Should you wish to dip your toes into the world of travel, outdoor adventure, and photography, then an exhibition hall in Vienna might be the place to start. The Photo+Adventure fair and festival takes you on a journey around all three.
Quick summary
- Two-day event held at the Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Centre
- Around 250 exhibitors, plus talks, workshops, shows, photo exhibitions, and more
- 2019 dates are November 9/10
- See also: What to do in Vienna
What is Photo+Adventure?
These days, photography, outdoor adventure and travel often go hand-in-hand (photo safari, anyone?). It’s a modern trend given ample recognition at the Photo+Adventure event.
Think of it as a combination of (trade) fair and festival.
The fair element includes dozens of exhibitors presenting the latest products, trends, and technologies. These exhibitors include the top camera brands, as well as travel agencies and travel destinations.
The festival element features presentations, workshops, seminars, photo exhibitions, live shootings, and more.
2019 dates & tickets
Photo+Adventure takes place from 9 am to 6 pm on Saturday, November 9 and Sunday, November 10. Day or weekend tickets should become available online from the official website or can be bought at the event itself.
2019 highlights
It’s a little early for details, but as soon as I get them, I’ll post them up here. In the meantime, here’s a look back at the 2018 highlights:
There were 70 free talks, as well as numerous for-fee specialist seminars and workshop, including such delights as specialist photo walks through Vienna’s Christmas markets and a (never-opened) nuclear power plant.
Most of these events were inevitably in German, but since photography is a visual medium and English is everywhere these days, there was still plenty to enjoy for non-German speakers. The photo exhibitions were one example, with the results of various festival photo competitions as well as curated exhibitions on particular themes or from particular photographers. For example (my translations, so without warranty):
- Bastian Werner “Storm hunter”
- Christine Sonvilla and Marc Graf “Northern lights”
- Popp-Hackner “Best of 20 years of landscape photography”
- Perdita Petzl “Macros”
- Herbert Köppel “Best of black and white”
- Armin Amano “Nocturnal landscapes”
A programme of travel reports, for example, featuring photo shows from trips to Mongolia, Brasil, Cambodia, the South Pacific, Botswana, Hong Kong, Iran, and elsewhere. (Incidentally, the 2018 Photo+Adventure country partner was Costa Rica.)
How to get to Photo+Adventure
The event takes place at the Messe Wien exhibition location. It’s the major exhibition centre in Vienna, so well-connected to public transport. Basically, take the U2 subway line to Messe-Prater.
Unlike most city locations, it also has several paid parking options, thanks to nearby multistorey and underground car parks. See here for details and precise addresses for your Sat-Nav. An alternative is to use the (cheaper) park and ride car parks and then take public transport.
Address: Messeplatz 1, 1020 Vienna | Website