It’s not too early for Passion Play planning

If it seems a little early to be talking about the 2020 Oberammergau Passion Play in Germany, consider this: the event typically attracts about 450,000 international spectators, a quarter-million of whom are from North America. Consider also that the production takes place in a Bavarian village of just over 5,000 inhabitants, and you get the idea: tickets and accommodations are at a premium. In short, this is a trip that requires some serious advance planning.

The production is staged just once every 10 years and comprises more than 2,000 actors, most of whom are locals, depicting the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection to an audience of 4,500 people at a time on what is billed as the largest open-air stage in the world. The performance runs about five hours over the course of an entire day, and to accommodate as many spectators as possible, the play is performed roughly 100 times. The 2020 Passion Play is scheduled for May 16 to Oct. 4.

Part of the appeal of the play is that it has been around awhile; about 400 years, in fact. The tradition began in 1634 when the population of Europe was being decimated by the Black Plague. In desperation, the Oberammergau villagers decided to perform the play every 10 years in the hopes that the spectacle would somehow ward off the next pandemic. The tradition has carried on to this day, and the story goes that the village has been spared from

Article source: http://www.travelweekly.com/Europe-Travel/Insights/Its-not-too-early-for-Passion-Play-planning