Switch off the streaming service, blow the dust off your LPs, and fire up the turntable. Time to dive into music that comes with “authentic” written in large neon letters on the album cover. It’s the Ottakringer Vinyl & Music festival at Vienna’s main brewery.
- Music fair and festival with dozens of exhibitors
- View and buy (lots of) vinyl LPs, but also instruments, artwork, and more
- Also live acts, bars & street food
- Big instrument maker presence last time out
- 2025 dates: Mar 8-9
- Mini Summer Nights festival Aug 9-10 in 2024
- See also:
What’s it all about?
(Inside the festival. Photo courtesy of Vinyl & Music; photo by Esther Crapélle Photography)
Think of the festival as everything music, but without the veneer of corporate marketing.
Like a musical artiste that refuses to be pigeonholded into a single genre, Vinyl & Music defies classification. It’s an exhibition and trade fair. A live gig and art gallery. A meeting point and dinner date.
It all takes place in Ottakringer Brauerei, which is Vienna’s big family-owned independent brewery in the 16th district, home to traditional and craft beers as well as various cultural events.
The numerous exhibitors typically come from all parts of the music production spectrum.
So amid more vinyl LPs than you can shake a Fender at, you might find, for example, a maker of custom guitars, a booth with unusual loudspeakers, or someone selling cover art and concert posters. Live acts, radio DJs, and several food trucks (not to mention brewery bars) round out the entertainment.
Highlights
(Last year brought instrument makers to Ottakring with the Wiener Instrumente Salon)
We’re regulars and never fail to enjoy ourselves.
There’s the venue for starters.
The old brewery buildings look like they stepped right out of a movie set for a New York-based mafia thriller, with the hollowed-out industrial premises and a labyrinth of rooms hiding one musical delight after another.
This New York impression gained a suitable boost last time with a live performance by DIE BUBEN IM PELZ, known particularly for their Viennese-flavoured tributes to the music of Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground.
The selection on show varies from year to year. Back in 2020, for example, jukeboxes, pinball machines and arcade games had us cooing like grandparents at a wedding. Music is everywhere, featuring everything from Bowie to Bartók…
- Stacks upon stacks of LPs, with aficionados earnestly searching through the specialist collections in search of some elusive vinyl
- Music-flavoured art and memorabilia (from Beatles monopoly to rare signed photos)
- Gorgeous custom instruments (so tempted)
- …and more
2024 featured the Wiener Instrumente Salon. This brought together instrument makers from Austria and abroad to discuss their work with music lovers and offer their instruments for a try out.
We even got a MEET THE MAKERS concert on both days. The artisans “put their money where their mouth is” and demonstrated that their mastery of instruments extended to playing as well.
(Vinyl & Music’s organiser, Till Philippi, with the 2024 poster; photo courtesy of Vinyl & Music)
The festival has plenty of space to relax with a bite to eat and something to drink after browsing the market or enjoying the live music.
(A food truck once sold the best fruit dipped in chocolate we’ve ever had. And we’ve had a *lot* of fruit dipped in chocolate.)
Dates, tickets & tips
The full 2025 Ottakringer Vinyl & Music festival takes place over the weekend of March 8th and 9th, with further details to come.
A two-day pass for the previous event cost €20, while day tickets were €15 (Saturday) or €10 (Sunday). Festival hours last time out were:
- Saturday: 10am to around 9pm (main live acts in the evening)
- Sunday: 10am to 6pm
Vinyl & Music also pops up in smaller form at the same location during the rest of the year. For example, expect a mini version at the Weihnachtszauber Christmas market and a Summer Nights version (August 9th and 10th in 2024) at the Ottakringer Bierfest.
Incidentally, two gastronomic tips if you find yourself in the area and want a full sit down meal:
- The Tasty Asia restaurant opposite the brewery serves excellent food (we are regulars)
- The Café Ritter Ottakring further up Ottakringer Straße is a gorgeous Jugendstil traditional coffee house , but check if it’s open before going (it has been closed long-term for renovation)
How to get to the festival
The 16th district is working class heartland outside of the old town. But, like most places in Vienna, it’s all easy to reach on public transport.
Subway: the U3 travels out from the centre (e.g. from the Stephansplatz and Volkstheater stations) and ends at Ottakring station. Walk down from there to the brewery or take the 44 tram.
Tram/bus: the Johann-Nepomuk-Berger-Platz stop is opposite the brewery. Take the 2, 44 or 9 trams to get there. Both the 2 (e.g. from Karlsplatz/Oper or Burgring) and 44 (from Schottentor) leave from the centre of town.
Address: Ottakringer Brauerei, Ottakringer Platz 1, 1160 Vienna | Website (for the event)