Time For The Summer Music Festival Season

With the warmer weather, everybody just wants to be outdoors. And if you plan on visiting Germany in the next few weeks, there are many other reasons to stay outside too! There’s sunbathing, picnicking, barbecuing and drinking at the beer gardens.

But the next couple of weeks give you even more. It’s the start of the summer music festival season. No matter what music you have on your iPod, you are sure to find something that fits your taste in this wide variety of open-air concerts.

Let’s take a closer look, shall we? :-)

Handel Festival, June 2nd – 12th

The city of Halle an der Saale is not as well-known as some of our other places, like Munich or Berlin. But it does have its claim to fame as the birthplace of the great composer, Georg Friedrich Händel. Halle holds a tribute to its favorite son this June, inviting many international musicians to interpret Händel’s greatest hits.

Rock am Ring & Rock im Park, June 3rd – 5th

These two three-day long festivals in the Eifel and in Nuremberg is certain to please the rockers and headbangers of the world! The Rock am Ring and Rock im Park feature the best and the heaviest in current rock n roll music. Over 150,000 flock to these open-air shows, which are reputedly the largest of its kind in the whole of Germany.

This year’s fair is no exception. Rock am Ring & Rock im Park 2011 are hosting some of the biggest names in rock — Coldplay, Disturbed, System of a Down and Kings of Leon are just a handful of the rockers who are slated to play.

Bach Festival, June 10th – 19th

Come to Leipzig to celebrate this beloved composer in his annual festival! Johann Sebastian Bach was such an important part of this city and his presence can still be felt. The Thomas Church is one of his old haunts that plays host to a concert series featuring his greatest works.

While most of the tributes will be done by organ or symphony, you’re likely to find all kinds of Bach-related events at all corners of the city.

The Munich Opera Festival, June 25th – July 23rd

The Munich Opera Festival has a bit of a late start in comparison to all the other June music festivals, but this century-old tradition is worth the wait. The National Theater is the main venue for a bevy of ballet and opera performances. However, the highlight of the fest is certainly the series of open-air concerts, called “Opera for All.”

—Marcus