Stories ranging from timeless classics to "The Jungle Book," along with the adventures of Paul Panzer.
Wuppertal set to host a diverse array of cultural events in 2025 and 2026, building on the city's rich musical heritage. The impetus for this cultural boom was provided by the Elberfelder Gesangverein, now Chor der Konzertgesellschaft Wuppertal, and the Elberfelder Kapelle, now Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal, who initiated the construction of a new city hall in the late 19th century to cater to the city's burgeoning cultural ambitions.
In 2025, the city will celebrate its anniversary year with a series of significant events. The 46th Leverkusener Jazztage will kick off in November, featuring American musician Jon Batiste, award-winning singer, pianist, and composer. This concert marks the beginning of a collaboration between Bayer Kultur and the renowned jazz festival, and the concert will take place in the Historical City Hall.
Another highlight of the anniversary year will be "Legendary meets historical - we are Jazztage!" in which Jon Batiste will open the event. The Historic City Hall will also host other jazz stars as part of the international jazz scene throughout 2025.
In 2025/26, Generalmusikdirektor Patrick Hahn and the Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal will transform the Historical Stadthalle Wuppertal into a Wagner fan's mecca. Richard Wagner's masterpiece "Der Ring des Nibelungen" will be performed in a concert version over four concert evenings.
Additionally, Turkish pianist and composer Büsra Kayikçi will make her debut at the Bayer stART festival in the spring of 2025. She is the youngest member of the "stARTacademy" of Bayer Kultur, and her prepared piano concert will feature electronic accents that seem foreign yet familiar.
Other events include the "danceConvention", the "Barbershop Musik Festival", and the Jekits-Tag NRW, which will take place on the Johannisberg in 2025/26. The "danceConvention" will bring together the teaching courses of the North Rhine-Westphalia Dance Sport Association in October, while the "Barbershop Musik Festival" will see over 400 enthusiastic singers gather in March.
For families and young people, there will be numerous symphony and choral concerts, chamber concerts, and music education offerings, with four family concerts by the Sinfonieorchester completing the program. For the holiday season, a selection of popular events will enchant audiences, including performances by Tom Gaebel, "The Hooters", "The Dark Tenor", and many more.
In October 2026, the "20 Years of Comedy Camp" and "Night Wash" will bring some of the hottest stand-up comedians to the stage, while Kaya Yanar, Alain Frei, Paul Panzer, Emmvee, Bodo Wartke, Biyon Kattilathu, Tutty Tran, and Ingrid Kühn will perform their solo shows at the Historical City Hall.
Also, the University Ball and the Moonlight Ball will attract graduates, dancers, and night owls to the most beautiful venue in the city. Additionally, consumer fairs and exhibitions on various topics are expected to attract a broad audience, and companies will present themselves to a large number of job applicants at the job fair and career days.
It is worth noting that the Popular tribute shows will include "Kings of Floyd", "ABBA Gold", the "Glenn Miller Orchestra", "The Ten Tenors", Max Mutzke with the SWR Big Band, and Thomas Laske's top-class lied recitals in the "Liedertafel" series.
For classical music fans, there will be two chamber concerts with the "ATOS Trio" and the "Minguet Quartet" in the Mendelssohn Hall. Finally, Handel's "Messiah" will be performed on Christmas Day, marking a fitting conclusion to the year's cultural events in Wuppertal.
The 2025/2026 cultural events in Wuppertal will include a home-and-garden transformation of the Historical Stadthalle Wuppertal into a Wagner fan's mecca, showcasing "Der Ring des Nibelungen" in a concert version. In contrast, the Historical City Hall will host a diverse range of entertainment events, such as the award-winning Turkish pianist and composer Buşra Kayıkcı's prepared piano concert, which features electronic accents that seem foreign yet familiar.
