SWR3-RLP-Open Air 2026

The Landtag Rheinland-Pfalz (state parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate) is located in Mainz in the Deutschhaus, a baroque building directly on the Rhine promenade, overlooking the river and the Theodor-Heuss-Brücke bridge. The surrounding parliament grounds have been modernised in recent years, with a spacious outdoor area added that allows for open-air events. The SWR3-RLP-Open Air uses this outdoor area as a stage for a summer concert that attracts an ever-growing audience from Mainz and Rhineland-Palatinate each year.

The cooperation between the state parliament and SWR3 bridges two very different worlds: on one side, the parliament as the central democratic institution of the state; on the other, one of the most popular radio stations in southwestern Germany with a broad pop and rock programme. This unusual combination creates a format deliberately designed to lower the threshold to the political institution: visitors to the concert enter the parliament grounds, see the parliamentary chambers up close, and experience politics in a relaxed, culturally-infused atmosphere.

Musically, the SWR3-RLP-Open Air brings together acts featured on the station's programme: German pop artists, international pop and indie acts, singer-songwriters, and cover bands. The exact lineup will be announced by the state parliament and SWR3 before the event. Several acts perform consecutively, interspersed with hosting from the SWR3 team and brief statements from the state parliament's presidency. Food trucks and beverage stands on site ensure refreshments.

The SWR3-RLP-Open Air represents a unique form of community summer cultural offering: free, high-quality, set against a politically significant backdrop, and reaching beyond the city limits of Mainz. Attending the open-air event means experiencing a summer evening that combines popular music, views of the Rhine, and an encounter with the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament into an unusual overall picture.