Every ten years, Oberammergau turns into a world-class stage. Over 2,000 participants, more than 100 performances, half a year at the centre of international attention, and at the heart of it all, a village fulfilling a vow made almost 400 years ago. In 2030, it happens again: the 43rd Passion Play is coming up. Here's an overview of its history, dates, and what visitors should know.
The story begins in 1633, in the middle of the Thirty Years' War. The plague had also reached Oberammergau, and numerous villagers had already fallen victim to it. In their distress, the people of Oberammergau made a vow: if no one else in the village were to die of the plague, they would perform the suffering and death of Jesus Christ as a play every ten years from then on. According to tradition, no further Oberammergau resident actually died of the plague afterward, and the first performance took place in 1634.
Ever since, the people of Oberammergau have consistently kept their promise, with only a few historically necessitated exceptions. The performance planned for 2020 had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and took place in 2022 as the 42nd Passion Play, from May 14 to October 2, with over 100 performances and around half a million visitors. The tradition itself is now recognised as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.
What makes the Oberammergau Passion Play special lies not only in its continuity but also in who stands on stage: exclusively residents of Oberammergau itself. Anyone born in the village, or who has lived there for at least 20 years, may take part. With over 2,000 people involved, actors, musicians, technicians, costume designers, roughly half the village population is directly engaged, by the numbers. The main roles are recast every ten years, which regularly becomes a topic of conversation in the village in the years leading up to each performance.
According to the current state of the official announcement, the 2030 Passion Play runs from May 18 to October 6, 2030, the 43rd performance in nearly 400 years of history. Performances take place on several fixed weekdays (expected to be Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday), with well over 100 performance days spread across the entire period. As is tradition, each performance runs several hours and is split into two parts with an interval on a given performance day.
Important to know: these details are based on the organisers' current planning status. Since specifics may still shift before 2030, it's always worth checking the official Passion Play website before planning your trip.
Anyone wanting to experience the 2030 Passion live needs a bit of patience: ticket sales likely won't begin until mid-2028, roughly two years before the first performance. As in 2022, several ticket categories at different price points are expected, some as combined packages including accommodation. A significant share of tickets is traditionally allocated first through group tours and tour operators, before individual tickets become available via the official website and local box offices.
Practical tip: even though ticket sales don't start until 2028, it's worth securing accommodation for summer 2030 well in advance. Already in 2022, rooms and holiday apartments in and around Oberammergau were fully booked months before the play began; for an event that only happens once a decade, even greater demand is expected.
The venue is the Passion Play Theatre, an imposing open-air stage with a covered auditorium right in the middle of Oberammergau, seating several thousand spectators. The setting, with a genuine mountain panorama in the background, is considered unique even by seasoned theatregoers. New since 2022 are the so-called Youth Days: young people and young adults can attend a rehearsal, receive an introduction to the play's history and staging, and afterward discuss it with cast members; tickets for this already started at €8 in 2022, a good entry point for families.
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Even before 2030, Oberammergau is well worth a trip in its own right: world-famous woodcarving art, the painted façades of the village centre, and the surrounding Alps right at the door. Ferienhaus Baumberger sits right in the middle of this setting and is the ideal base to get to know Oberammergau today, long before the curtain rises again in 2030.
Sources: Official website of the Oberammergau Passion Play · Passion Play Theatre Oberammergau. Research current as of August 2026 — dates and ticketing details are the organisers' current planning status and may still change before 2030.