The Ruhrtriennale is the festival of the arts in the metropolis Ruhr. Halls, coking plants, machine houses and slagheaps of the mining and steel industries every year become distinctive protagonists for the festival.  They are what makes the Ruhrtriennale worldwide a truly unique festival. The programme is located at the intersection of musical theatre, drama, dance, performances, concerts, installations and visual arts. 

The Ruhrtriennale is one of four independent programmes of the Kultur Ruhr GmbH and was founded in 2002 to utilise the disused collieries and halls for new forms of artistic exploration. The artistic directorship changes every three years and with it the festival's programme. Artistic director of the Ruhrtriennale 2024-2026 is Belgian theater director Ivo Van Hove.

The 2025 season will take place from 21 August to 21 September. The programme will be published on 2 April. Advance ticket sales will start at the same time.

In ourfestival archive you can delve into the long history of the Ruhrtriennale and discover the programmes of the artistic directors from 2002–2023 on the websites of past festival editions.