Vienna Events and Festivals

(Vienna / Wien, Austria)

There are endless things to do in Vienna, with a year-round choice of festivals, regardless of the time that you choose to visit. The Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) is a particular highlight and this popular event takes place each year in May and June, and dates back as far as 1951.

The Vienna City Spring Marathon is always popular and held in either late April or early May, and sees well over 10,000 participants taking to the streets, along with crowds of cheering onlookers. Soon after, the warmer weather brings with it a host of outdoor events, with movie screenings on the Rathausplatz in July, along with numerous concerts as part of the city's Summer of Music. Sports fans in Vienna may even be lucky enough to catch a football match at the Ernst Happel Stadion, next to the Prater Park, which can accommodate more than 50,000 spectators.

Vienna National Public Holidays

• New Year's Day - January 1st
• Epiphany - January 6th
• Easter - late March / early April
• May Day - May 1st
• Ascension Day - May 1st
• Whit Monday - May
• Corpus Christi - May
• Assumption - August
• National Day - October 26th
• All Saints' Day - November 1st
• Immaculate Conception - December 8th
• Christmas - December 25th and 26th

Vienna Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic - early January, a major televised and rather exclusive event with a truly world-class orchestra and conductor
• Eislaufen Rathausplatz (Outdoor Ice Skating) - mid-January to early March, with the erection of an open-air ice-skating rink, close to the Rathaus and Burgtheater
• Resonanzen Festival - late January, yearly celebrations and concerts, held at the Vienna Konzerthaus and attracting musicians and performers from the world over
• Rainbow Ball - late January, a leading gay event, taking place at the Parkhotel Schönbrunn's ballroom
• Vienna Opera Ball - one of the most notable winter events, dating back around 200 years and always featuring some major operatic stars

February

• There are no significant events in Vienna during the month of February

March

• Easter Celebrations - late March / early April, various Easter based festivities take place around the city, often being religious-based in their content

April

• Lange Nacht der Museen (Long Night of the Museums) - early April, a chance to enjoy a range of free events at the city's many museums, which stay open until gone midnight
• Vienna City Spring Marathon - late April / early May, with literally thousands of athletes running through the streets around the city centre

May

• Prater May Day Party - May 1st, just one of the many annual celebrations staged at the Prater Amusement Park
• Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) - mid-May to mid-June, with an extensive art programme over a five-week period

June

• Jazz Fest Wien - mid-June to mid-July, a leading Austrian jazz festival with some big names in the world of jazz and an outdoor concert within Vienna's centrally located Rathausplatz, which is always completely free of charge and quite a crowd pleaser
• Nova Rock at Pannonia Fields - mid-June, an established rock festival in nearby Nickelsdorf, first staged in 2005 and known for its famous groups, which have been headlined in the past by Guns 'N' Roses
• Donauinselfest (Donau Island Festival) - late June, with plenty of music and dancing to go around, based on the Donauinsel islands, on the River Danube

July

• Kino Unter Sternen - July and August, a chance to experience some great movies, screened at outdoor locations within Augarten Park and on the Rathausplatz
• ImPulsTanz - July and August, a popular modern dance festival, with performances at a variety of notable venues, including the Akademietheater and also the Burgtheater. Visitors are able to join in a variety of workshops and attend lectures about various dancing techniques
• Summer of Music - mid-July to mid-September, with various performances and concerts at venues around the city centre

August

• KlangBogen Wien - throughout August, a festival with both classical and operatic music, held at a number of centrally located venues around the city. The Chamber Music tends to be a particular favourite for many in attendance

September

• Vienna Literature Festival - throughout September, a leading Austrian literature event, held outside of the Burgtheater in a large marquee. Various readings and recitals are held at this time and often attract some big crowds

October

• VIENNALE (Vienna International Film Festival) - late October, the biggest film event of its kind in the whole of Austria and a great opportunity to spot some famous movie stars and directors, who are often in attendance

November

• IG Jazz Clubfestival Vienna Jazz Floor - throughout November, various jazz concerts and performances, centred around the renowned IG Jazz Club

December

• Christmas in Vienna - late December, a night of glorious music takes place at the Vienna Concert House and always sees some huge performances, which in the past have included Placido Domingo, amongst many others
• Imperial Ball - December 31st, a classy way to see in the New Year, held in the sumptuous surroundings of the Imperial Palace and even featuring a changing of the guard ceremony before the evening's festivities and partying really get underway