After Leipzig’s big birthday bash for the city’s 1000th anniversary in 2015, one might think the party is over but far from it: the city of books and music is as lively as ever and offers a calendar full of festivals and events – as well as many a new face.

The recent appointment of the celebrated conductor Andris Nelsons, aged 36, as the youngest Gewandhauskapellmeister of the past 150 years underlines how Leipzig both treasures its tradition and embraces the future. Nelsons follows upon maestro Riccardo Chailly, who has – over the last ten years – further strengthened the position of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra among the world’s top five leading orchestras. Although his inaugural concert will only take place at the beginning of the 2017/2018 season, Nelsons can already be experienced live in Leipzig for several concerts in 2016, both with the Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Leipzig’s music institutions are experiencing even more rejuvenation with the search for a new St. Thomas cantor to head the world-famous boys choir, and a new director for Leipzig’s Bach Archive. www.gewandhausorchester.de, www.leipzig.travel/music

Leipzig Book Fair to celebrate 25 years “Leipzig liest”
A staple in Leipzig’s events calendar and the unofficial start of the spring season is the annual Leipzig Book Fair in March (17-20 March 2016). The popular consumer fair is going to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its literary festival “Leipzig liest” (Leipzig reads). As Europe’s biggest festival of reading, it offers more than 2,800 events on the trade fair grounds and throughout the entire city. Around 2,900 participants will introduce their books. In 2016, Leipzig Book Fair finally caters for international readers by establishing an English-language reading series.
www.leipziger-buchmesse.de, www.leipzig-liest.de

Wagner’s Ring at Leipzig Opera
With the festive premiere of Richard Wagner’s „Twilight of the Gods“ on 30 April 2016, Leipzig is going to have the first complete scenic „Ring“ in its repertoire after more than 40 years. In 2016, Leipzig Opera will be the only theatre to stage the tetralogy, on four consecutive days (5-8 May 2016). The Wagner Festival in 2016 (19-26 May) focuses on the composer’s three early works: with the successful productions of "The Fairies", "The Ban on Love" and "Rienzi" the Leipzig Opera has a worldwide unique selling proposition. For the first time since the Wagner celebration year 2013 the three works that build bridges from the Great Romantic Opera to the Great Comic Opera to Grand Opera are performed as a cycle at Leipzig Opera. www.oper-leipzig.de

Max Reger in Leipzig
In honour of the 100th anniversary of the death of Max Reger, the City of Leipzig hosts numerous events all year round as well as a Max Reger Festival from 11-20 May 2016. The festival offers organ concerts on the “Reger organ” in St. Thomas Church or at the University Church St. Paul, symphony concerts and chamber music nights with the Gewandhaus orchestra and St. Thomas Boys Choir. Max Reger was famous for his organ compositions; he also composed chamber music and worked as a conductor and pianist. He spent several years in Leipzig, amongst others as university music director, and died here on a train ride from Zwickau on 11 May 1916. Leipzig’s biggest classical music festival, Bachfest Leipzig (10-19 June 2016) will commemorate the composer, too, by focusing on the harmonious connection between Max Reger and Bach. As a special highlight, organ revolutionary Cameron Carpenter will perform on Leipzig market square during the open-air “Bachmosphere” event. According to the New York Times, Carpenter meshes virtuosity with musical intelligence on his preferred instrument, the electric organ. www.reger-in-leipzig.de (German), www.bachfestleipzig.de

25 Years Wave Gothic Festival
In the early years following the Peaceful Revolution, an alternative music festival of a special kind established itself in Leipzig: Since then, every year at Whitsun, the WGT – short for: Wave-Gotik-Treffen – has been held in Leipzig and turned into the largest gathering of dark subculture fans in the world. During the four days of the festival, some 20,000 visitors join concerts, parties, opera performances, exhibitions, medieval markets and readings. All of Leipzig turns into a black colourful catwalk– to the delight of both residents and tourists. For 13-16 May 2016, a special anniversary programme with some of the scene’s biggest names as well as promising newcomers will be organized. www.wave-gotik-treffen.de

Space and creativity
In some way, the WGT is symptomatic of Leipzig’s tolerance and the city’s development following the German Reunification. After the collapse of its industrial base – mostly machine production, industrial plant manufacturing, mining and textile industry – the city and its residents had to reinvent their future. Numerous revamped factories, such as the Spinnerei, Tapetenwerk, Westwerk and lately the Kunstkraftwerk testify to the creative conversion and cultural transformation of the newly available former industrial space – an ongoing process. Another example is the asisi Panometer, an old gasometer in Leipzig’s south that has become a huge visitor magnet. Here Leipzig-born artist Yadegar Asisi created the world’s largest 360° panorama project. With his new project “Titanic” (1 Oct 2016 – 31 Dec 2017), Asisi plans to evoke the broken wreck of the sunken luxury liner by combining a medium of the 19th century with the technical capabilities of the 21st. Until then, you can still marvel at Asisi’s “Great Barrier Reef”. www.asisi.de

More than 25 years after the German Reunification, Leipzig is one of the most dynamic cities in Europe, with the fastest-growing population in Germany. According to Skyscanner and Mashable, Leipzig is the no. 1 global destination for yuccies – short for: young urban creatives. The former industrial district Leipzig-Plagwitz, so the world's largest independent news website for the connected generation states, has become 'the main headquarters for innovative start-ups and designers, packed with galleries and quirky cultural spaces.' The special attitude towards life in Leipzig is difficult to describe. We’ll make it simple: With 143 specific tips from off the beaten track, the guidebook “Hidden Leipzig” and correspondent website introduce Leipzig’s scene secrets and magical places! Leipzig loves its guests! www.hidden-leipzig.com

Information, travel offers, room reservations:
Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH, Tourist-Information, Katharinenstr. 8, 04109 Leipzig,
Tel.: +49 (0)341 7104-260, Email: info@ltm-leipzig.de, www.leipzig.travel

Photo: Das Rheingold © Tom Schulze, Oper Leipzig