Passau European Weeks Festival
Classical, Jazz, and Folklore in the Three-Country Region — Since 1952
About European Weeks Passau
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74 Years of Festival History
In 1952, seven years after the end of the war, engaged citizens in Passau founded the European Weeks with the idea of creating a cultural bridge between Bavaria, Austria, and Czechoslovakia in the three-country region. What began as a predominantly classical concert series has evolved over the decades into one of the most important festivals in the Southern German-Austrian area, which continues to focus on classical music while confidently combining it with jazz, klezmer, folklore, gypsy jazz, and world music.
The Three-Country Region as a Stage
Festival venues are scattered between Passau, the Bavarian Forest, the Upper Austrian Innviertel, and Bohemian Šumava. Around 30 event locations are on the program for 2026: concert halls like the EW Hall in Passau, sacred spaces like St. Stephen's Cathedral, St. Michael's Collegiate Church, or the Asam Basilica, as well as open-air stages on the Inn and Danube rivers.
Genres and Acts
The 2026 program ranges from major orchestral works (Smetana Philharmonic Prague as the closing concert) to vocal works of the Baroque era (Bach's St. Matthew Passion with the Heinrich-Schütz-Ensemble Vornbach and L'Arpa festante) to crossover openings like "Ron Williams sings Harry Belafonte" on June 20 at the Ortspitze. Klezmer and gypsy jazz concerts (Helmut Eisel & JEM in "KlezFire!") and chamber music highlights (Alinde Quintet in the Asam Basilica) complement the classical canon.
At the Heart of the Festival: Passau
Passau, the city of three rivers at the confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz, is the organizational heart and the most important venue. With St. Stephen's Cathedral (home to the largest cathedral organ in the world with over 17,000 pipes) and the baroque old town, the city provides a unique festival backdrop. For visitors from outside the region, multi-day stays are recommended, combining concerts in Passau with excursions to venues in the Bavarian Forest or across the border into Upper Austria.
European Weeks Passau — edition 2026
The 2026 program was released in November 2025. The festival remains true to its three-country tradition: venues in Passau (St. Stephen's Cathedral, St. Michael's Collegiate Church, EW Hall), in the Bavarian Forest, the Upper Austrian Innviertel, and in Bohemian towns of the Šumava region.
The program is complemented by introductory lectures, artist talks, and a festival academy for young musicians. Tickets are available from the festival box office +49 851 56096-26 or online via ReserviX.
Programme European Weeks Passau 2026
Opening — June 20, 2026
- Ron Williams sings Harry Belafonte — Open-air concert at Passau's Ortspitze, featuring songs from Belafonte's folk and calypso repertoire with Ron Williams' unique voice
June Highlights
- June 21 — Bach's St. Matthew Passion with the Heinrich-Schütz-Ensemble Vornbach and L'Arpa festante (period instruments), St. Michael's Collegiate Church Passau
- June 24 — "KlezFire!" with Helmut Eisel & JEM (clarinet/klezmer), Röhrnbach in the Bavarian Forest
- June 27 — Alinde Quintet, Asam Basilica in the Passau region
Program Genres
- Classical orchestral music (Smetana Philharmonic Prague as finale)
- Vocal works from the Baroque and Classical periods
- Chamber music in sacred spaces
- Klezmer and Gypsy Jazz
- Folklore from the three-country region
- Crossover and crossover lecture concerts
Closing — July 26, 2026
- Smetana Philharmonic Prague — Closing concert of the 74th festival (program and venue to be announced on ew-passau.de)
The full program with all approx. 50 events, venues, and prices at ew-passau.de/programm/.
Highlights European Weeks Passau 2026
Prices European Weeks Passau 2026
Practical information — European Weeks Passau
Getting There
Passau Hauptbahnhof (main station) — IC/EC and RE connections from Munich, Nuremberg, Vienna. By car via the A3 motorway (Munich–Vienna). Park-and-ride is recommended in Passau, as the old town is partly restricted to traffic.
Tickets
Advance booking via the Passau Festival Office (+49 851 56096-26) and the online portal of ReserviX. Box office opening hours: Mon–Thu mornings, Mon+Tue also afternoons; Wed+Thu mornings only; Fri closed.
Program Calendar
The complete 2026 program with venues and prices at ew-passau.de/programm/.
Accommodation
Passau offers a wide selection of hotels, guesthouses, and holiday apartments. Early booking is recommended during the festival weeks — the city is very busy, especially on weekends.
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Travel to this festival
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Where it takes place European Weeks Passau
EW-Saal & rund 30 weitere Spielstätten in Ostbayern, Oberösterreich und Böhmen
Innstraße 71, 94032 Passau