Bayreuth - Wagner Festival

The Bayreuth Wagner Festival, founded by Wagner in 1872, is devoted exclusively to performances of his operas. After his death the festival was directed by his widow Cosima, then by his son Siegfried and later by Siegfried's widow Winifred. When the festival started again after World War II, in 1951, it was directed by Wagner's grandsons Wieland and Wolfgang, and after Wieland's death in 1966 by Wolfgang alone.

This five-week festival is one of the most renowned opera festivals in the world. It runs from late July to late August and is also known as the Bayreuth Festival. There are usually 30 performances every year, all of which take place in the Bayreuth Festival Hall, where Wagner's "Ring Cycle" was first heard in its entirety.