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Eight unmissable events in Austria in May 2023

This month, Austria's events calendar is bursting with food and drink festivals – a sure sign that spring has arrived. Here are the events you don’t want to miss in May.

Published: 3 May 2023 16:31 CEST
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Retirement in Germany is typically possible if applicants for the appropriate residence permit can demonstrate a basic level - A1 German. (Photo by AMA GENUSS REGION / www.schwarz-koenig.at)

Gauder Fest (May 4th – 7th), Zillertal, Tyrol

This spring festival takes place every year on the first weekend in May and is a celebration of alpine traditions. The highlight is the festival parade which is a display of costumes, floats, horses and folk music.

In typical Tyrolean style, the festival opens with a beer tapping session led by the province’s governor. This special Gauder beer is rumoured to be over 10% in alcohol and is only brewed for this event.

The entry price ranges from €12 to €17, although it is free to enter the food stall area. Full details can be found here.

FOR MEMBERS: Everything that changes in Austria in May 2023

Vienna Gin Festival (May 12th – 13th), Vienna

This year marks the fourth year that the Gin Festival has been held in Austria’s capital city. Visitors can expect two days of gin tasting, food vendors, master classes, musical performances and merchandise stalls.

A day ticket costs €23.50 per person and includes three free tastings. Or you can make it a group day out with a Friendship Ticket for €117.50 for six people (including three tastings per person). 

The location is the Semperdepot at the Academy of Fine Arts. Visit viennaginfestival.at to find out more.

Genussfestival (May 12th – 14th), Vienna

Genuss translates to “enjoyment”, so it’s no surprise that this festival is all about enjoying life and indulging in good food and drink. Dubbed the largest culinary event in Austria, there are more than 100 stands showcasing Austrian cuisine – and plenty of opportunities to sample the food.

The festival takes place at Wiener Stadtpark from 11 am to 9 pm on Friday, from 10 am to 9 pm on Saturday, and 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday. Admission is free. 

You can find out more details about the vendors here.

READ ALSO: REVEALED: The best and worst Austrian foods (as voted for by you)

Wiener Festwochen (May 12th – June 21st), Vienna

Considered one of the most important art and cultural events in Europe, the Wiener Festwochen is also Vienna’s largest international art festival. The programme features theatre productions, opera, concerts, dance performances and multimedia installations.

The opening concert takes place on Friday, May 12th at the Rathausplatz, but if you can’t be there, it will be broadcast live on ORF 2. The event starts at 9 pm and entry is free. You can find the full programme here.

European Street Food Festival (May 13th – 14th), Innsbruck, Tyrol (and other provinces)

If you’re into sampling street food from around the world, then this is the event for you. Entry is free and visitors can try dishes like Maori steak from New Zealand or Asian cuisine from Thailand and India. It will take place at the Messehalle on Ing.-Etzel-Straße.

And for those not in Tyrol, you can catch the event on another date as it tours Austria. The festival will hit Vienna on May 20th and 21st, and Salzburg on 19th and 20th August, as well as many other towns in between.

Full tour dates can be found here.

Stream Festival (May 18th – 20th), Linz, Upper Austria

This open-air event has a focus on digital music, including future and current issues in music creation. Expect live DJ shows, talks and film screenings at nine different locations in the city.

Admission is free and the lineup features both Austrian and international acts. Find out more at stream-festival.at.

READ NEXT: Discover Austria: 7 must-see destinations for a spring break

Spring Festival (May 21st), Graz, Styria

In celebration of new works by Artists in Residence, the 2023 spring festival will take place at the Austrian Sculpture Park on Sunday, May 21st. This year’s artist Barbara Kapusta will present her sculptural work alongside a new adaptation of earlier works.

The event starts at 2 pm and allows the public to view the new sculptures for the first time. Full details can be found here.

VieVinium (May 25th – 27th), Vienna

This three-day international wine festival by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (AWMB) will take place at the Hofburg Palace in central Vienna. Around 500 exhibitors (producers, importers, distributors) are expected at the trade event, which is considered the “most important presentation of Austrian wine in its own land”. 

From 9 am to 1 pm, the VieVinium is open to trade visitors and press only, but it is open to the public from 1 pm to 6 pm every day. Find out more here.

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DISCOVER AUSTRIA

EXPLAINED: How will Austria’s new ‘federal museum card’ work?

Vienna has some beautiful but expensive museums, and the federal government now wants to make culture more accessible with a new yearly ticket covering its main capital museums.

Published: 28 May 2024 15:13 CEST
EXPLAINED: How will Austria's new 'federal museum card' work?

While visiting a museum can be extremely cheap or even free in some countries, Austria has some expensive exhibitions. Some of the country’s best museums, such as the National History or the Albertina, for example, cost almost €20.

It becomes more affordable if you buy yearly tickets, which are often worth it from the third visit on, but it does limit the number of times Austrians go to museums — or at least the variety of the visits — if you buy one or two yearly tickets.

With that in mind, Austria’s federal government introduced a new “Federal Museum Card” this week, which will allow the holder unlimited visits without restriction to all federal museums making cultural exploration more affordable and accessible.

READ ALSO: One day in Vienna – How to spend 24 hours in the Austrian capital

How much will it cost and how can I buy it?

According to the Austrian Secretary for Culture, the federal museum card (Bundesmuseencard) will be sold for €99 a year. It will be valid from July 1st when anyone can buy them online or in the participating museums.

For comparison, a yearly ticket for Mumok Museum costs €22, while for Albertina, it costs €78. 

Isn’t there something similar already in Austria?

Sort of. There was a previous federal museum card sold since 2018, but this only offered one admission to each museum for €66 a year. In 2023, 7,700 of these cards were sold, Der Standard reported.

The new card is a significant upgrade from its predecessor. State Secretary for Culture Andrea Mayer (Greens) described it as a “genuine yearly ticket”, offering unlimited access to all federal museums, a stark contrast to the previous card which only allowed one admission to each museum. 

The older version will be phased out as cards expire.

READ ALSO: Eight unique Austrian museums you need to visit

Which museums are included?

You can visit all the federal museums in Vienna with the card: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Naturhistorisches Museum, Albertina, Belvedere, Museum moderner Kunst (Mumok), Technisches Museum, Museum für angewandte Kunst (Mak) plus the Austrian National Library. The card is valid for regular and special exhibitions and whenever the museums are open. 

Additionally, the idea is to incentivise spontaneous short visits. Cardholders can breeze through a “fast lane” without queuing at the counter; no prior bookings are necessary, enhancing the overall museum experience.

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