Festival THEATER DER WELT

From June 18 to July 5, 2026, Chemnitz will be in the international spotlight: Germany’s largest international theater festival, THEATER DER WELT, is coming to Chemnitz—immediately following the city’s year as European Capital of Culture in 2025.

For three weeks, Chemnitz will become a meeting place for artists, audiences, and theater enthusiasts from all over the world. On stages, in public spaces, and at extraordinary venues, a vibrant celebration of the performing arts will unfold, transcending borders and bringing together stories from every corner of the globe.

The program features 33 productions from every continent, and the Spinnbau festival center will host a free supporting program with talks, concerts, and DJ sets. 

Nine international curators from Argentina, Australia, China, Greece, India, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, and South Africa put together the program and invited 33 productions from every continent. The result is an inspiring panorama of contemporary theater forms, languages, and perspectives.

The festival is organized by Theaters Chemnitz, the Festival Academy Brussels, and Chemnitz 2025 European Capital of Culture gGmbH. Since its founding by the International Theatre Institute (ITI) in the late 1970s, THEATER DER WELT has been regarded as one of the most significant festivals on the international theater scene—a showcase for new aesthetic developments and social discourses. Every three years, the Theater der Welt festival is hosted in a different German city. After stops in Hamburg, Düsseldorf, and Frankfurt/Offenbach, the festival returns to Saxony 30 years after its 1996 edition in Dresden—once again making Chemnitz the stage of the world.

See the full program and buy tickets at theaterderwelt.de.