Siemens Festival Night: Bayreuth for everyone

In 2008, for the first time in its history, the Bayreuth Festival is hosting an open-air event that represents a twenty-first-century response to Wagner's idea of making his Festival available to all: Siemens Festival Night. From 4 o'clock in the afternoon of Sunday 27 July 2008, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg will be relayed live from the Festspielhaus to the Bayreuth Festplatz. In this way up to 15,000 people will have an opportunity to watch a production that was already the talk of the town in 2007.

Time and again in its 130-year history, the Bayreuth Festival has struck out in new directions in keeping with its founder's innovative and visionary ideas. In Siemens - a company that more than any other in Germany stands for tradition, change and innovation - the Bayreuth Festival has found an ideal partner, allowing the Festival to take a further step forward in its pursuit of the new. Through this special event, Siemens is once again seen to be taking its social responsibilities seriously and acting entirely in the spirit of Ernst von Siemens, the grandson of the company's founder: 'Our house became great because tomorrow was always more important to it than yesterday.'

Bayreuth's inhabitants are urged to come to the Festplatz either on foot, by bicycle or by public transport. For visitors coming by car, the town offers a park and ride service: for € 5,- your car can be left at one of the University's numerous car parks. Special signs will direct you to the University grounds. Buses will take visitors to the Festplatz and back.

In the context of this open-air relay, Regio Oberfranken and the Bavarian Railways will increase the number of seats on the Franconia-Saxony Express leaving Nuremberg at 12.43 on Sunday 27 July and also on the train leaving Bayreuth at 22.33 later that same day. A Bayern ticket represents particularly good value for money: for € 27,- up to five people travelling together can use the Regio Oberfranken trains and the Bayreuth town buses. On presentation of their travel tickets, visitors will also be entitled to a reduction on guided tours of the town and on the price of admission to the town's Art Gallery, the Museum of the Environment and Maisel's Brewery Museum.

Siemens Festival Night

 • Sunday 27 July 2008, Bayreuth Festplatz (Friedrich-Ebert-Straße)

Live relay from the Bayreuth Festspielhaus starting at 16.00
Richard Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Conducted by Sebastian Weigle and directed by Katharina Wagner

Food and drink is available at the Festplatz from 13.00
Organized by Bayreuth Service- und Veranstaltungs GmbH and BF Medien GmbH
in association with the Bayreuth Festival
and with the kind support of Siemens AG