Name: Lessing Days 2026
Start: 2026-01-31T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-02-15T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Thalia Theater & Thalia Gaußstraße

Lessing Days

About Lessing Days

The Lessing Days are one of Germany's most important international theatre festivals. In the middle of Hamburg's winter, the Thalia Theater brings productions from Japan, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, and German-speaking countries to Altstadt and Altona. The festival is named after the Enlightenment thinker Gotthold Ephraim Lessing and sees itself as an annual European stage assembly — political, formally experimental, and curious about new voices. In 2026, the theme of post-populism will be at the centre.

Dates 31 Jan — 15 Feb 2026

Venue Hamburg (02000)

Prices —

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Lessing Days — edition 2026

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The Lessing Days 2026 run from January 31 to February 15 at the Thalia Theater (Alstertor and Gaußstraße). Ten productions from Japan, Poland, and German-speaking countries, theme "Post-Populism," opening address by Jagoda Marinić. New: the 24-hour foyer "Inhabilia." First edition under the direction of Matthias Lilienthal.

For about 16 days, the Thalia Theater will present its Lessing Days 2026. The selection focuses on productions that seek new forms of democratic discourse and coexistence in the wake of the populist waves of the 2020s. Highlights include contributions from Poland and Ukraine, as well as a Japanese production.

Parallel to the stage programme, the "Inhabilia" format transforms the foyers into a continuous 24-hour gathering, curated by students from the Düsseldorf Art Academy. Food, dance, discussions, and performances mix, and the audience is welcome to stay, sleep, and participate.

Highlights Lessing Days 2026

Ten international productions, opening with Jagoda Marinić, the "Inhabilia" format as a 24-hour foyer, and the festival's start under the new artistic direction of Matthias Lilienthal.

Programme Lessing Days 2026

Opening

January 31: Opening with an address by Jagoda Marinić (author and podcaster) on the theme "Democracy after Populism"

International Productions 2026

Mothers — A Song for Wartime (Marta Górnicka, PL/UA/BY) — Choir of women aged 9 to 71 from Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland on war and violence
Attack on the Stary National Theatre (Jakub Skrzywanek, PL) — Production about the Polish theatre struggle
Further productions from Japan and German-speaking countries (ten in total)

Inhabilia

24-hour foyer at the Thalia Theater
Students from the Düsseldorf Art Academy
Food, dance, discussions, performance

Prices Lessing Days 2026

Prices vary depending on the production and seating category. Tickets available from the Thalia Theater box office. Students and pupils receive discounts.

Practical information

Practical information — Lessing Days

Getting There

Thalia Alstertor: U-Bahn Mönckebergstraße (U3) or Jungfernstieg (U1/U2/U4). Thalia Gaußstraße: S-Bahn Altona or bus to Gaußstraße.

Tickets

Via the Thalia Theater website or the theatre box office. English surtitles are available for most international productions.

Language

Productions are in their original language with German and English surtitles.

Hamburg's Annual World Theatre Gathering

Since 2010, the Thalia Theater has hosted the Lessing Days, a festival lasting about two weeks, beginning at the end of January and concluding in mid-February. Over the years, around 170 guest performances have attracted approximately 225,000 spectators. It is the largest theatre event outside of the summer productions in Hamburg's festival calendar — curated by Joachim Lux and, from 2026, by Matthias Lilienthal.

Venues: Altstadt and Altona

The festival utilizes both venues of the Thalia Theater: the main house at Alstertor in Altstadt (Hamburg-Mitte district) and the Thalia Gaußstraße in Ottensen (Altona district). This distributes the festival across two of Hamburg's most densely packed cultural quarters. Foyer areas, cafés, and performance spaces merge into a single theatre landscape during the festival.

Theme 2026: Post-Populism

The 2026 edition asks how democracies can regain trust, language, and form after waves of populism. Ten productions from Japan, Poland, and German-speaking countries are on the programme. A highlight is Marta Górnicka's "Mothers — A Song for Wartime," in which a choir of women aged 9 to 71 from Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland share their experiences of war and violence. Jakub Skrzywanek's production "Attack on the Stary National Theatre" is also on the schedule. The opening address will be given by author and podcaster Jagoda Marinić.

Inhabilia — 24 Hours in the Foyer

A new format is "Inhabilia": students from the Düsseldorf Art Academy transform the foyers of the Thalia Theater into a 24-hour gathering with food, dance, and discussions. The festival thus extends beyond the stage — theatre becomes social practice.