About
The SeeFestSpiele Mörbisch 2026 invites you to experience musical theatre on one of the most spectacular open-air stages in Europe — where the waters of Lake Neusiedl become part of the performance itself. From July 16 to August 22, 2026, the legendary lake stage in Mörbisch am See transforms into a dazzling world of glamour, humour, and emotion with the internationally beloved musical La Cage aux Folles (Ein Käfig voller Narren).
Surrounded by the breathtaking landscape of the Neusiedler See National Park, the festival offers far more than a performance — it creates an unforgettable summer atmosphere where theatre, nature, and celebration merge into one immersive experience. As the sun sets over the lake and the lights of the giant stage begin to shimmer, audiences are transported into the sparkling world of Saint-Tropez cabaret culture.
What makes SeeFestSpiele Mörbisch truly unique is its atmosphere. Here, musical theatre is experienced not within walls, but beneath the open sky, accompanied by warm summer air, shimmering water reflections, and the energy of thousands of spectators sharing one magical evening.
The SeeFestSpiele Mörbisch 2026 is more than a festival — it is a celebration of music, freedom, and theatrical joy on an unforgettable scale.
About the SeeFestSpiele Mörbisch
The Seefestspiele Mörbisch, originally: Seespiele Mörbisch, is an annual operetta festival in Mörbisch am See (Austria). With around 150,000 visitors, the Mörbisch Lake Festival is the world's largest festival of the operetta genre. In addition to operettas, classical musicals are also performed on an irregular basis. Above all, the natural scenery of Neusiedler See is always incorporated into the stage set. The area is very flat, so transmission technology specially developed for the Lake Festival is used.
The initiative for the Seespiele, founded in the years 1955–1957, came from the celebrated chamber singer Herbert Alsen (among others) at the Vienna State Opera (1906–1978), who, together with his wife, the costume designer Gisela Bossert (†2012), who had worked in Berlin, discovered the venue by chance while looking for a holiday location that was climatically conducive to his voice, and whom the peculiar musicality of this landscape permanently touched.
Alsen's plans found favour with the municipal council of Mörbisch as well as with the representative of the province, Landesrat Hans Bögl (1899–1974), especially as the project fitted into the tourism concept of the municipality and the province, and Alsen subsequently agreed to take over the directorship of the Seespiele for an initial period of five years (with reference to possible competition with the Bregenz Festivals), stressing that the Seespiele in Mörbisch did not want to be a festival that would add to the excessive number of festival venues.
After two years of preparation, the opening took place on 6 July 1957 with the operetta The Gypsy Baron by Johann Strauss II.
