Festival Ring 2026: Wagner's four operas staged at the Opéra Bastille

The Ring Festival 2026 brings together the four operas of Richard Wagner's The Ring Cycle at the Opéra Bastille. Two complete cycles will run from November 6 to 22, 2026, in Calixto Bieito's staging and under the musical direction of Pablo Heras-Casado.

The event marks the 150th anniversary of the Ring Cycle’s creation in Bayreuth. It offers a full view of the tetralogy: The Rhinegold, The Valkyrie, Siegfried, and The Twilight of the Gods. Each cycle comprises four performances spread over several days.

The work draws on Germanic and Nordic mythologies. A ring forged from the gold of the Rhine becomes a weapon of power and a curse, coveted by gods as much as by men. Around Wotan, Siegfried and Brünnhilde, Wagner weaves together kinship, love, domination, and the consequences of their choices.

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The first cycle includes Das Rheingold on November 6, Die Walküre on November 7, Siegfried on November 10 and Götterdämmerung on November 13. The second cycle reprises the four installments on November 15, 17, 19 and 22 respectively. The performances are sung in German with subtitles in French and English.

Run times vary noticeably from work to work: about 2 h 30 without intermission for Das Rheingold, five hours for Die Walküre, five hours ten minutes for Siegfried, and five hours fifty minutes for Götterdämmerung, intermissions included for the last three operas.

The Wotan Pass for all four operas starts at €250 in Category 8. It also includes access to the festival’s cultural program and a gourmet break during the first intermissions. The cycle will also be streamed live on the Paris Opera Play platform.

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