The event, held at the iconic Grünen Hügel, featured greetings from festival director Katharina Wagner and Jewish publicist Michel Friedman. Notably, Friedman was initially invited and subsequently disinvited by Wagner, leading to a public apology and his eventual participation as a guest at the opening. On the following Sunday, Friedman is scheduled to speak at a memorial event honoring artists persecuted and murdered during the Nazi era. This report was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on July 25, 2026.