Takeover — The Young Festival
Ten-day festival by the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden for young audiences and young artists — Techno ballet, soul concerts, DJ sets, workshops
About Takeover Festival
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Takeover — when the Festspielhaus becomes young
The Takeover Festival is the remarkable attempt by the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden — Germany's largest opera and concert hall — to open its stage and program for ten days to a young audience and young artists. From January 30 to February 8, 2026, the Festspielhaus will become the stage for a generation that usually avoids classical concert halls: techno ballet meets pop-up choir, soul concert meets DJ set, classical pianism meets electronic improvisation.
2026 Program — The Highlights
The festival spans two weekends with a packed program in between:
- Friday, January 30, 2026, 6 PM — Opening at Pierre-Boulez-Platz with 'Takeover Voices' — the open-air opening in front of the Festspielhaus
- Opening Evening — Pop-up choir and Techno Ballet: The Berliner Ballett dances to electronic music, a deliberate programmatic provocation for the classical bastion
- Concerts with Christian Löffler (electronic sound sculptures, one of the most important young German electro composers)
- Cara Rose and Brandee Younger — Jazz vocalists and harpists
- Sunday, February 8, 2026 — Closing Concert with Martin Kohlstedt: the Weimar-based pianist and composer, whose blend of classical improvisation and electronic multi-channel sound captivates a young audience
Twenty Workshops — The Real Core
In addition to the concerts, the festival includes around twenty workshops — dance, composition, voice, ensemble playing, performance — explicitly aimed at young adults and teenagers. This is where the festival is most intense: participants work with the professional artists who will later perform on stage, developing their own performances. Several workshops culminate in presentations on the final weekend.
Brunch Concerts and Dance Programming
A special feature of the festival is the Sunday brunch concerts — relaxed, intimate performances in the morning, often with food and in smaller rooms of the Festspielhaus. On the other side of the program are the dance-electro evenings with DJ sets that transform the grand foyer into a club.
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden — The Extraordinary Venue
The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden is Europe's second-largest opera and concert hall (after Milan's La Scala). It has 2,500 seats in the Grand Hall, housed in a converted train station building at Pierre-Boulez-Platz, in the heart of Baden-Baden. During the classical Festspielhaus year, the world's greatest orchestras and soloists perform here — Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, Anna Netrebko, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma. Takeover is the programmatic counter-movement: classical music opens up to subculture, the highbrow bastion lets techno, soul, and electronic improvisation in for ten days.
Baden-Baden — Spa Town and Stage Town
Baden-Baden is the glamorous spa town on the edge of the Northern Black Forest, with fewer than 60,000 inhabitants, but boasting the Festspielhaus, theater, casino, museums, and an hour of concerts daily in the concert hall. In January/February — when the season has passed its first peak — Takeover brings a different energy to the city, especially to the Festspielhaus quarter near the station.
Takeover Festival — edition 2026
2026 Program — Ten Days of a Young Festspielhaus
The 2026 edition continues the mix of concerts, performances, and workshops. The festival is spread over two weekends with a dense program in between. The opening night is the central programmatic statement: open-air opening at Pierre-Boulez-Platz with 'Takeover Voices', followed by a pop-up choir and techno ballet in the Grand Hall — a statement of the venue's programmatic opening.
Throughout the festival days, there will be concerts featuring internationally acclaimed artists from electronics (Christian Löffler), soul-jazz (Brandee Younger on harp, Cara Rose on vocals), and classical-electronic improvisation (Martin Kohlstedt for the festival finale on February 8). Around 20 workshops for teenagers and young adults run in parallel, with many workshops culminating in performances on the final weekend.
Programme Takeover Festival 2026
Friday, January 30, 2026 — Opening Day
- 6:00 PM — Open-air opening at Pierre-Boulez-Platz: 'Takeover Voices'
- Evening: Pop-up choir + Techno Ballet with Berliner Ballet Company to electronic music
Saturday, January 31, 2026
- Music and Workshop Day
- Concerts and performances by younger artists
Sunday, February 1, 2026
- Jazz and Ensemble Concerts
- Brunch concert in the morning
Weekdays, February 2–6, 2026
- Workshops for teenagers and young adults
- Brunch concerts at midday
- Evening concerts (incl. Christian Löffler, Cara Rose, Brandee Younger)
Weekend, February 7–8, 2026 — Festival Finale
- Saturday, Feb 7: Workshop presentations + Main concerts
- Sunday, February 8, 2026 — Closing Concert with Martin Kohlstedt (Piano + Electronics)
Confirmed Artists
- Christian Löffler — electronic sound sculptures
- Cara Rose — Soul-Jazz singer
- Brandee Younger — Harpist
- Martin Kohlstedt — Pianist/Electronics
- Berliner Ballet Company (Techno Ballet)
- Pop-up Choir
Highlights Takeover Festival 2026
- Opening at Pierre-Boulez-Platz with 'Takeover Voices' (free access)
- Techno Ballet — Berliner Ballet to electronic music
- Christian Löffler — one of the most important young German electro composers
- Brandee Younger and Cara Rose — Soul-Jazz at the highest level
- Closing Concert Martin Kohlstedt — Piano and Electronics
- Around 20 workshops for teenagers and young adults
- Brunch concerts and DJ sets in the Festspielhaus foyer
Prices Takeover Festival 2026
Open-air opening on January 30 at Pierre-Boulez-Platz is free. Main concerts €20–€60 (with special rates for under 30s, typically 50% discount). Workshops bookable individually with often very favorable conditions for young adults. Festival passes offering added value for intensive festival-goers. Ticket hotline: +49 7221 3013 101.
Practical information — Takeover Festival
Getting There
By train: Baden-Baden Stadt station, then a 5-minute walk to the Festspielhaus (Beim Alten Bahnhof 2). By car: take the A5 motorway (exit Baden-Baden), Festspielhaus parking garage directly at the venue.
Tickets
Concerts can be booked individually, prices vary depending on the program — Opening open-air at Pierre-Boulez-Platz is free, main concerts €20–€60 (with special rates for under 30s), workshops can be booked separately with often favorable conditions for young adults. Ticket hotline: +49 7221 3013 101. Online at festspielhaus.de.
Program Structure
- Friday, January 30, 2026 — Opening at Pierre-Boulez-Platz, Techno Ballet
- Saturday, January 31 — Music and Workshop Day
- Sunday, February 1 — Jazz and Ensemble Concert
- Weekdays — Workshops and Brunch Concerts
- Sunday, February 8 — Closing Concert Martin Kohlstedt
Tip
The Festival Pass for multiple concerts and workshops is the best choice for young audiences — it's much cheaper than individual tickets. The opening open-air on January 30 is free and a good introduction.
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Travel to this festival
Reserva tu tren o autobús para llegar a Takeover Festival al mejor precio.
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Where it takes place Takeover Festival
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden — Pierre-Boulez-Platz
Beim Alten Bahnhof 2, 76530 Baden-Baden