The Oberammergau Passion Play is one of Europe’s most extraordinary cultural events - here’s everything group travel organisers need to know about booking a trip to this once-in-a-decade event.
The Passion Play, depicting the final days of Jesus’ life, has been performed by the residents of Oberammergau, a small Bavarian town, every ten years since 1633.
What started as a community event and a commitment to God has grown into one of the most sought-after cultural events in Europe, with approximately 400,000 to 450,000 visitors from around the world attending the performances in 2022.
Groups can now register interest and book tours to see the play, which will run throughout the summer of 2030, with operators including Viking, Saga and Greatdays Travel offering itineraries that pair the play with scenic routes through central Europe.
History of the Passion Play
In 1633, the villagers of Oberammergau were suffering with the Plague, having lost 80 residents to the disease. In return for God’s help and mercy, the village councillors pledged to ‘perform the tragedy of the Passion of Christ every ten years’ if the village could be spared from further deaths.
By the following year the Plague had passed and the villagers fulfilled their vow by staging the first ever Oberammergau Passion Play in the cemetery next to the church.
The Passion Play was performed every ten years from 1634 to 1674 before it was changed to every decadal year in 1680. The residents of Oberammergau have kept their promise ever since, with the only exception in nearly 400 years being in 2020, when the play was postponed to 2022 due to Covid restrictions.
2030 marks the return to the decadal schedule and what will be the 43rd instalment of the Oberammergau Passion Play.
What to expect
Opening with the Entry into Jerusalem, the play tells the Passion from the Lord’s supper though the Crucifixion and ends with the Resurrection. The play is split into 12 scenes, with the first six scenes performed in the afternoon, followed by a three hour break before the final six scenes take place in the evening.
Before each scene, there is a performance by the choir accompanying a Living Picture display - tableaux of paintings recreated by performers that reference the Old Testament.
True dedication
If over 300 years of performances isn’t enough of a commitment, the residents take it even further - by official decree, everyone in the cast commits to not cut their hair or shave their beards for the full year leading up to the play.
Times have moved on since the first performance took place on a simple wooden stage in the cemetery. Since 1830, the dedicated Passion Play Theatre has hosted the event, with an open-air stage and seating a 4,500-strong audience in the roofed auditorium. The theatre was listed as a monument in 2020.
The people of Oberammergau have a long heritage as woodcarvers, and the creative aptitude of the town can be seen in the costume design, staging, and music of the play. The sets are designed and constructed in the town, as are over 2,000 costumes.
How to get your group there
Pre-sale tickets for the play are expected to be released this September 2026 to tour operators and agencies. A selection of tour operators have already unveiled their itineraries that combine the Passion Play with a wider trip through various countries in Europe.
Viking has launched two new river cruise itineraries specifically for the event. Oberammergau, Innsbruck & the Rhine offers a 12-night voyage along the Rhine, including 11 guided tours and stops in Amsterdam, Cologne, Strasbourg, Basel, Innsbruck and Munich, plus two days in Oberammergau to experience the play and explore the town.
The Oberammergau with Salzburg itinerary will take groups through central Europe along the Danube, calling at Salzburg, Passau, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. The 11-night cruise starts in Oberammergau, so groups won’t have to wait to see the Passion Play.
Norman Allen Group Travel will be operating its seventh Oberammergau Passion Play itinerary in 2030. Tailormade packages are available for a wide range of groups travelling by coach or air, including coach operators, U3As and church groups.
Groups have the choice of combining a two-night stay in Oberammergau with a stay in the Black Forest, known for cuckoo clocks, lakes and beautiful train journeys; Munich and the Bavarian Alps; Salzburg, home of Mozart and the Sound of Music; the Italian Lakes or the Swiss Alps. Groups can register interest now before the packages go on general sale.
Greatdays Travel Group is running several itineraries spanning five to ten days. Its most popular tour in 2022 is returning for 2030 - the Oberammergau Passion Play and the Austrian Tyrol is a nine-day coach holiday that includes two nights in the Oberammergau region before travelling to St. Anton, Innsbruck, Bregenz and Lake Constance.
Alternative itineraries from Greatdays combine the Passion Play with journeys through Munich and Salzburg, Italian cities including Rome and Verona, the Rhine Valley and Bavaria. Groups are encouraged to register their interest for the tours to be the first to hear when dates are confirmed.
Find out more about the Passion Play at: passionsspiele-oberammergau.de/en.
