21st Landesbühnentage Halberstadt

Theatre festival with tradition — and a 26-year break in the Harz

The Landesbühnentage are the most important festival for German regional theatres (Landesbühnen) — those theatres not based in a major city but in a medium-sized town or region, known for their touring practices. Every two years, these ensembles meet to present their productions to each other and to a national audience. In 2026, the 21st edition will be held at the Nordharzer Städtebundtheater Halberstadt — a sensation, as the Landesbühnentage were last held in the Harz 26 years ago.

The organiser is the Nordharzer Städtebundtheater, which has venues in both Halberstadt (Großes Haus + Kammerbühne) and Quedlinburg. The main venue is the Großes Haus in Halberstadt, the largest hall in the region with over 600 seats. Other venues include the Kammerbühne, the Theater Quedlinburg, and the Friedensstadion (for an open-air production).

18 regional theatres, 14 days, theatre across Germany

18 ensembles from all over Germany — from Brandenburg to Baden-Württemberg, from Lower Saxony to Saxony — will travel to the Harz with their teams and stage sets. The programme covers the entire spectrum of theatre: classic spoken drama, youth and children's plays, musical theatre, dance productions, and acting classics. The festival days will open on March 14, 2026, with the premiere of 'The Threepenny Opera' — a major in-house production by the Nordharzer Städtebundtheater, realised through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Halberstadt and Quedlinburg as theatre locations

Halberstadt, with around 40,000 inhabitants, is the district town of the Harz district and, along with Quedlinburg, Wernigerode, and Thale, one of the important towns in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Halberstadt's Jewish history, the cathedral, and the Church of Our Lady shape the cityscape. The Nordharzer Städtebundtheater Halberstadt/Quedlinburg is one of the medium-sized theatres in eastern Germany and has fulfilled an old dream with the Landesbühnentage: to show that provincial theatre does not have to remain provincial.