ViaThea Görlitz — International Street Theatre Festival
30th International Street Theatre Festival in the European City of Görlitz-Zgorzelec — July 2nd to 5th, 2026
About ViaThea
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30 Years of Street Theatre on the Neisse
ViaThea is one of Germany's oldest street theatre festivals. Founded in 1995 — six years after the fall of the Wall and three years before the reunification of Görlitz-Zgorzelec as a European City — it was conceived as a place where street theatre could bridge the historical division of Görlitz on the German side and Zgorzelec on the Polish Neisse bank. Today, the event is a firm fixture on the European street theatre calendar: Over 420 groups from 40 nations have performed on the squares and in the alleys of the twin city over 30 years.
The City as a Stage
Görlitz, with its Baroque old town centre, is one of Central Europe's most beautiful preserved cities — the film backdrop for «Inglourious Basterds», «Grand Budapest Hotel», and «The Reader». For four festival days, Untermarkt, Obermarkt, Demianiplatz, Marienplatz, the Old Town Bridge to the Polish side, courtyards, churches, and former industrial sites become performance venues. Acrobatics, mime, clown theatre, walking acts, giant puppets, fire shows, dance theatre in public spaces — all with free admission.
2026 — Anniversary Under the Motto «UTOPIA»
The 30th anniversary edition in 2026 runs under the motto «UTOPIA. On the way to Paradise!» and celebrates the festival as a place of possibility, playfulness, and cross-border dreaming. Theater Titanick — one of Germany's most renowned street theatre companies — will present the world premiere of «Creatures» to mark its own 35th anniversary. In addition, there will be guest performances by European ensembles, a preparatory workshop for young artists from June 30th to July 2nd, and an expanded programme surrounding the anniversary — retrospectives, book presentations, and a special evening «A Jubilee Full of Magic» at the theatre.
Görlitz and the Upper Lusatia Region
Görlitz, Germany's easternmost city, lies on the Neisse river directly on the Polish border. With just under 56,000 inhabitants on the German side and 28,000 on the Polish side, Görlitz-Zgorzelec forms a true European City: two languages, two currencies, a shared old town, separated only by a bridge over the Neisse. Visitors to the festival should stay an extra day — to see St. Peter's Church with its sun organ, the Silesian Museum, take a trip to the Zittau Mountains Nature Park, or stroll over to Zgorzelec.
ViaThea — edition 2026
30th Anniversary Edition — Four Days of Street Theatre
ViaThea 2026 celebrates its 30th anniversary with a particularly rich programme. Four festival days instead of the usual three, an expanded anniversary programme at the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater in addition to the street performances, and a preceding workshop for emerging artists from June 30th to July 2nd — the organisers have deliberately expanded the event for the anniversary.
Theater Titanick — one of Germany's most famous street theatre companies (Münster), known for its gigantic open-air productions with mechanical constructions and fire — will present the world premiere of «Creatures» to mark its own 35th anniversary. In addition, there will be guest performances by ensembles from Spain, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, and other countries. The full artist programme will be announced in spring 2026 on viathea.de.
Programme ViaThea 2026
Festival Week June 30th – July 5th, 2026
Preparation (June 30th – July 2nd)
- Workshop for street artists and emerging artists in the European City
- Setup of festival stages on Untermarkt, Obermarkt, Demianiplatz
Thursday, July 2nd, 2026
- Festival opening with official start on Untermarkt
- First walking acts and square performances in the old town
- Opening evening Theater Titanick (World premiere «Creatures», main venue)
Friday, July 3rd — Main Programme Day
- Performances all day at all venues
- International ensembles from 8–10 countries
- Family programme in the afternoon
Saturday, July 4th — Highlight
- Longest performance day, from morning until midnight
- Large-scale open-air pieces with fire and machinery in the evening
- Special performances on the Polish side (Zgorzelec)
- Anniversary evening «A Jubilee Full of Magic» at the theatre
Sunday, July 5th — Winding Down
- Final family performances in the morning
- Reruns of particularly popular productions
- Festival closing in the late afternoon
Detailed artist and time schedule on viathea.de and in the mobile festival app.
Highlights ViaThea 2026
- 30th anniversary edition since 1995
- World premiere Theater Titanick «Creatures» for the theatre's 35th anniversary
- Motto «UTOPIA. On the way to Paradise!»
- 4 festival days instead of 3
- Venues throughout the old town and on the Polish side (Zgorzelec)
- Workshop for emerging artists starting June 30th
- Expected: around 40,000 visitors
- Free admission to all outdoor performances
Prices ViaThea 2026
Open-air performances: free. Performances in the theatre (opening, anniversary evening, individual indoor pieces): admission according to programme — tickets via Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater Görlitz-Zittau and viathea.de.
Practical information — ViaThea
Date 2026
Thursday, July 2nd to Sunday, July 5th, 2026 (Anniversary Edition — four festival days). Preparatory workshop June 30th to July 2nd.
Location
Görlitz-Zgorzelec Old Town — Untermarkt, Obermarkt, Demianiplatz, Marienplatz, Old Town Bridge, other venues in the city centre. 02826 Görlitz.
Admission
Admission to all open-air performances is free. Individual special events in the theatre are ticketed — details in the festival programme.
Getting There
By train: ICE/IC line to Görlitz Hbf (approx. 1h 20m from Dresden, approx. 3h from Berlin via Cottbus). From the station to the old town: 15 min walk or bus 1/2. By car: take the A 4 motorway, exit Görlitz.
Organiser
Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater Görlitz-Zittau GmbH. Festival website viathea.de with programme booklet and mobile app.
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Travel to this festival
Reserva tu tren o autobús para llegar a ViaThea al mejor precio.
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Where it takes place ViaThea
Altstadt Görlitz-Zgorzelec (Untermarkt, Obermarkt, Demianiplatz, Brücke)
Altstadt Görlitz, 02826 Görlitz