Make it Pop! Festival HELLERAU 2026

The Festspielhaus Hellerau as a Pop Laboratory

HELLERAU — Hellerau, founded in 1911 as the first German garden city, and its Festspielhaus — is considered one of the most important European centers for contemporary performing arts. From Friday, May 1, to Saturday, June 6, 2026, the venue will dedicate itself with the festival 'Make it Pop!' to a programmatic question: What does 'popular' mean in the performing arts today? And how do choreographers, performers, and dance companies react to the aesthetic codes of TikTok, K-Pop, reality TV, or stadium concerts?

Opening: Tanz in den Mai

The kick-off on May 1 is 'Tanz in den Mai' — an open-air dance event in the Hellerau Garden City, where the entire quarter transforms into a large stage: Hip-Hop workshops, Tango milonga, K-Pop dance battle, contemporary choreographies, and DJ sets into the night. The day is designed as a neighborhood festival — with free admission to many program points and for strolling through the listed settlement.

International Dance Highlights

Over six weeks, the festival presents a tightly scheduled program of international companies. On May 2 and 3, the Groupe Acrobatique Tanger will show their production 'KA-IN' — a fusion of Moroccan acrobatics tradition with parkour and breakdance. On May 8, Salia Sanou (CCN de Nantes) follows with 'À nos Combats', on May 14, the Sebastian Weber Dance Company presents 'The Long Run', on May 15, flamenco star Israel Galván presents 'La Edad de Oro'. In June, RambaZamba Theater with 'The Rocky Horror Drag Show' (June 3) and tanzmainz with Moritz Ostruschnjak 'Trailer Park' (June 5, with audio description) will crown the program. Workshop finale on June 6: 'TURN BACK' by go plastic company.

Research Meets Stage

The festival is embedded in a cooperation with the Special Research Area 'Transformations of the Popular' at the University of Siegen. Accompanying the artistic practice, there will be discourse evenings, lectures, and discussions with dance scholars and sociologists who theoretically question the relationship between pop, high culture, and cultural capital — and simultaneously contextualize the performances.

Experience Hellerau

HELLERAU is located in the north of Dresden (Klotzsche district, Hellerau quarter) and is reachable in about 30 minutes from Dresden Main Station via tram line 8 (final stop Hellerau). The listed garden city — with the Festspielhaus by Heinrich Tessenow as its architectural centerpiece — invites you to stroll and visit the Hellerau workshops. Those visiting the festival should plan at least half a day for the architecture and grounds.