Out of Time 2026 Lucerne

“Out of Time” Concert Details

“Out of Time” brings Danish String Quartet and Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson to Lucerne for a late-night performance at KKL Luzern, Concert Hall on Friday, 15 May 2026 at 22:00 as part of Lucerne Festival Pulse 2026. With tickets starting at CHF 50, this is the kind of atmospheric, once-only program that rewards travelers who plan a Lucerne stay around music, lakeside beauty, and the city’s effortless elegance.

Out of Time 2026 Lucerne: A Rare Late-Night Concert Experience

Lucerne is already one of Switzerland’s most scenic cultural bases, but Pulse 2026 adds a fresh, modern energy to the city’s classical calendar. Lucerne Festival describes Pulse as a new festival conceived and curated by Víkingur Ólafsson, running 8 to 17 May, exploring the theme “Time and Space” through programs spanning Bach to contemporary music.

“Out of Time” fits that vision perfectly. It is scheduled late in the evening, which changes the way you listen: the city is quieter, the lake air feels cooler, and the whole night can feel like a curated ritual rather than a standard concert slot.

Date, Venue, and Program (Confirmed)

The official Lucerne Festival program page lists “Out of Time” with Danish String Quartet | Víkingur Ólafsson on Friday, 15 May 2026, at 22:00, at KKL Luzern, Concert Hall.

The program for the night is listed as Feldman, tying the performance to Morton Feldman’s meditative sound world.

This is not the kind of piece you squeeze between dinner and a nightcap. Feldman’s music is famous for creating a sense of altered time, and pairing that sound with a late slot in KKL Luzern makes the title “Out of Time” feel less like branding and more like a promise.

Ticket Pricing (Confirmed Starting Price)

On the Pulse 2026 program listing, the “Out of Time” concert is marked “Buy tickets” with prices starting at CHF 50. Switzerland Tourism’s event listing for Pulse Festival: Out of Time also shows a price of CHF 50.00, reinforcing that starting point.

Meet the Artists: Danish String Quartet and Víkingur Ólafsson

The official Pulse 2026 page frames Ólafsson as the festival’s curator and a central performer across the program, emphasizing his interest in collapsing the usual boundaries between “classical” and contemporary music and presenting it all as living art. That philosophy makes this collaboration with Danish String Quartet feel natural, because the quartet is celebrated for deep musical storytelling and a willingness to move between traditions without losing seriousness.

Pulse is designed as a “playground of ideas,” and Lucerne Festival highlights that Ólafsson will also collaborate with visual artist Olafur Eliasson during Pulse, reinforcing that the festival is as much about concept and experience as repertoire. Even if you only attend “Out of Time,” you still feel that curatorial fingerprint in the way the evening is positioned within the broader “Time and Space” theme.

Why This Concert Belongs on a Lucerne Trip

Lucerne is compact, walkable, and visually stunning, which makes it ideal for cultural travelers who want a high-impact concert without sacrificing daytime exploration. KKL Luzern sits right next to Lucerne railway station, which the Lucerne Festival program page notes directly, making arrival and departure especially easy even if you are staying elsewhere in the region.

Lucerne Festival also recommends using public transportation during festival season due to traffic and parking conditions. For visitors, that advice is gold, because it means you can build a low-stress plan: arrive by train, check into your hotel, explore the old town and lakeside, then walk to KKL for the 22:00 start.

The Late-Night Factor: How to Plan Your Evening

A 22:00 concert start time changes the rhythm of the day. Plan an earlier dinner, take a slow walk along the lakefront, and arrive at KKL with time to settle, because this is the kind of program that rewards calm attention.

If you want your night to feel seamless, stay near the station or central Lucerne so you can return on foot after the final notes. The area around KKL is built for pre- and post-concert movement, and being close by means you can keep your focus on the music rather than transit logistics.

Pulse 2026 and Lucerne’s Cultural Atmosphere

Lucerne Festival describes Pulse 2026 as running from 8 to 17 May, built across two extended weekends and anchored by the theme “Time and Space.” It also frames Pulse as wide-ranging, moving from Bach into contemporary works and collaborations, which makes Lucerne in May feel like a cultural hub rather than just a postcard-pretty stop.

For visitors, that means you can plan more than one musical night if your schedule allows. Even if you do not, you will still feel the festival atmosphere in the city, with concertgoers gathering near KKL, and the sense that Lucerne is temporarily tuned to a shared cultural frequency.

Practical Travel Tips for Getting to KKL Luzern

Lucerne Festival provides straightforward travel guidance. It notes the KKL is right next to the railway station and recommends public transport, and it also mentions Park & Ride options at train stations outside Lucerne such as:

• Sursee
• Rotkreuz
• Zug
• Wolhusen
• Arth-Goldau
• Sarnen

for those arriving by car and continuing by train.

It also mentions a transport perk: visitors can take advantage of a 40% discount on public transport to Lucerne via an SBB offer linked from the Lucerne Festival page. If you are building a multi-city Swiss itinerary, that kind of discount can make it easier to justify staying in Lucerne for the night rather than day-tripping in and out.

What to Do in Lucerne Before the Concert

Because “Out of Time” starts at 22:00, you have a full day to enjoy Lucerne. The simplest plan is to keep your sightseeing light and scenic so you arrive mentally fresh, for example, a lakeside walk, a relaxed café stop, and time in the old town before you transition into concert mode.

The best part of Lucerne as a concert destination is that you do not need to over-schedule. The city’s scale makes it easy to wander, reset, and still be on time, which is exactly what you want before an immersive Feldman night.

A Night That Invites Deep Listening

“Out of Time” at Lucerne Festival Pulse is not a quick highlight reel concert. It is an invitation to slow down and hear what happens when elite chamber musicians and a visionary pianist step into Feldman’s sound world inside one of Switzerland’s most iconic halls.

If you have been looking for a reason to visit Lucerne beyond the day-trip checklist, make Friday, 15 May 2026 your anchor, arrive early enough to savor the lake and the lights of the city, and let the late-night music at KKL Luzern carry you into a different sense of time.

Verified Information at a Glance

• Event name: Out of Time (Danish String Quartet | Víkingur Ólafsson)
• Event category: Classical music concert (chamber music and piano)
• Festival: Lucerne Festival Pulse 2026
• Confirmed date: Friday, 15 May 2026
• Confirmed start time: 22:00
• Confirmed venue: KKL Luzern, Concert Hall
• City: Lucerne (Luzern), Switzerland
• Program (confirmed): Feldman
• Ticket price (confirmed starting price): Starting at CHF 50
• Pulse 2026 festival dates (confirmed): 8 to 17 May
• Travel note (confirmed): KKL Luzern is next to Lucerne railway station; public transport recommended during festival season
• Public transport discount mention (confirmed): 40% discount on public transport to Lucerne via SBB offer linked by Lucerne Festival