[Zoom-in] Ballet & Opera
Ballet and opera are long-standing performing art forms that have captivated both creators and audiences for centuries. Every day, new works are created, while older ones are reinterpreted, their relevance explored, and debated within today's cultural context.
Festivals worldwide harness this vitality, offering audiences opportunities to experience the expressive power and innovation of ballet and opera, and to discover how compelling and relevant these traditions remain today.
Below are some upcoming festivals listed on FestivalFinder.eu which include ballet or opera in their programmes.
March Music Days International Festival
13 -29 March 2026 - Ruse, Bulgaria
For 65 years, the Danube city of Ruse has welcomed hundreds of musicians, ensembles, and orchestras from Europe and around the world to take part in the March Music Days International Festival. On 23 March, a new production of the opera Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky, based on the verse novel by Pushkin, is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the opening of the building and the main stage of the Ruse Opera. Read more here.
Photo via: Facebook
30th Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival
27 March 2027 - Warsaw, Poland
The Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival brings together distinguished soloists and conductors as well as leading orchestras from Poland and abroad. The central theme of their 30th edition is “Beethoven – The Time of the Classical and Romantic Breakthrough” and for that, they included in their programme the opera concert "La Cambiale di matrimonio", a one-act farce by Gioacchino Rossini. Find out more information here.
Photo: via Facebook
Abu Dhabi Festival
12 April - 16 May 2026 - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The 23rd Abu Dhabi Festival welcomes American Ballet Theatre on 17 April, one of the world’s leading ballet companies known for its combination of classical and contemporary works. The evening brings together the work of three choreographers and includes Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Ratmansky’s Serenade after Plato’s Symposium, and Petipa’s Raymonda: Grand Pas Hongrois. More information here.
In addition to ballet, an opera recital with soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, accompanied by Vincenzo Scalera on piano, takes place on 25 April. The programme alternates arias and songs by Bellini, Verdi and Puccini. More information here.
Photo: abudhabifestival.ae
Dance Fest Skopje
15 - 30 April 2026 - Skopje, North Macedonia
Dance Fest always aims to make strong connections with artists from different countries and cultures, giving them the opportunity to work together. With that in mind, for their upcoming edition, they will include in their programme, 14 choreographies over three festival days across four venues in the city, including premieres and new productions by Macedonian choreographers and dance artists. In collaboration with the National Opera and Ballet and the Days of Macedonian Choreographers, the festival will feature works by six Macedonian choreographers. Their programme and more details will be soon available on their website.
Photo credits: Igor Crnković via Facebook
Piccolo Opera Festival
18 June - 05 Jul 2026 - Capriva del Friuli, Italy
The 29th Piccolo Opera Festival, titled "Freedom", pays tribute to librettist and poet Lorenzo Da Ponte, almost two hundred years after his death. This festival brings opera and vocal music to a variety of scenic venues across the Collio, Gorizia, Nova Gorica, and Trieste regions. The 2026 programme will feature new commissions, world premieres, and chamber music performances. Programme details will be available on the festival's website.
Photo credits: Damijan Simcic via Facebook
DAP Festival
20 June - 4 July 2026 - Pietrasanta, Italy
Danza in Arte a Pietrasanta - DAP Festival fosters encounters between contemporary dance and visual arts while activating Pietrasanta’s emblematic sites, transforming theatres, cloisters and public spaces into stages. Its 10th edition features fourteen performances, including contemporary ballet works by artists and companies from various countries. Explore here.
Photo: dapfestival.com
31 Pažaislis Music Festival 2026
30 August 2026 - Kaunas, Lithuania
During the 31st Pažaislis Music Festival the opera opera “A Short Life” will be performed for the first time in Lithuania. “A Short Life” is an opera in two acts, four scenes, based on the libretto by Carlos Fernández-Shaw. The concert performance will be presented to the audience by the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and Kaunas State Choir, with the main roles performed by the soloist from Guatemala Adriana Gonzáles (soprano) and Edgaras Montvidas (tenor), conducted by Gintaras Rinkevičius. Find out more information here.
Photo: pazaislis.lt
