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Nine unmissable events in Austria in summer 2024

The lively Austrian summer is here. We list nive events all over the country which you should not miss out on.

Published: 10 June 2024 16:32 CEST
Nine unmissable events in Austria in summer 2024
People wearing traditional costumes during Villach Kirchtag. AFP PHOTO/DIETER NAGL (Photo by DIETER NAGL / AFP)

Summers in Austria offer a lot of interesting events. It does not matter in which region you are; there is always something interesting soon taking place.

Here, we list nine of the summer’s most exciting events.

Filmfestival Rathausplatz

This film and cultural festival will be held at Vienna’s town hall (Rathausplatz) from June 29th to September 1st.

Here, you can enjoy outdoor screenings that offer something for everyone. The program includes classic movies, recent blockbusters, documentaries, and opera and ballet performances.

In addition to the screenings, the festival also offers live bands, performances, DJs, and food and drink stalls.

The festival is free of charge, and you can check out the program here. 

 
 
 
 
 
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Villach Kirchtag

Villach Kirchtag is a traditional festival taking place annually in Villach, Carinthia.

This year, the festival goes on from July 28th to August 4th and offers days filled with live music, artistic performances, amusement rides, and traditional local cuisine and beverages.

Here, people dress up in dirndl and lederhosen, drink local beers, and enjoy Carinthian food such as Reindling (a type of sweet bread), Kasnudeln (cheese-filled pasta), and the traditional Kirchtag soup.

At the festival, you can meet both locals from the region and visitors from everywhere and together enjoy dancing on the street to different kinds of music all night long.

Find out more about the festival on its website. 

Poolbar Festival in Feldkirch

The popular Poolbar Festival takes place annually in the medieval town of Feldkirch in Vorarlberg. This year, you can expect a program packed with concerts, readings, quizzes, cabarets, and more.

The lineup includes artists Wiegedood, Steel Pulse, Lena & Linus, Orbit, Klangkarussell, and Betterov.

The festival kicks off on Thursday, July 4th, and runs until August 11th.

On their website, you can check out the detailed program. 

 
 
 
 
 
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Summer Blues Festival

This annual festival celebrates blues music at Ratzersdorfer See, close to St. Pölten.

The festival takes place on June 27th and offers a great line-up of blues bands from Austria and beyond.

In a beautiful setting, you can enjoy not only good music but also snacks, drinks, and local dishes.

Read more about it and buy your tickets here.

READ MORE: What’s on: 10 things you should do in Austria this June

Nordkette Wetterleuchten 

If you like electronic music and spending time in the Tyrolean mountains, this festival might be for you.

The festival takes place high above Innsbruck in the heart of Tyrol from June 13th to 14th.

As a guest, you will be transported up the mountain to 2,000 meters above sea level, where you can enjoy many different DJs, live acts, and other performances.

This year, DJs and artists such as DJ Kollektiv and Level Spaces will make you dance until dawn.

In addition to electronic music, the festival offers panoramic views of Innsbruck and stalls with a great variety of food and drinks.

Here, you can find out more about what is going on.

 
 
 
 
 
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Salzburger Festspiele

The Salzburg Festival is an annual celebration of art and culture in the historic old town of Salzburg. This year, it takes place from July 19th to August 31st.

Salzburger Festspiele is considered one of the most important festivals in the world for opera, classical music, and theatre. The organisers sell over 200,000 tickets each year.

The festival hosts world-famous orchestras, conductors, opera singers, and actors. The Vienna Philharmonic is one of the orchestras present every year.

You can see the program and read more about the festival here.

Lido Sound Festival

This diverse music festival takes place in Linz from June 27th to 30th.

Here, you can enjoy a multi-day celebration of music, arts, and culture. Lido Fest offers a diverse line-up of musical acts, ranging from local indie bands to well-known local and international artists.

This year, the program highlights include famous artists like The Kooks, Kings of Leon, and The Libertines.

In addition to the music, the festival also offers art installations, exhibitions, workshops, and other performances.

Read more about it, see the program and buy your tickets here. 

 
 
 
 
 
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READ ALSO: Ten unmissable events in Austria in 2024

Riverdays in Graz 

The Riverdays Festival in Graz celebrates local culture and outdoor activities along the Mur River.

It takes place from June 21st to 30th and offers a wide range of adventurous activities, from water sports and boat tours to hands-on experiences and top-level sports competitions.

As a visitor, you can enjoy treats from the street food market, live music performances, and the possibility to learn about environmental protection through the sustainability campaign, “active.sustainable”.

Read more about it here. 

ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival

ImPulsTanz is one of the largest contemporary dance festivals in the world. It takes place in Vienna every year, and this summer you can enjoy it from July 11th to August 11th.

One of the highlights of ImPulsTanz is its extensive workshop program, which gives dancers of all levels the opportunity to train and learn from world-class instructors.

In addition to the workshops, the festival also offers dance performances, lectures, exhibitions, and discussion panels with famous dancers and choreographers.

Secure your ticket and read more on their website.

 
 
 
 
 
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READ MORE: 10 exciting events in Vienna this June

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VIENNA

Could be wurst: Vienna sausage stands push for UN recognition

From top bankers and politicians to students and factory workers, Vienna's popular sausage stands heaving with bratwurst and meaty delicacies are a longstanding cultural legacy they hope to have recognised by UNESCO.

Published: 23 June 2024 08:31 CEST
Could be wurst: Vienna sausage stands push for UN recognition

The owners of 15 stands in the Austrian capital have formed a lobbying group and applied last week to have the “Vienna sausage stand culture” inscribed as intangible cultural heritage by the UN agency.

“We want to create a kind of quality seal for Vienna sausage stands,” said 36-year-old Patrick Tondl, one of the association’s founders whose family owns Leo’s Wuerstelstand — Vienna’s oldest operating sausage stand.

“At the sausage stand, everyone is the same… No matter if you’re a top banker who earns hundreds of thousands of euros or if you have to scrape together the last euros to buy a sausage… You meet here, you can talk to everyone,” he adds.

High inflation driving consumers looking for affordable meals, plus a new wave of vendors with updated flavours, have helped keep the stands busy.

Tondl’s great-grandfather started their business in the late 1920s, pulling a cart behind him and selling sausages at night.

The family’s customers have included former chancellor Bruno Kreisky, recalls Vera Tondl, 67, who runs the shop together with her son Patrick.

Leo’s is one of about 180 sausage stands in Vienna today, out of a total of about 300 food stands, selling fast food at fixed locations and open until the early hours, according to the city’s economic chamber.

Whereas the number of stands has remained similar over the last decade, more than a third have changed from selling sausages to kebabs, pizza and noodles, a spokesman for the chamber told AFP.

‘Momentum’

But sausage stands have seen a “mini boom” in customer numbers recently, according to Patrick Tondl.

Many have been drawn back to the stands by high inflation, where a meal can be had for less than 10 euros ($11) with lower overheads than restaurants.

New stand operators have also brought a “bit of momentum”, said Tondl, bringing the likes of organic vegetarian sausages with kimchi.

Tourists are already drawn in droves.

“When you come to Austria, it’s what you want to try,” 28-year-old Australian tourist Sam Bowden told AFP.

The cultural legacy of Vienna’s sausages is far-reaching, including the use of the term “wiener” for sausages in the United States, which is believed to have derived from the German name for Vienna, Wien.

However Sebastian Hackenschmidt, who has published a photo book on the stands, said the legacy of the “Vienna phenomena” is more complex.

He says that for many in multicultural Vienna, the sausage stands hold little appeal — equally for the growing number of vegetarians — and their universal appeal is something of a “myth”.

“Vienna is a city in great flux… With the influx of people, cultural customs are also changing,” Hackenschmidt told AFP.

Some 40 percent of Vienna’s two million inhabitants were born outside the country, where the anti-immigrant far-right looks set to top September national polls for the first time.

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