KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen 2025
16th edition KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen
22.05. – 08.06.2025
The 16th and final edition of the KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen under artistic director and conductor Ingo Metzmacher ended more successfully than ever: over 20,000 visitors experienced the festival's diverse productions.
The KunstFestSpiele 2025 was characterized in particular by two spectacular open-air happenings to mark the 350th anniversary of the Grosser Garten Herrenhausen: Doris Uhlich's Habitat / Herrenhausen, a celebration of the body with 50 naked performers, and the Parkmusik für Herrenhausen with around 150 wind musicians transformed the baroque garden space into a large stage.
Other highlights included the monumental opening production 11.000 Saiten by Georg Friedrich Haas with 50 pianos and the energetic dance performance Skatepark by Mette Ingvartsen in the DHC-Halle. In the light and sound installation Sunrise for the sleepers, the Dutch percussion ensemble HIIIT and visual artist Boris Acket brought the sound and light of the sun into the baroque gallery. Brigitta Muntendorf, designated artistic director of the KunstFestSpiele from 2026, presented ORBIT - A War Series, a haunting, immersive 3D audio and light installation.
Ingo Metzmacher bid farewell as artistic director at the grand finale with a moving concert: The Unanswered Question brought together over 300 Hanoverian performers - including the NDR Radiophilharmonie, the orchestra of the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, nine choirs and baritone star Thomas Hampson. The focus was on the visionary music of Charles Ives, with whom Metzmacher himself once discovered his passion for modern music in Hanover.
Around 900 artists were involved in 2025 - including many local contributors: Pianists, skateboarders, choir singers, performers and brass bands all contributed to the festival's special atmosphere. A total of 23 artistic productions with around 80 individual events were shown.
In the festival center, the freitagsküche once again provided culinary delights and created an atmospheric setting for inspiring conversations with the Art & Cuisine series. NDR presenter Friederike Westerhaus welcomed artists and audience members for a discussion after selected performances in the Festival Center and in the venues.
For the eighth time, the Festivalcampus Niedersachsen brought around 40 students from five universities in Lower Saxony to Hannover for the KunstFestSpiele and subsequently to the Festival Theaterformen.
Trailer
Aftermovie
Venues
Arne Jacobsen Foyer, Galerie, Orangerie, Orangerie Hinterbühne, Großer Garten (Königsbusch, Rehearsal stage), HCC Kuppelsaal, DHC-Halle, Schauspielhaus, Festival centre
Download material
Prelude
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Music for One – A 15-minute concert just for you
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Events
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11.000 Saiten Opening concert |
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Best of All
Tim Etchells
Light installation
Thu 22.05 – So 08.06. / 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Arne Jacobsen Foyer |
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Una isla
Agrupación Señor Serrano
Theatre performance
Fri 23.05 / 7.30 p.m. Schauspielhaus |
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Habitat / Herrenhausen
Doris Uhlich Dance / Happening Sat 24.05 / 6.30 p.m. Sun 25.05 / 6.30 p.m. Großer Garten (Open Air) |
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Zona Franca
Alice Ripoll & Cia Suave Dance
Sat 24.05 / 9 p.m. Sun 25.05 / 5 p.m. Orangerie |
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The best of all possible worlds?
Mithu Sanyal and Wolfram Eilenberger Talk in cooperation with
Literaturhaus Hannover e.V. Sun 25.05 / 3 p.m. Arne Jacobsen Foyer
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Trio Wanderer Concert |
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Maya Kamaty
Feinkost Lampe Concert
Tue 27.05 / 9 p.m. Orangerie Hinterbühne |
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Sunrise for the sleepers
Boris Acket & HIIIT
Concert
Wed 28.05 / 7.30 p.m. Galerie |
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Haribo Kimchi
Jaha Koo / CAMPO
Theatre / Performance Thu 29.05 / 7.30 p.m. Orangerie |
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Sunrise for the sleepers
Boris Acket & Detmold Percussion Group
Light and sound installation with short concerts
Fri 30.05 / 5 – 11 p.m. Sat 31.05 / 3 – 11 p.m. Sun 01.06 / 12 – 9 p.m. Galerie |
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Skatepark
Mette Ingvartsen
Dance Fri 30.05 / 7.30 p.m. Sat 31.05 / 7 p.m. DHC-Halle |
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Alles | Nichts
Modo Grosso
Circus theatre
Sat 31.05 / 2 p.m., 5 p.m. Sun 01.06 / 11 a.m., 3.30 p.m. Orangerie Hinterbühne |
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KunstFestSpiele Tag Sun 01.06 / 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. |
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COW LOVE
Société Protectrice de Petites Idées Circus theatre Sun 01.06 / 12.15, 5.15 p.m. Großer Garten / Königsbusch (Open Air) |
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PANOPTICON
Vasiliki Papapostolou aka Tarantism
Dance – German premiere
Sun 01.06 / 1.15, 5.30 p.m. Orangerie |
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Parkmusik für Herrenhausen
Georg Friedrich Haas
Concert – German premiere
Sun 01.06 / 2 p.m. Großer Garten (Open Air) |
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Leléka
Feinkost Lampe Concert Sun 01.06 / 3.30, 6.30 p.m. Großer Garten / Rehearsal stage(Open Air) |
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Isabelle Lewis
Feinkost Lampe Concert Tue 03.06 / 8 p.m. Orangerie Hinterbühne before & after: DJ set by Cannelle
Festival centre |
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Music for Strings
Ryoji Ikeda / Ensemble Modern
Concert Wed 04.06 / 7.30 p.m. Galerie
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NON + ULTRAS
Moritz Ostruschnjak
Dance Thu 05.06 / 7.30 p.m. Fri 06.06 / 7.30 p.m. Orangerie |
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ORBIT – A War Series
Brigitta Muntendorf
Concert Sat 07.06 / 7.30 p.m. DHC-Halle |
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GOTOPO
Feinkost Lampe Concert Sa 07.06. / 21:00 Orangerie Hinterbühne before & after: DJ set by Stoff
Festival centre |
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Passages
Company Ar – Alice Rende
Cirus theatre
Sun 08.06 / 2, 5 p.m. Orangerie |
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The Unanswered Question
Ingo Metzmacher / Thomas Hampson /
Charles Ives Concert Sun 08.06 / 11 a.m. HCC Kuppelsaal |
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Concord & Hammerklavier
Ives & Beethoven / Marc-André Hamelin
Concert
Sun 08.06 / 6 p.m. Galerie |
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Talks & Specials Friederike Westerhaus in conversation with... Tanzpunkt – Tanzcafé / Talk with Doris Uhlich |
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Art & Cuisine |
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Team 2025
Artistic Director
Ingo Metzmacher
CEO
Christoph Grasse
Dramaturgy
Rainer Hofmann (Leitung), Beate Schüler
Production
Lena Breitfuß (Head of Production), Thomas Seidel, Tracy-Jade Ihedioha (FSJ Kultur), Mathias Brühlmann, Max Kroeschell, Jakob Leba, Sarah Reichert, Julia Schwerdtner, Ronja Wentland, Vera Wieschermann, Hannah Wörpel, Víctor Zapata
Artistic Administration
Julia von Knebel
Technical Engineering
Willi Brune (Technical Director), Wiglev von Wedel, Petra Wiedenhöft
Sponsoring / Fundraising / Awareness
Friederike Zschau
Assistant to the Artistic Director / Ticketing
Daphne Jaschniok
Press and Marketing / Online Communications
Hendrik von Boxberg (Head of press and marketing), Vera Fleischer, Ina Walter
Costume
Sabine Mech
Allrounder
Peter Weidemann
Hosts
Elisa Jungmann, Gisela Limpert, Ursula Meyer-Petersen, Laura Schandry
Festival assistants
Jakob Breitfuß, Anke Gol, Augustin Gorisse, Stephanie Höll, Wojtek Krajewski, Mara Lukes, Nina Reimann, Olivia Römmert
Design festival centre
Lucia Vonrhein
Concept and realisation Festival Campus Niedersachsen
Antonia Rohwetter, Philipp Schulte
Design
Aoki & Matsumoto
Editing programme book
Vera Fleischer, Rainer Hofmann, Tracy-Jade Ihedioha, Daphne Jaschniok, Beate Schùˆler, Hendrik von Boxberg
Editing website
Ina Walter
Translations
Michael Turnbull
Director Herrenhausen Gardens
Prof. Dr. Anke Seegert
We would like to thank Prof. Dr. Anke Seegert, Director Herrenhausen Gardens, and all employees of the Herrenhausen Gardens for their excellent cooperation.
Key visuals
Graphics: Aoki & Matsumoto, Photo: Busoni-Mahler Foundation / Anna Cerrato
Graphics: Aoki & Matsumoto, Photo: Leafhopper Project
Graphics: Aoki & Matsumoto, Photo: Franziska Strauss
