Bachfest Leipzig: 75,000 celebrate the transformation with 200 events!

Bachfest Leipzig: 75,000 celebrate the transformation with 200 events!

The Bach Festival in Leipzig ended on the evening of June 23, 2025 and will be remembered as one of the city's most important musical events. With the motto “Transformation”, the festival, which took place from June 12th to 23rd, attracted around 75,000 visitors from 53 nations. Over 200 events were part of a program that made the diverse transformations of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach understandable.

Director Michael Maul was extremely satisfied with how the festival went. Occupancy across all offers was an impressive 90 percent, which underlines the great popularity of the concerts and performances. More than 3,500 participants were active at the events, including 38 choirs, almost 1,800 singers and 34 orchestras. This year there was a particular focus on innovative formats, including the “Virtual Bach Experience”, which used augmented reality to enable a virtual encounter with Bach. Maul's contract as artistic director was extended for another five years, a sign of confidence in his creative leadership.

A look back at the highlights

The final performance of the festival, the Mass in B Minor, took place in the fascinating St. Thomas Church, one of the central places in the life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach, who worked here as cantor from 1723 to 1750. The special programming included both traditional and experimental approaches, making the Bach Festival appeal to a wide audience of music lovers.

The outstanding achievements of the participants and the great variety of appealing events contributed to the Bach Festival being once again perceived as a cultural highlight in Leipzig. The festival is not only a homage to Bach, but also a platform that interprets the musical heritage in a contemporary way.

Prospects for the next Bach Festival

The anticipation for the next Bach Festival is already growing, as the dates from June 11th to 21st, 2024 have been fixed. The upcoming festival will certainly set new accents and allow visitors to once again immerse themselves in the fascinating world of music by Johann Sebastian Bach. The Bach Festival therefore remains an important cultural event for Leipzig and beyond.

Deutschlandfunk Kultur reported that the Bach Festival was not only convincing musically, but also attracted a broad public through the integration of modern technologies and creative concepts. Blick added that the participation numbers and the artistic diversity of the program were responsible for the high number of viewers.