General Terms and Conditions for the Handel Festival

§ 1 Scope
(1) The General Terms and Conditions (GTCs) govern the legal relationship between Stiftung Händel-Haus (Handel House Foundation) and the purchasers of tickets for the Halle Handel Festival. These General Terms and Conditions apply to Halle Handel Festival events. The purchase of a ticket for the Halle Handel Festival constitutes a contract between the purchaser and Stiftung Händel-Haus regardless of the ticket office from which the ticket was obtained. If several tickets are purchased in one sales transaction, the purchaser represents the other visitors and Stiftung Händel-Haus enters into a contract with each visitor as to attendance of the event.
(2) The Handel Festival programme includes Stiftung Händel-Haus events and events by third-party organisers which take place within the framework of the Handel Festival. Stiftung Händel-Haus is not responsible or liable for the proper execution of events organised by third parties. Events organised by third parties will be indicated in the Handel Festi-val publications. For the events organised by third parties, the prices and GTCs of the third party apply.
§ 2 Concert schedule, starting times, ticket prices
The concert schedule including concert starting times and ticket prices will be published on the website and in Stif-tung Händel-Haus publications. Statements appearing in the press are not binding.
§ 3 Ticket sales
(1) Ticket sales usually begin the year preceding the respective Handel Festival and are announced in the programme preview and on the Stiftung Händel-Haus website. Tickets are distributed by CTS EVENTIM AG & Co. KGaA (herein-after referred to as CTS EVENTIM). Tickets can be purchased at all CTS EVENTIM advance booking offices. CTS EVENTIM and/or its agencies act as intermediaries between the organiser, Stiftung Händel-Haus, and ticket customers. In this capacity, the advance booking agencies may charge different and additional fees and carriage costs, etc., to the ticket customers for the service they provide. Consequently, customers may be charged a higher price than the price shown on the ticket. The charges and terms and conditions of the respective booking agencies apply.
(2) Stiftung Händel-Haus is not liable for the prices demanded by commercial ticket agencies or travel operators.
(3) Tickets are sold online using CTS EVENTIM’s software. The service provider may charge additional fees and carri-age costs for this. The following basic principle applies: the websites of Stiftung Händel-Haus / Halle Handel Festival do not contain any contractual offer but only an invitation to visitors to submit an offer.
(4) Travel operators can make optional bookings in writing with Stiftung Händel-Haus. The details of optional boo-kings are set out in a separate contract.
(5) For selected events, concession tickets are available on presentation of proof of entitlement for children, pupils, students and holders of a Halle Pass. No concessions are granted for tickets in the top price category for any events, excursions, benefit concerts, open-air events in the Galgenberg Gorge (except the family ticket for the closing concert), bus transfers, or third-party events. Concession tickets are only valid in conjunction with proof of entitlement. Ticket holders may be asked to provide proof of entitlement on inspection of their ticket for admittance to an event. If no proof can be provided, the ticket holder must make up the difference to the full ticket price. Otherwise, Stiftung Hän-del-Haus may exercise its right to refuse the ticket holder admittance to the event. Concessions cannot be granted sub-sequent to purchase.
(6) Tickets can also be bought before and during the Handel Festival in the visitors’ office of Handel House. Advance reservation is not possible for events with free admission.
(7) The box offices of the respective venues usually open one hour before the start of the event. Concession tickets and bookings are not available at the box office.
(8) The professional and commercial resale of tickets is not permitted without the prior consent of Stiftung Händel-Haus. Stiftung Händel-Haus reserves the right to take legal action in the case of non-compliance. This does not apply to customers who purchase tickets without the intent to make a profit, or whose business operations also include the resale or brokerage of tickets.
(9) Stiftung Händel-Haus is not liable for the validity of tickets sold by other ticket providers, or for their services and prices.
§ 4 Ticket returns and exchanges
(1) Purchased tickets cannot be returned or exchanged. If ticket holders lose their original ticket, the ticket price will not be refunded, nor will a replacement ticket be provided.
(2) It is not envisaged to make changes to the casts, programmes or venues. However, Stiftung Händel-Haus reserves the right to change times, programmes, casts and venues as well as ticket prices. Changes do not entitle buyers to return purchased tickets. In the case of significant programme changes, visitors will be notified in advance by Stiftung Hän-del-Haus that they may return their tickets to Stiftung Händel-Haus before the scheduled event and get the price of the ticket minus additional fees refunded. Once an event has taken place, tickets cannot be returned and will not be refunded. Significant programme changes are:
1.    In a gala concert, if the renowned artist or ensemble named in the title of the gala concert is replaced.
2.    If a section of a programme lasting more than half the total programme time is changed.
(3) If an event is cancelled outright, solely the price of the ticket will be refunded to customers, and only after the ori-ginal ticket has been returned. Any additional fees paid (e.g. advance booking fees and other charges) will not be refunded. If an advance booking agency charges further fees on its own behalf, refunds depend on the agency’s general terms and conditions. On its website, Stiftung Händel-Haus provides information about how to register a claim for a refund and the refund procedure. Events may be unable to be held for reasons of force majeure for which Stiftung Hän-del-Haus cannot be held responsible. Force majeure includes outbreaks of or existing pandemics that make it impossib-le to hold the event(s).
(4) Should events be interrupted (e.g. by bad weather), holders are not entitled to return tickets or to claim a refund. If the event is interrupted irrevocably for reasons beyond the control of Stiftung Händel-Haus, the ticket price will only be refunded if at least half the event took place as planned by the time of the definitive interruption. In this case, the price of the ticket (excluding additional charges) will be refunded if the original ticket is returned to the advance boo-king agency where the ticket was purchased within three weeks. After this period, the holder is no longer entitled to a refund.
(5) Claims for costs and damages or any other claims related to the cancellation or interruption of events of the Halle Handel Festival over and above the price of the tickets, in particular claims for costs incurred by customers in order to attend the event, will not be paid and are excluded. This also applies to free events.
(6) Holders of tickets in the lower price categories may have an obstructed view and poor audibility, especially in churches and historical buildings. This does not entitle buyers of these tickets retrospectively to a refund, either partial or complete, of the price of the ticket.
(7) Should Stiftung Händel-Haus or a person authorised by it exercise their right to exclude a visitor from an event because he or she refuses to comply with the instructions of the house staff and/or disturbs the event for other concert-goers by unacceptable behaviour, the visitor is not entitled to claim costs and damage.
§ 5 Admittance controls and legal right to refuse access
(1) Admittance to an event may be subject to a security control by the security service.
(2) Visitors may be refused admittance if there is any reason to believe that they will severely or recurrently infringe these General Terms and Conditions, and/or if there is reason to fear that the person in question will disturb the perfor-mance, general operations or other visitors.
(3) Visitors may not occupy any other seat than that indicated on the ticket. If visitors change seats without justificati-on, they may be asked to pay the price difference or be asked to leave. This applies also to visitors who have bought a concession ticket and are unable to prove that they belong to the group to whom the concessions are granted.
(4) Mobile phones and electronic devices must be switched off during events.
(5) Visitors must obey the instructions of the house staff. This applies in particular in situations of danger.
§ 6 Late admittance / Early departure
(1) Once a performance has started, late arrivals will only be admitted to the auditorium during an artistically suitable pause. Visitors must obey the instructions of house staff. If no suitable pause occurs, they have no right to demand admittance. In this case, visitors are not entitled to a refund, either partial or complete, of the price of the ticket.
(2) The ticket is no longer valid once the visitor leaves the venue.
§ 7 Filming and recording
(1) The production of image and/or sound recordings, in particular filming, video recording and photography during events, is strictly prohibited. Failure to comply may result in the confiscation of the recording or filming devices until the owner has agreed to delete the recording or film. Visitors failing to comply may be charged damages and be asked to leave the performance/concert.
(2) Should authorised persons make image and/or sound recordings during a performance, visitors agree when they purchase tickets to the possibility of their being filmed or recorded, and that the recordings may be published and sold, without any claim to compensation.
(3) Any interference resulting from authorised image and/or sound recordings does not entitle visitors to return their tickets or to any refund either partial or complete.
§ 8 Liability
(1) Stiftung Händel-Haus, its representatives and agents are only liable for any damages incurred by visitors to Handel Festival venues in the case of intent and gross negligence. The rules of liability for loss of life, limb and health are unaffected insofar as these are typically a matter of foreseeable damage.
(2) Open-air events, especially the concerts in the Galgenberg Gorge, are held in the natural environment and in loca-tions where ageing trees may be present. Stiftung Händel-Haus is not liable for any personal injury or material damage that may result, in particular from falling branches, etc., insofar as it is not caused by gross negligence or intent.
§ 10 Data protection policy
Visitors agree that their personal data may be collected, processed and used for the purpose of customer service for ticket bookings or the sending of programme information by Händel-Festspiele. Customer service means measures to provide crucial information, and therefore benefits, to customers. Customers are hereby informed that they may revoke this consent at any time without any disadvantage. Stiftung Händel-Haus assures customers that data privacy is gua-ranteed without reservation and that it does not supply personal data to third parties.
§ 11 No right of withdrawal
Further to Section 312 g Para 2 Clause 1 No. 9 of the German Civil Code (BGB), consumers have no right of withdra-wal in the case of contracts for services related to recreational activities if the contract provides for a specific deadline period for the provision of such services. This means that insofar as services are provided in the domain of recreation, in particular tickets for events, the right of withdrawal does not apply.
§ 12 Applicable law and jurisdiction
Solely the law of the Federal Republic of Germany applies. Halle an der Saale has sole jurisdiction to deal with any disputes that may arise.
§ 13 Miscellaneous
Should one or several provisions of these General Terms and Conditions be or become void, either wholly or in part, this does not affect the validity of the remaining provisions.
§ 14 Liability
Stiftung Händel-Haus is in no way liable for compliance with rules of conduct and safety measures.
§ 15 Validity
The General Terms and Conditions for the Handel Festival 2023 apply from 15 November 2022. All other provisions of the Stiftung Händel-Haus General Terms and Conditions continue to apply insofar as they do not deviate from the provisions in this section.
(Last updated: 15. Nov. 2022)