre program offers a diverse and multi-faceted program that includes the perennial favorite, the famous operetta "The Student Prince."
Courtyards and open spaces become stages, walls and corners become the backdrops, making every Castle Festival performance an unforgettable experience.

July 21 - July 28, 2010
Bach Festival "Bach and the Twentieth Century"
(Heidelberger Bachwoche) - Bach Week

In 2010, the concerts of the "Heidelberger Bachwoche" will take place July 21 - 28 in the Holy Ghost Church, with the theme "Bach and the Twentieth Century."
For the past 26 years, the "Heidelberger Bachwoche," celebrated annually on the days preceding the anniversary of Bach's death on July 28, has devoted itself to a theme that relates Bach's works to other areas of music, art, or religion.
On July 27, 2010, the music festival will end with an organ concert at night, beginning at 11:00 p.m. and culminating in a particularly moving moment when the sounds of the last bells of the Holy Ghost Church will fade away shortly after midnight on the anniversary of Bach's death.

September 25, 2010
Old Town Autumn Festival
(Heidelberger Herbst)

Heidelberg's Old Town Autumn Festival, with its Medieval Market and cultural programs throughout the pedestrian zone, includes an arts & crafts market, flea markets, and regional specialties. Musical entertainment of the widest range is offered in virtually every available space.
The great stages start their programs of live music as early as 11. a.m., others commence in the afternoon. By nightfall at the latest, the Old Town has been transformed into a single vast Open Air Concert with a musical program of dazzling variety.

November 1, 2010 - February 20, 2011
Exhibition "Codex Manesse in Heidelberg: Heidelberg University Library displays its most valuable treasure"

Germany`s most famous manuscript from the Middle Ages, the Codex Manesse, dates from the early fourteenth century and contains the most comprehensive collection of Middle High German lyrical poetry. The oldest songs or Minnelieder date back to the blossoming of the Hohenstaufen dynasty in the twelfth century. Of particular note are the full-page miniatures of the Minne poets, headed by the depiction of the Staufer emperor Heinrich VI.
The original volume of this treasure of German history will be on display in the University Library from November, 2010 through February, 2011. The exhibition is a contribution to the 625th anniversary of the University, which will be celebrated in 2011.

October 2 - mid-November, 2010
Enjoy Jazz: 12th International Festival of Jazz and more

For six weeks, the renowned Enjoy Jazz Festival provides for an autumn full of musical highlights. Such international icons as Charlie Haden, Brad Mehldau, Jan Garbarek, McCoy Tyner, and Ornette Coleman have been starring guests of the festival in past years.
The title already suggests the festival's central aim, namely to enjoy jazz to the fullest. Accordingly the festival takes its time and presents no more than one concert a night. It does not, however, restrict itself to the genre limits of jazz, any more than jazz itself can be strictly defined: alternative musical influences are expressly appreciated and integrated into the scintillating program.
More than 60 concerts take place in the varied venues of the aptly called "Festival Region" of Heidelberg, Mannheim and Ludwigshafen. A supplementary program consisting of matinees, master classes and lectures surrounds the concerts.

November 2010
59th Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival

The Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival is the sixth oldest international film festival in the world (after Venice, Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, Karlovy Vary). It is devoted to the discovery of new talents, and shows only films which have never been played at another big festival before. Not only is the film festival accessible to 1,000 visitors from the branch, and to buyers, directors, and journalists, it is also a widely acclaimed festival for the public, with approximately 60,000 visitors every year.
Many directors who went on to world fame, such as François Truffaut, Wim Wenders, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Jim Jarmusch, Las von Trier, Bryan Singer, and Thomas Vinterberg, showed their first movies in Mannheim and Heidelberg.

November 24 - December 22, 2010
Heidelberg Christmas Market

In 2010, for the first time, the Christmas Market will take place not only in the Old Town, but also in the courtyard of Heidelberg Castle.