Kahnfahrt-Festspiele Augsburg

Theatre on the Water

There is no place in Augsburg where the combination of city history and literary tradition becomes so tangible as on the Stadtgraben. Here, at the foot of the Rotes Tor, the boats of the Kahnfahrt-Festspiele have been performing site-specific theatre productions since 2018 during the summer months. The audience sits in the traditional wooden boats, the play unfolds from the shore, from a bridge, or is performed from a second boat – a format that makes Augsburg's theatre unique nationwide.

Augsburg Brecht Homage

The 2026 season is explicitly dedicated to the young Bertolt Brecht. The playwright, born in Augsburg, drew much of his early poetry from impressions of the native Lech riverbanks and city moats – water imagery that resonates in ballads, love poems, and early songs. The ensemble of the Theaterwerkstatt Augsburg, directed by Gianna Formicone, translates this poetic material into a mobile site-specific theatre production.

The Team

Text and dramaturgy are by Matthias Klösel, who also acts on the boats. He is joined by actress Daniela Nering. Musical accompaniment is provided by Agnes Reiter and Martin Franke, who arrange Brecht songs and their own compositions centered around the element of water. The event is organized by the Theaterwerkstatt in cooperation with the Buchhandlung am Obstmarkt, supported by the Cultural Department of the City of Augsburg, the Bavarian Cultural Fund, and regional foundations.

UNESCO World Heritage as a Stage

The Kahnfahrt is part of the Augsburg Water Management System, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2019. A festival trip combines theatrical enjoyment with a city history walk through one of Germany's most extraordinary water cities – an undisputed summer experience with a World Heritage seal.