Concerts and events
The City of Music: Leipzig has made an international name for itself especially through its classical music festivals. In addition, it offers many other festivals that make a visit worthwhile throughout the entire year.
Here we present the most popular dates for you – from the laid‑back picnic concert with a top‑class orchestra to the famous Whitsun bustle of black‑clad crowds, all the way to the musical pub tour.
Music is playing everywhere
Music is being made all across Leipzig
Classical stages: Gewandhaus, Leipzig Opera, Musikalische Komödie, Schauspiel Leipzig
More venues: UT Connewitz, Horns Erben, naTo, WERK 2, Moritzbastei, Schaubühne Lindenfels, Neues Schauspiel
Churches: Thomaskirche, Peterskirche, Reformierte Kirche, Liebfrauenkirche
Open-air locations: Störmthaler See, Marktplatz Leipzig, Clara-Zetkin-Park, Rosental
Vocal music festival with tradition
The one-week festival for vocal music a cappella takes place every year in spring in Leipzig and offers a stage for international artists. Everyone performs at the highest level and often belongs to the best in their field.
In various concerts as well as special events, a cappella singing can be experienced in its different styles, facets, and traditions – from vocal art of Gregorian chant, the Renaissance, Romanticism, and Modernism to folk, jazz, and rock-pop. In addition, the international a cappella competition is held for up-and-coming ensembles.
World’s largest festival of the dark scene
The Wave-Gotik-Treffen, better known as WGT, is the world’s largest gathering of the “dark scene”. Since 1992, it has attracted around 20,000 guests from all over the world to Leipzig every Pentecost. During the four festival days, visitors can enjoy more than 180 concerts as well as a wide range of cultural activities. These include club parties, readings, exhibitions, and medieval markets.
Discover the most important information about WGT Leipzig in our blog article.
Wave-Gotik-Treffen – What you need to know
The Wave-Gotik-Treffen has taken place every year at Pentecost in Leipzig since 1992 and most recently attracted 19,000 visitors.
Events within the framework of the WGT take place at around 50 locations across Leipzig; these include the festival grounds at the agra as well as clubs, museums, churches, cinemas, and the Leipzig Opera.
The musical variety ranges from dark wave, gothic, post-punk, dark indie to classical music, medieval sounds and folk, as well as metal and electro/EBM/industrial.
You can find more information in our blog article and on the official WGT page.
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Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig’s Rosental
With Klassik airleben, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra expresses its thanks to its audience each year at the end of the Gewandhaus season. On two consecutive evenings, the world-famous symphony orchestra performs two major concerts under the open sky and invites all Leipzig residents and visitors to join.
During this event, the Rosental is transformed into an open-air concert hall and a meeting place for families, friends, and acquaintances. Thousands of people stream onto the large meadow in front of the stage – bringing folding chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets. The atmosphere is unique and inspiring. Even those who are not fans of classical music cannot resist the charm of the music, the summery flair, and the relaxed mood. With wine and snacks, in shorts and flip-flops, the audience listens to the magnificent performance of the world-class orchestra. It is not uncommon for friendships to form with “folding chair neighbours,” and plans are often made for the following year.
The free admission to Klassik airleben is made possible above all by the strong partner of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Porsche, along with numerous other businesses.
More than 60,000 people listened in awe to the outstanding open-air music of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, which marked the end of the 2025 concert season with its two “Klassik airleben” concerts. Under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst, selected works by Johann Strauß (son) were performed on the occasion of his 200th birthday, as well as pieces by Max Bruch and Manuel Ponce, filling Leipzig’s Rosental with music. The relaxed concert was visually enhanced by the setting sun.
“To the 200th birthday of the ‘Waltz King’ Johann Strauss (son) or: the liberation from the corset” (2025)
“A journey through the history of film music” (2024)
“Rhythm in Music: (Late) Romantic Works for Large Orchestra” (2023)
Igor Levit plays Beethoven, Andrei Ionita Tchaikovsky (2022)
Excerpts from major operas by Verdi, Puccini, and Rossini (2019)
Music and summer in Leipzig
The “Leipzig Market Music” promises ten days full of musical variety on Leipzig's market square. Leipzig locals and visitors to the city enjoy live music in a great atmosphere and are treated to culinary delights.
The music festival in the heart of the city offers a varied program – open-air concerts ranging from classical and musical to jazz, rock, and pop delight the audience. Best of all: admission is free.
Experience Leipzig off the beaten path!
There is so much to discover in Leipzig beyond the city centre! With the “Leipzig Beyond” tours in the Explore Leipzig app, you can explore the city’s trendiest neighbourhoods and experience districts off the usual paths. Can’t decide? No problem – with the help of a slot machine or the “Leipzig Beyond Matching”, you will surely find the perfect tour for your visit to Leipzig!
The “Southeast” tour, for example, takes you to the Südfriedhof cemetery and the Botanical Garden, which easily rival the parks in the city centre and are absolutely worth a visit!
Download the app now and start your tour!
Leipzig Chamber Music Festival
Jewish Tunes by Leipzig’s Romantic Composers take center stage at the Leipzig Chamber Music Festival Con Spirito 2026. Under the motto “Tacheles”, from 12 to 20 September 2026 you can experience Thorsten Johanns (clarinet), Antje Weithaas and Tobias Feldmann (violin), Oliver Triendl (piano), as well as the festival’s artistic director Peter Bruns and Yibai Chen (cello), among others. Music will be performed in the salons and workplaces of Mendelssohn, Bach, Grieg, Wagner and the Schumanns.
Con Spirito, organized by the Schumann House Leipzig (Gregor Nowak, Managing Director), takes place annually at Leipzig’s European Cultural Heritage Sites: Alte Nikolaischule, Bach Museum, Gewandhaus, Grieg Memorial Centre, University of Music and Theatre Leipzig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Mendelssohn House, Schumann House and St. Thomas Church.
More than 40 years of jazz festival culture
The Leipzig Jazz Days are among the most traditional jazz festivals in Germany and are a firmly established part of Leipzig’s autumn festival season. Since their founding in 1976, they have brought national and international jazz greats, innovative newcomers and specially curated projects to the city every October. The festival presents an impressive stylistic range, from classic modern jazz to avant‑garde and electronic music, all the way to cross‑genre formats. It always follows an artistic theme that opens up new perspectives on the world of jazz.
The concerts take place at numerous venues, including renowned institutions such as the Oper Leipzig and Leipzig City Theatre (today Central Theatre) [1], as well as alternative cultural spaces like UT Connewitz and Moritzbastei. The festival is organised by the Jazzclub Leipzig. In addition to the main programme, the Jazz Days also offer formats to support young talent, such as the awarding of the Leipzig Young Jazz Talent Prize, along with special activities for families and young music enthusiasts.
The Leipzig Jazz Days at a glance
The Leipzig Jazz Days were founded during GDR times and have developed into a renowned festival; throughout this time it has remained both traditional and young and presents over 100 musicians from diverse backgrounds, including international stars as well as new discoveries
8 performance days, 13 venues, 33 concerts
Stages rich in tradition: Oper Leipzig, Musikalische Komödie, Schauspiel Leipzig, UT Connewitz
Special venues: naTo, WERK 2, Horns Erben, Passage Kinos, Moritzbastei, Liebfrauenkirche
Music festival on the Pouch peninsula
SPUTNIK SPRING BREAK is an annual music festival held over the Pentecost weekend on the Pouch peninsula near Bitterfeld. Presented by the radio station MDR Sputnik, people celebrate and dance every early summer at the popular Lake Goitzsche. The music acts cover a wide range of genres, from rock and hip-hop to electronic music.
Every year, up to 25,000 visitors are expected to come and kick off the festival season in the region.
Indie rock in the Leipzig region
The festival originated at the Hohenfelden reservoir near Erfurt. However, since 2010 it has taken place at Lake Störmthal near Leipzig. In the meantime, Highfield, which takes place every year in August, has become one of the most important indie rock festivals in the new federal states. Around 30,000 music lovers come together to celebrate for three days.
The lake is calling! Dance yourselves happy and enjoy the festival summer under the open sky.
