Name: Karl May Festival Bad Segeberg 2026
Start: 2026-06-27T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-09-06T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Kalkberg-Freilichtbühne

Karl May Festival

About Karl May Festival

The Karl May Festival Bad Segeberg are the most famous Wild West open-air plays in Europe — a summer classic at the Kalkberg with over 7,500 seats under the open sky. Every year, the ensemble stages a new Karl May story with elaborate stunt riding, pyrotechnics, and a grand stage show. In 2026, the play 'Im Tal des Todes' (In the Valley of Death) will be on the programme — a Winnetou adventure story set in Mexico, with Alexander Klaws starring as the Apache chief for the sixth time. Performances run from June 27 to September 6, 2026, with 72 performance dates. Founded in 1952, the Karl May Festival is now one of Germany's largest open-air theatre experiences.

Dates 27 Jun — 06 Sep 2026

Venue Bad Segeberg (01060)

Prices 23.00€ — 39.00€

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Karl May Festival — edition 2026

Tickets →

From June 27 to September 6, 2026, the play 'Im Tal des Todes' will be performed at the Kalkberg in Bad Segeberg — a Winnetou story from 19th-century Mexico starring Alexander Klaws as Winnetou, Florian Fitz, Isabel Varell, and Heinrich Schafmeister. A total of 72 performance dates, tickets starting from €23.

The 2026 season has been confirmed on the official festival website and in numerous press releases. 'Im Tal des Todes' is a new production that translates classic Karl May material into a Mexican Wild West story: unscrupulous entrepreneurs, Apache conflicts, heroism, and romance against the unique backdrop of the Kalkberg.

The organiser is Kalkberg GmbH. According to the organiser, prices are expected to remain stable for at least two seasons.

Highlights Karl May Festival 2026

Premiere of 'Im Tal des Todes', Alexander Klaws as Winnetou for the sixth time, 72 performances throughout the summer season, stunt riding and pyrotechnics against a rock backdrop.

Programme Karl May Festival 2026

2026 Play: 'Im Tal des Todes'

A Winnetou adventure story set in 19th-century Mexico: The Apache must prevent a ruthless businessman from inciting conflict among indigenous tribes to operate his mercury mine undisturbed.

Cast

Alexander Klaws — Winnetou (sixth time)
Florian Fitz — Roulin (Antagonist)
Isabel Varell — Señorita Miranda
Heinrich Schafmeister — Sir John Raffley

Performance Season

Premiere: Saturday, June 27, 2026
Last Performance: Sunday, September 6, 2026
Total of 72 performances

Prices

Stage seating: €39 (Adults) / €33 (Children 5–15 yrs)
Premium seating: €35 / €30
Seating Group I: €30.50 / €25.50
Seating Group II: €26.50 / €23

Ticket shop: karl-may-spiele.de/tickets.

Prices Karl May Festival 2026

Tickets range from €23 to €39 depending on category and age. €4 processing fee per order (waived for print@home / Mobile Ticket). Tickets via karl-may-spiele.de.

Practical information

Practical information — Karl May Festival

Getting There

By car via the A21 (exit Bad Segeberg). Train connection with the RE83 between Lübeck, Bad Oldesloe, and Kiel — the Kalkberg is about a 15-minute walk from Bad Segeberg station.

Admission

Stage seating Adults €39 / Children (5–15 yrs) €33. Premium seating €35 / €30. Seating Group I €30.50 / €25.50. Seating Group II €26.50 / €23. Processing fee €4 per order (waived for print@home / Mobile Ticket).

Tickets

Via karl-may-spiele.de/tickets. Tickets are offered for the entire performance season. Tip: for good weather and longer daylight hours, it's preferable to book dates in July/August.

A German Theatre Legend

The Karl May Festival Bad Segeberg was launched in 1952 — as an open-air theatre project at the most unusual venue that Schleswig-Holstein can imagine: in front of the impressive rock face of the Kalkberg, a geological solitaire in the middle of the Schleswig-Holstein hill country. Today, the festival is one of Europe's largest open-air theatre events, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors summer after summer.

The Stage at the Kalkberg

The natural rock scenery forms the backdrop of the stage — a theatrical effect that no studio can replicate. With over 7,500 seats, the amphitheatre is one of Europe's largest open-air stages. Riders, stunts, pyrotechnics, and large crowd scenes find their space here without the production feeling cramped.

'Im Tal des Todes' — The 2026 Story

The play 'Im Tal des Todes' is set in 19th-century Mexico. Winnetou (Alexander Klaws for the sixth time) must prevent a ruthless businessman named Roulin (Florian Fitz) from instigating a conflict between Apache tribes in order to operate a mercury mine undisturbed. Alongside him, Isabel Varell plays Señorita Miranda and Heinrich Schafmeister plays Sir John Raffley — a proven mix of established stage stars and new faces.

Bad Segeberg and Karl May

Bad Segeberg is located in the district of Segeberg in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, about 60 km north of Hamburg. The town is known far beyond Northern Germany for its Karl May Festival — the theatre at the Kalkberg is a major tourist magnet and has been a defining part of the region's summer identity since the 1950s. Accompanying programmes in the town centre (see 'Eine Stadt spielt Karl May') flank the performance season.

Stars and Tradition

Over the decades, numerous prominent German actors have appeared in the leading roles — Pierre Brice, Gojko Mitić, Wayne Carpendale, Erol Sander, and since 2021, Alexander Klaws as Winnetou. The combination of family entertainment, spectacular stage technology, and literary source material (Karl May's Wild West novels) has secured the festival a firm place in the German summer cultural calendar.