Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis 2026 — Gala Event
Germany's most important cabaret award — Gala at Frankfurter Hof with Tobias Mann
About Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis 2026
Mainz, alongside Munich, Cologne, and Berlin, is one of Germany's most important cabaret cities. The Mainz Forum-Theater unterhaus, founded in 1966, is one of Germany's most traditional cabaret stages and has been a central platform for political cabaret, chanson, literary variety, and a wide spectrum of cabaret formats for decades. From this tradition, the unterhaus established the Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis in 1972 — today the most important and prestigious cabaret award in Germany and a significant career milestone for German cabaret artists, chanson singers, variety performers, and songwriters.
The award is presented in several categories: Kabarett (cabaret), Chanson, Kleinkunst (variety/performance art), and Sonderpreise (special awards, often grants, honorary, or program awards). A renowned jury from the cabaret and theater scene, journalism, and the event industry makes the selection. The list of award winners over the past 50+ years reads like a who's who of German cabaret and variety history: Hanns Dieter Hüsch, Lisa Fitz, Bruno Jonas, Hagen Rether, Sebastian Pufpaff, Sissi Perlinger, Pigor & Eichhorn — many names prominent today began their careers with the Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis.
The annual gala event at the Frankfurter Hof in Mainz is the highlight of the award year. The hall brings together the award winners, jury members, prominent guests from cabaret, media, and politics, as well as an interested audience. The gala combines award ceremonies with live performances by the awardees, allowing the audience to get an immediate impression of the honored artists. The 2026 host is Tobias Mann — one of Mainz's best-known cabaret artists, long associated with the Mainz Forum-Theater, and himself a recipient of the Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis (Kabarett category, 2009).
The public dress rehearsal in the afternoon at 3 PM is a Mainz classic: cabaret fans use it to experience the show in a more open, relaxed atmosphere, often with longer programs and breaks where the artists are closer to the audience. The main gala at 8 PM is the more formal festive evening, which is recorded for the 3sat broadcast on Sunday, March 22, 2026. This allows the Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis to reach a broad supra-regional audience and makes Mainz's cabaret tradition visible to millions.
Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis 2026 — edition 2026
The 2026 edition marks the 54th presentation of the Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis since its inception in 1972. Over five decades, the award has established itself as the most important benchmark for quality in the German cabaret and variety scene. The jury's decision on the 2026 award winners will be made prior to the gala evening and announced at the gala.
The exact program and the 2026 award winners will be announced by the Mainz Forum-Theater unterhaus in February/March 2026. The structure follows the proven cornerstones of previous years: a dress rehearsal in the afternoon with a relaxed atmosphere, the main gala in the evening with a formal character, live performances by the awardees in each category, award presentation by jury members and prominent guests, and hosting by a renowned cabaret artist — in 2026, Tobias Mann.
Programme Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis 2026 2026
Saturday, March 14, 2026 — at Frankfurter Hof Mainz
- 3 PM: Public Dress Rehearsal — relaxed atmosphere, longer program segments, artists closer to the audience
- 8 PM: Gala Event — formal festive evening with award ceremony and live performances by the awardees
- Host: Tobias Mann (cabaret artist, recipient of the Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis 2009)
- Award ceremony in the categories:
- — Kabarett
- — Chanson
- — Kleinkunst
- — Sonderpreise (grant, honorary, or program awards)
- Live performances by the awardees in each category
- Recording for 3sat — broadcast on Sunday, March 22, 2026
2026 Award Winners:
The award winners will be announced by the Mainz Forum-Theater unterhaus prior to the gala evening. Latest information at unterhaus-mainz.de.
Highlights Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis 2026 2026
- Germany's most important cabaret award — since 1972
- Host: Tobias Mann
- Dress rehearsal in the afternoon, gala in the evening
- Broadcast on 3sat on Sunday, March 22, 2026
- Venue: Frankfurter Hof in Mainz's Old Town
Prices Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis 2026 2026
Practical information — Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis 2026
Venue: Frankfurter Hof, Augustinerstraße 55, 55116 Mainz, in Mainz's Old Town.
Getting there: Mainz Main Station, from there approx. 15 minutes by public transport or on foot. Parking garages Münsterplatz and Rheingoldhalle nearby.
Date 2026: Saturday, March 14, 2026. Public dress rehearsal 3 PM, gala event 8 PM.
Host: Tobias Mann.
Broadcast: 3sat — airing on Sunday, March 22, 2026.
Tickets: Via the Mainz Forum-Theater unterhaus (unterhaus-mainz.de) and in advance sales.
Categories: Kabarett, Chanson, Kleinkunst, Sonderpreise.
Organizer: Mainz Forum-Theater unterhaus.
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