Barn as
bconcert hall

The north
becomes a
stage

Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival from 5 July - 30 August 2025

Classical music away from the large concert halls – this is the heart of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. Top-class concerts enliven a wide variety of venues in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Lower Saxony and even Denmark. Castles and mansions, barns and churches but also shipyards and former industrial complexes form the unusual framework for this popular music festival. You love classical music but you’re also mad about other genres such as pop, jazz, theatre or electro? Take a look at the varied festival programme and be inspired!

These are the musical treats on offer at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival

Inaugurated in 1986, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival enthuses visitors from near or far every year in the summer months with its top-class international soloists and orchestras. While the conceptional theme of the concerts focused on the state up until 2014, every year now features a look back at a different composer. The concerts are entwined around famous giants of classical music such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn or Joseph Haydn. Another thrilling feature is the annual portrait of an artist in which an outstanding contemporary artist is invited to help put their stamp on the festival through concerts and workshops.

To the festival (DE)

A Highlight – „Music Festivals in the Countryside“

The concert series, "Music Festivals in the Countryside" is the wonderful centrepiece of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. Here you can enjoy classical concerts on the most beautiful estates of Schleswig-Holstein in a relaxed, family atmosphere. Feel as if you’re at Ascot showing off your new summer hat and spread out your picnic blanket against a stately backdrop. You can enjoy special musical moments with rising artists and stars from the main programme over a cool drink.

THAT WAS THE SHMF 2022

Our author Barbara Schwartz attended Germany's largest classical music festival and captured the charm, music and atmosphere for you. How did she like it? Just read her article and look forward to the SHMF 2024.

To the story