The Oper Köln will reopen on September 19 and 20, 2026. Together with the Schauspiel and the Kinderoper, it returns to Offenbachplatz after years of renovation. A celebration is planned with an opening festival: Saturday from 12:00 to 23:00, Sunday from 11:00 to 22:00, admission free. The outdoor stage features performances by Chilly Gonzales and the Moka Efti Orchestra, and there are free discovery tours of all the houses. The highlight is the reopening concert on Sunday at 18:00 with Kasalla and the Gürzenich Orchestra Köln.
Opening party
First, the most important thing
We have sorted the program for both days. Our house ipartment Cologne Opera is within walking distance of Offenbachplatz, so the practical part of the overnight stay comes at the end.
Opera, theater, and children's opera: an overview of the opening in 2026
The opening in 2026 will feature five locations in the Cologne center: Offenbachplatz, Dirk-Bach-Platz, the North-South route closed for the weekend, Glockengasse and Brüdergasse. On the outdoor stage at Offenbachplatz, there will be continuous programming on both days. In the renovated buildings, discovery tours will be conducted through areas that will remain closed during normal operating hours.
On Saturday, the Schauspiel Köln the day on Sunday Oper Köln.
The key figures
- Date: September 19th and 20th 2026
- Times: Saturday 12 to 23 hours, Sunday 11 to 22 hours
- Locations: Offenbachplatz, Dirk-Bach-Platz, North-South Drive, Glockengasse, Brüdergasse
- Admission: free, complete program
- Tours: free, some with ticket reservations
- Organizers: Bühnen Köln, supported by the REWE Group
- Program: buehnen.koeln/opening ceremony
Saturday, September 19: the opening of Schauspiel Köln
Schauspiel Köln is launching its reopened venue and turning Offenbachplatz into an open-air stage. Eleven performances between 12 and 23 hours, from the Cologne school choir to the internationally booked pianist.
The program on Saturday:
- 12:00: Tuning the Space „Opening Offenbachplatz“
- 12:15: Salon Brass Rodenkirchen
- 13:00: Chorus of the Great Greek Market
- 13:45: Dance and Music AG of the KGS Andreas-Hermes-Straße (Kalk)
- 14:30: Dana Schechter and Paul Wallfisch
- 15:20: Mother of the Moor
- 16:20: Conny & Liser, featuring Monti on Drums
- 17:25: Dakh Daughters
- 18:35: Anja Huwe / Xmal Deutschland
- 20:00: Moka Efti Orchestra
- 21:35: Chilly Gonzales and Band
Two names for the calendar:
20:00 hours
Moka Efti Orchestra
You probably know the ensemble from Babylon Berlin and brings the Golden Twenties to the stage.
21:35 hours
Chilly Gonzales
At the end, at 21:35, the pianist, who does pretty much everything from classical music to pop and performance, plays.
On Saturday, discovery tours of the venues will take place from 12:30 to 22:00, and the „Inform and Walk“ format from 12 to 18:00.
The Cologne audience welcomed us with open arms at the Mülheim Depot a year ago. Now we are opening the new old theater house on Offenbachplatz and together we will marvel, celebrate, discuss, and I am very much looking forward to that.
Kay Voges, Director of Schauspiel Köln
Sunday, September 20: Family Day at the Opera
Sunday belongs to the Cologne Opera and the Cologne choirs, schools and clubs. And Ralph Caspers.
The program on Sunday:
- 11:00Boys and girls from the Cologne Cathedral Choir
- 11:45: Cologne Men's Choir
- 12:30Does Ralph pass the opera audition?
- 13:30Carl-Stamitz Music School (Porz)
- 14:00Get-Your-Stage (Chorweiler)
- 14:30: Machbarschaft Petershof (Lindenthal)
- 15:00Does Ralph pass the opera audition?
- 15:45Peter-Ustinov School (Nippes)
- 16:15No Limits e.V. (Ehrenfeld)
- 16:45MTV Cologne Dance
- 17:20Mouse show „Sing with the Mouse“
- 18:00: New year concert at the opera house
- 20:45: With Kasalla
Two names for the calendar:
12:30 and 15:00
Ralph Caspers
„Is Ralph going to take the opera audition?“ runs twice, at 12:30 and at 3 p.m. Ralph Caspers is the patron of the children's opera, and the participatory format brings children into the opera world without anyone having to know an aria beforehand.
18:00 and 20:45
At the hospital
In the evening, the Cologne band will perform together with the Gürzenich Orchestra Köln on the opera stage as part of the New Start Concert starting at 6 p.m. At 8:45 p.m., Kasalla will once again be on the program. Tickets for this event are available exclusively through a raffle; more information can be found in the next section.
On Sunday, the discovery tours run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. In addition, there are „Participate and Create“ from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., the sound playground from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., and „Inform and Walk“ from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Right in the heart: Into the heart of the city of Cologne and into the hearts of the people – that is the goal of the reopening of the stage ensemble at Offenbachplatz! With a diverse program, Opera Köln is taking its place again and showing: We are back!
Hein Mulders, Director of the Cologne Opera
The reopening concert at the opera house
The restart concert of Bühnen Köln begins on Sunday, September 20, at 6 p.m. on the stage of the Opera House. In the first half, the opera ensemble performs a light opera program, in the second half the Cologne band takes the stage. At the hospital together with the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne on stage.
Tickets for the relaunch concert will be given away exclusively; no sales will be taking place. Participation is by invitation only. buehnen.koeln/sweepstakes and it's still possible until August 31, 2026. There are currently three raffles underway: the restart concert, „Here sits Cologne!“ for performances during the opening season, and tickets for the ceremony on September 24, 2026.
Discovery tours through the reopened venues
The discovery tours take you to places that are otherwise reserved for artists, technicians, and staff. You see the stage technology in action, take a peek into the orchestra pit, and walk behind the scenes. And you see, as one of the first, what the renovation has done to the buildings.
Opera
The opera house offers an audio guide tour with a technology show and backstage tours. Both formats are free of charge, but require a ticket. The time slots can be booked in advance on buehnen.koeln, and participation can be spontaneous depending on capacity.
The Schauspielhaus
You can explore the Schauspielhaus on your own. To start on Saturday at 12:30 PM and on Sunday at 11 AM, you need a free starter ticket. In the following days, you do not need a ticket.
Children's opera and Little House
The children's opera and the Little House are accessible without registration. The Cologne Children's Opera was built specifically for children and is therefore unique worldwide, according to Bühnen Köln. It includes its own stage, stage technology and orchestra pit. In the Little House there is an open dance floor with a DJ and VJ, entry is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Arrival and practical information
It’s best to take the KVB: The Appellhofplatz stop is right next to the event grounds. The northbound and southbound routes are closed to traffic on the opening weekend, so getting there by car involves detours.
You can find the current program for the day, ticket reservations for the tours and all the raffles on buehnen.koeln/opening ceremony. The festival takes place with the kind support of the REWE Group.
Overnight at Offenbachplatz
ipartment Cologne Opera
After a day of activities until 11 p.m., you want to get somewhere quickly. Our ipartment Köln Oper house is within walking distance of Offenbachplatz; you walk home from the festival grounds instead of waiting for the last train. What awaits you there:
- own kitchen
- High-Speed WLAN
- Digital self-check-in
- fairer price
Two days of culture or an entire city trip. You decide.
