Düsseldorf Festival

What Düsseldorf Festival does

Düsseldorf Festival is a non-profit performing arts festival (gemeinnützige Organisation) established in 1990 in Düsseldorf, Germany, and currently headed by co-directors Christiane Oxenfort and Andreas Dahmen. The 35th anniversary was celebrated in 2025, and the 2026 edition runs September 16 – October 4, with a December epilog production (Christmas Tale) at the Johanneskirche. Each annual edition stages international circus, dance, theater, and music productions across more than 15 venues in Düsseldorf, anchored by a central Theaterzelt on Burgplatz and expanded into unusual spaces including multiple churches and corporate venues such as Deutsche Bundesbank and NRW.BANK. International ensembles in the 2026 program include the Cie. Käfig (Mourad Merzouki), Circa and Gravity & Other Myths from Australia, Below Zero from Sweden, plus choreographers Hofesh Shechter and Sharon Eyal with the S-E-D company.

The festival operates an event-driven go-to-market, distributing tickets through its own online shop, ticket hotline, festival office at Bolkerstr. 14–16, and a temporary box office at the Theaterzelt, with Westticket.de as an external channel. Pricing is transaction-based with multiple price categories per event, a €4 processing/shipping fee, a 10% early-bird discount until May 8, a €42 FestivalCard subscription offering 30% off one ticket per event, and targeted concessions for students, seniors, disabled persons, children, and families; a €13 Last Minute U27 offer targets younger attendees. Festival tickets include free VRR public transport on the event day.

Revenue is assembled from four streams: ticket sales, main and in-kind sponsorships (IDR, ÖRAG, Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf, Uber, Rheinische Post, arte, plus hotel and equipment partners), private donations, and recurring government funding from the Ministry for Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia and the State Capital Düsseldorf Culture Office, supplemented by foundation grants (Haubrich Stiftung, F.W. Hempel & Co.). The supporting product surface consists of a newsletter, podcast, annual festival magazine, and the Silent Disco Walking Tours experience. Permanent headcount is ~11, and operating geography is restricted to Düsseldorf.

Name

Düsseldorf Festival

Legal name

Düsseldorf Festival

Website

https://duesseldorf-festival.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Düsseldorf Festival is a non-profit performing arts festival in Düsseldorf, Germany, producing annual international circus, dance, theater, and music programming across 15-plus venues since 1990, funded by ticket sales, corporate sponsors, and public-sector grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Festival

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Performing arts festival
• Contemporary circus
• Dance performances
• Live theater events
• International arts programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling tickets to festival performances across multiple price categories with discounts for early booking, students, seniors, disabled persons, and families.
2. Sponsorships: Funding from main sponsors including IDR, ÖRAG, Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf, Uber, Rheinische Post, and arte. Additional support from venue partners and in-kind sponsors.
3. Donations: The festival operates as a non-profit organization (gemeinnützige Organisation) and relies on donations to supplement sponsor funding.
4. Government Funding: Public funding from Ministry for Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia and State Capital Düsseldorf Culture Office.
5. Gift Vouchers: Festival vouchers sold with minimum value of 10 euros, valid for 3 years from purchase date, redeemable for any festival event.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Düsseldorf Festival produces an annual performing arts festival (Hauptprogramm) featuring international contemporary circus, dance, music, and theater productions across more than 15 venues in Düsseldorf. The central venue is the Theaterzelt festival tent on Burgplatz overlooking the Rhine. The festival sells tickets through online, phone, office, and on-site channels, and bundles free public transport (VRR) with every ticket.

Product overview

Düsseldorf Festival is a performing arts festival featuring international circus, dance, theater, and music productions. The core offering is the annual main festival program (Hauptprogramm) running from mid-September to early October, centered at the Theaterzelt (theater tent) on Burgplatz. The festival offers various ticket products including the FestivalCard for repeat visitors, and the Down Under Special for Australian circus performances. Supporting products include Silent Disco Walking Tours, a newsletter, podcast, and annual festival magazine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Düsseldorf Festival (Hauptprogramm) Annual main festival program featuring international contemporary circus, dance, theater, and music performances across more than 15 venues in Düsseldorf, anchored by the Theaterzelt on Burgplatz. Aimed at performing arts audiences in Germany and the wider region.
• FestivalCard Annual festival pass priced at €42 that grants a 30% discount on one regular-priced ticket per event. Non-transferable and cannot be combined with other discounts. Designed for repeat festival attendees.
• Down Under Special Special ticket package offering a 10% discount when purchasing one ticket each for the 'Eternity' and 'Ten Thousand Hours' performances by Australian groups Circa and Gravity & Other Myths. Not combinable with other discounts.
• Silent Disco Walking Tours Guided walking tours through Düsseldorf in which participants wear Bluetooth headphones playing 1970s–2000s music, led by Guru Dudu from Melbourne. Offered as a ticketed festival experience.
• Festival Gift Vouchers Festival vouchers sold with a minimum value of €10, redeemable for any festival event. Valid for 3 years from the purchase date. Designed as a gifting option for performing arts audiences.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• Rheinische PostmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional newspaper as main sponsor providing media visibility and marketing support.
• artemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerEuropean TV channel as main sponsor providing media coverage and cultural association.
• Rent4EventminorOthersEvent equipment rental company providing in-kind support.
• Maritim Hotel DüsseldorfminorOthersHotel partner providing accommodation support for artists.
• Motel One Düsseldorf-HauptbahnhofminorOthersHotel partner providing accommodation support.
• VRR (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic transport association providing free transit tickets with festival admissions for sustainable venue access.
• Westticket.deminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal ticket distribution partner for festival tickets.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Cirque du Soleil (touring productions): Dominant commercial contemporary circus operator. Relevant 'Neuer Zirkus' adjacent peer for understanding ticket economics and touring circus IP.

Broad incumbents

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe: The world's largest performing arts festival. Comparable in annual ticketed multi-venue model, though at significantly larger scale.
• Ruhrtriennale: Larger NRW-based performing arts triennial using industrial heritage venues. Overlaps in artistic programming and regional cultural positioning.
• Münchner Opernfestspiele: Major opera festival in Munich with broader performing arts range. Overlaps in government-supported ticketed event programming.
• Festspiele Zürich: Established multi-week international performing arts festival with similar mix of theater, dance, music, and circus. Comparable ticketing model and venue footprint.

Emerging players

• FFT Düsseldorf: Local Düsseldorf performing arts venue that hosts Düsseldorf Festival programming. Adjacent ecosystem participant with shared audience.

Regional players

• Holland Dance Festival: Dutch contemporary dance festival with similar multi-venue touring model across a single country; useful peer for ticketing and sponsor structures.

Direct peers

• Festival Theaterformen (Hannover/Braunschweig): Biannual German festival focused on contemporary theater with multiple venues in two cities. Closely comparable in size and structure to Düsseldorf Festival.
• Internationales Tanzfest NRW: Performing arts festival in NRW programming contemporary dance across multiple venues. Same target audience and programming overlap as Düsseldorf Festival.
• Tanz im August (Berlin): Annual international dance festival in Berlin with similar ticketed-event-and-venue model. Direct programming overlap in contemporary dance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/duesseldorffestival
• Facebookfacebook.com/duesseldorffestival
• Instagraminstagram.com/duesseldorffestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/d%C3%BCsseldorf-festival-ggmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Düsseldorf Festival