Current highlights for visitors plus annual events and festivals of particular interest (listed by month); perhaps you can find something to add that little extra to your Vienna trip…
- Book a concert experience* for your visit
- See also:
Events on now(ish)
(The Albertina has a wonderful Roy Lichtenstein exhibition; this is his 1977 Figures in Landscape, oil and acrylic on canvas; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, long-term loan: Museumsfonden © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein/Bildrecht, Vienna 2024; photo: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humblebaek)
For detailed suggestions, try the What to do in April article, explore current art (and other) exhibitions, or review major (classical) concert options.
Highlights week ending April 28th
- The big spring exhibitions beckon us to explore their artistic treasures, led by:
- A major Roy Lichtenstein retrospective at the Albertina
- A Roberto Matta retrospective at the Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien
- The Renaissance of the North at the KHM
- The Klima Biennale Wien continues as a wide-ranging event around climate change with many related contemporary art exhibitions
And for a spot of bonus art: the Art Austria fair has its public days April 26th to 28th.
Two music festivals for you:
- Put on a pained expression and start tapping that foot: the Vienna Blues Spring continues all the way through to the end of May
- Enjoy the Viennese song tradition: wean hean started on April 11th and continues for a month
For a bit of additional flair, slip into the world of French-speaking cinema at the 26th edition of the Festival du Film Francophone (April 16th to May 2nd) or the world of Asian cinema at the Red Lotus festival (April 25th to 28th).
And for some local (vini)culture, try the open day at the city-owned Cobenzl winery (April 26th). Yes, Vienna has a fair few vineyards.
My current bonus tips
WE LOVE exhibition
Classic Ensemble Vienna
Annual events
These festivals and other events should take place each year but do check the linked individual and monthly articles, since dates may shift. Also, I fill the monthly articles with many more activities and suggestions.
January
(The Musikverein concert venue hosts the New Year’s Concert)
For dates, details and many more activities and ideas, see the full guide to January 2025. Some possibilities:
- The 1st of January is, of course, the date of the world-famous New Year’s Concert
- At the beginning of the month, you should catch the final days of both the New Year markets and the year-end highlight exhibitions at the art museums
- It’s time to slap on your skates for the Vienna Ice World on split-level open-air rinks in front of the neogothic Rathaus. The event usually runs from the middle of the month to early March
February
(Open-air ice skating)
For more tips on seasonal activities, try the February 2025 guide. Sandwiched innocently between the holiday season and spring, February has few major annual events of note, but you might consider, for example:
- January’s Ice World, which continues through the month. And there’s the famous Opernball, of course
- February 14th, of course. Try a few suggestions for Valentine’s Day
- The end of the month brings the International Orchid Show and the Art at the Park fair in the Park Hyatt hotel
- The Edelstoff design market will please art and crafts fans
March
(Decorative Easter egg for sale)
See the full March 2025 guide for all details and more thoughts on what you might do in the month. Some highlights:
- The Easter markets might start up in March, depending on when Easter actually falls. See, for example, the one at Schönbrunn Palace
- The Vinyl & Music festival drops into the city’s main brewery and the Blues Spring Festival typically begins at the end of March. We also have the Jewish Film Festival
April
(The Easter market on the Freyung)
For more tips, exhibition suggestions and outdoor activities, try the full April 2024 guide.
- The Easter markets may continue (or start) in April depending on Easter dates, and the Vienna Blues Spring music festival still fills its venues during the month
- April also has two of the early food & drink festivals: the Styrian Spring festival and the spring edition of the Craft Beer Festival. And the open day at the city-owned Cobenzl winery
- For nourishment of the more visual kind, try the WeFair sustainability fair, Fantasy Con, the Art Austria art fair or the Festival du Film Francophone (French-language movie festival)
- If you want to work off the calories after all those Styrian delights, then the Vienna marathon is usually in the same month, as is the Argus Bike Festival
May
(A month of culinary delights)
For dates, more information, and even more suggested things to do, see the complete May 2024 guide.
This is the month when music and food lovers come into their own.
- On the music front, you have the Fest der Freude, a free concert on Heldenplatz to celebrate the anniversary of the liberation of the city in WWII. The Blues Festival also continues through much of May.
- Music also appears at many of the food and drink festivals (and similar):
- The Genuss Festival that stretches across the Stadtpark
- The #wienliebe festival on the Rathausplatz
- The Burgenland Kultinarium on Am Hof square
- The Steffl Kirtag around Stephansdom cathedral
- The Wiener Zitrustage in the Schönbrunn palace orangery
- Veganmania in front of the MuseumsQuartier
- And the European Street Food festival outside the Stadthalle
- Art, design and film festivals might include:
- Fanzineist art book & zine fair
The events of May give you a big hint as to what Vienna is really all about: food, drink & music.
For more culture of the popular kind, however, also consider the Vienna COMIX expo.
And, as a special treat, the international 4GAMECHANGERS public festival brings together a wide range of speakers and panels to address numerous topics affecting our future: from finance to female empowerment.
June
(The Alserkirche church)
Find out about more June events, including dates, using the broader June 2024 guide.
- This Vienna Pride time, which typically runs across 2+ weeks of June
- Notable international music festivals pop up in June – the Vienna Jazz Festival, the AMADEUS Festival Vienna and the Donauinselfest. The latter is Europe’s largest free open-air festival
- A world-class orchestra performs for free: the famous Summer Night classical concert in the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace with the Wiener Philharmoniker
- The spring/summer edition of Fesch’Markt Vienna lets you sample the creative output of independent designers and artists (sadly no more)
- The Foto Wien photography festival makes this a happy month for photographers and those who appreciate their work
- The Long Night of the Churches invites you into Christian institutions for all sorts of activities, tours, entertainments, and more
- The Vienna Shorts film festival focuses on short-form movies
- The spring edition of Veganmania also makes an appearance
- The Südwind Straßenfest festival arrives with NGOs and more
- And the Vienna Beer Festival focuses on, well, I’ll let you guess
July
(Open-air film and food fun)
For other activity tips and more detailed suggestions, try the comprehensive July 2024 guide.
- The big July event is the Rathaus Film Festival, with daily public viewings of concerts and performances from various genres of music on the square in front of the Rathaus
- Talking music, June’s Jazz Festival usually continues through the early part of the month, too. And there’s more music in July:
- Enjoy the live kind at the end of the month with Popfest Wien
- Enjoy the DJ kind at the Lichterfest festival of light on the Old Danube
- More on the food and drink front with…
- The Ottakringer Beer Festival, if you like a beer or three
- And if mead’s more your thing, there’s always the Montur & Pulverdampf medieval festival
- July typically also sees the start of the Frameout open-air cinema season at the MuseumsQuartier
August
(Old timers on parade)
Discover a whole slew of ideas for what to do this month in the full August 2024 guide.
- Many of July’s film and other festivals carry on through August. Notable additions to the calendar include:
- The Neustifter Kirtag wine growers festival
- The Veganmania summer festival (street food and market)
- The dotdotdot film festival at the folk museum
- Numerous classic cars drive around the Ring at the Vienna Old Timer Parade
- For (live) modern music, try the Gürtel Nightwalk or the Afrika Tage African festival (where food, music, and art comes together for over 2 weeks)
September
(Brewery and event venue in one)
For more suggestions, details, and dates, browse the main September 2024 guide.
- The food, drink, film, and music theme common to Vienna dominates the month with, for example:
- The Liquid Market cocktail festival, if you like a cocktail or three
- The international Buskers Festival
- The Rum and Gin festivals
- The Vienna Coffee Festival
- The fantastical SLASH film festival
- The Waldviertelpur festival on the Rathausplatz
- …and the city celebrates a different type of music to the usual classics with Hollywood in Vienna
- The last Sunday in September is European Heritage Day, when various historical buildings open their doors to the public (for free). The same concept applies at Open House Wien, but with a focus on newer constructions
- And the modern flavour continues at the…
- Viennacontemporary art fair
- The Art Vienna fair
- MQ Vienna Fashion Week
- Waves Vienna music festival
- Vienna Design Week
- The Calle Libre street art festival
- The Vienna Design Week (covering numerous events and locations)
October
(The MAK: museum and venue)
Take a peek at the October 2024 guide for more details and further tips and suggestions.
- You can sample the best of Vienna’s museal treasures at the Long Night of Museums
- Lovers of good design should find their way to the Pots und Blitz, Edelstoff and WAMP design markets
- If you prefer your design in interactive pixel form, then visit Game City on the Rathausplatz.
- For a bit of autumnal flair, try the Herbsttage (a small fair and botanical exhibition)
- As in many months, film features strongly in October, too, with the start of the prestigious international film festival, the Viennale
- For both ends of the modern music spectrum, consider:
- The classical music festival, Wien Modern, begins at the very end of October
- Contemporary music of a different type at the Indie Label Week
- Or just get some fresh air: late October typically sees the start of the open-air ice skating season
November
(Vienna Comic Con attracts top guests)
Call up the November 2024 guide for more information on the below, as well as tips on other activities and art exhibitions, etc.
- Both the Viennale and Wien Modern normally carry through into November
- The month’s main claim to fame is the start of the Christmas season, notably the wonderful Advent markets, the lights, outdoor ice skating, and early signs of gift-buying panic
- Indulge your geekier side and enjoy the world of science fiction, fantasy and comics at Vienna Comic Con
- To pick up some gifts of a particularly artistic nature, try:
- The ART&ANTIQUE fair at the Hofburg
- The Blickfang fair
- The Fesch’Markt autumn/winter edition design market (unfortunately no longer going ahead)
- Or forget the season and immerse yourself…in a glass of beer at the autumn edition of the Craft Beer Festival, visions of faraway lands at the Photo+Adventure fair, or guilt-free shopping at Vegan Planet
December
(The time of the Christmas markets)
For all the details and a few more tips, check out the December 2024 guide.
You’ll be surprised to learn that seasonal themes tend to dominate in December, notably…
- The Christmas markets, which continue through until at least December 23rd with the Weihnachtsquartier design exhibition and market as a shorter bonus
- Many people also celebrate New Year’s Eve in Vienna along the Silvesterpfad. The final two days of the year feature the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year concert previews