Zurich is always beautiful. However, it is never more picturesque or offers more cultural activities than during summer. The entire city radiates life during those fair-weather months. Outdoor cafes and restaurants pop up everywhere, as do a myriad of open-air concerts, festivals, and movie theatres. One such festival is the Zuercher Theater Spektakel, or Zurich Theatre Spectacle, which this year goes into its 43rd successful year.

Not only is the Zurich Theatre Spectacle in a beautifully romantic location, it also always features some of the most interesting performances from around the globe.

The festival runs for a duration of eighteen days at the Landiwiese, a beautiful meadow located directly on the shores of Lake Zurich. This year the festival will be held from August 8 to September 3, 2023.

Customized for this event, several stages of different sizes are built. One of the larger ones is even built in such a way that it is hovering over the gently lapping waves of the lake.

Onsite restaurants and bars, performances under the open sky, and various ad hoc events, together with the appealing program, attract cultural aficionados and night owls from far beyond the borders of Zurich.

As the festival organizers state, “It is an annual event that is ablaze with life as we celebrate the last days of summer and the open-air season.”

First founded in 1980 as an annual international meeting of independent theatre groups, the Zuercher Theater Spektakel quickly evolved into a cultural event of international appeal.

Today, it ranks among the most important European festivals for the contemporary performing arts.

The festival’s success story is based on the consistent and artistically outstanding programming, the unique atmosphere, and the large number of engaged and open-minded spectators.

In fact, it is almost impossible to get tickets, since all of Zurich (and beyond) eagerly awaits the opening of the pre-sales, where tickets sell out within minutes each year. This is also why the Theatre Spectacle is such a popular venue for both renowned and upcoming theatre and dance companies from all over the world.

This year’s program is bound to dazzle once more with innovation and creativity.

However, the festival organizers keep this information close to their chests. They will announce the visiting artists only a couple of months in advance. If you do find yourself in Zurich in August/September this year, keep a close eye on this page, on which the festival program will be announced and ticket sales will be opened.

I, for one, will try again as well to score some tickets. However, as in most years, I don’t hold much hope. Too many spectators from Zurich, Switzerland, and Europe will have the same idea.

Either way, simply spending some evenings on the “Landiwiese” meadow will already be an enchanting pastime for these hot August and September nights.

Grabbing a delicious bite to eat right next to the lake, watching street performers in the evening and at sunset, and hearing the laughter and enthusiastic clapping of audiences on the stages all around me while I relax after a hard day’s work… I can’t think of anything better.

This article was originally published on TheatreArtLife.com. Written by TheatreArtLife Content Producer Liam Klenk. 

Liam Klenk

Liam Klenk was born in Central Europe and has since lived on four continents. Liam has always been engaged in creative pursuits, ranging from photography and graphic design, to writing short stories and poetry, to working in theatre and shows. In 2016, Liam published his first book and memoir, ‘Paralian’.