24. LEIPZIGER HÖRSPIELSOMMER

Pack a blanket, prick up your ears: From July 8 to 12, 2026, the 24th Leipzig Radio Play Summer will once again transform the Richard Wagner Grove into Germany’s coziest festival grounds. For five days, the festival will feature a free radio play program for children and adults, four renowned radio play competitions, and a unique live program—all open-air, right by the Elster flood basin between Jahnallee and Käthe-Kollwitz-Straße, and with free admission.

What is the Leipzig Radio Play Summer?

Since 2003, the radio play festival has been one of the city’s most delightful summer traditions: Instead of stage shows and thumping bass, you lie on the grass, close your eyes, and immerse yourself in stories. The festival is a meeting place for established artists, up-and-coming radio play creators, and audiences of all ages—making it a truly unique event on the German festival scene.

2026 Program: From Children’s Radio Plays to Techno Documentaries

In the afternoons, the lawn belongs to families: The children’s program features, among other things, “Die Fuchsbande,” “Die Schule der magischen Tiere,” “Käferkumpel,” and a live reading of “Alice in Wonderland” as a symphonic orchestral radio play. There will also be interactive activities such as the “Circus BarBar”—a mini-circus that runs continuously—and a sound bingo workshop where children roam the grounds with recording devices.

In the evenings, there’s something for the grown-ups: At the opening on Wednesday, the spotlight will be on the newly crowned Günter Eich Prize winner Hermann Bohlen—live on the lawn, with discussions and a selection of his radio plays. Thursday celebrates club culture under the title “Katharsis: A Techno Day”—with features on the early days of techno after the fall of the Berlin Wall and a conversation with author and frohfroh editor Nastassja von der Weiden. Friday evening will be spine-chilling: The Midnight Story Orchestra will present “Der Graf,” a radio play concert loosely based on Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”—120 minutes of live music and goosebumps.

Four radio drama competitions—you get to decide

At the heart of the festival are the competitions: The International Radio Play Competition is entering its 24th edition, along with the Children’s and Youth Radio Play Competition, which features its own children’s jury; the Radio Play Script Competition, in cooperation with the Bauhaus University Weimar; and the Short Radio Play Competition—in the latter, the audience votes via ballot to decide which piece wins.

Admission, Travel & All Info at a Glance

• When:July 8–12, 2026; family program in the afternoons, adult program in the evenings
• Where:Richard-Wagner-Hain (downtown side), Zentrum-West, Leipzig—right next to the Elster flood basin
• Freeadmission, donations welcome
• How to get there:Sportforum Süd stop (lines 3, 7, 8, 15), Klingerweg stop (lines 1, 2), and Nonnenstraße stop (line 14); barrier-free access via the Peterssteg from Käthe-Kollwitz-Straße
• What to bring:Picnic blanket, lounge chair, umbrella—the on-site summer bar will provide food and drinks

Whether you’re stopping by for the first time or have been a fan of the festival for years: The Leipzig Radio Play Summer 2026 is the perfect opportunity to spend the summer enjoying great stories under the open sky—free of charge, in a relaxed atmosphere, and right in the heart of the city.