Afrika Tage (Africa Days) celebrates the spirit of that great continent in an 18-day festival in Vienna. The event entertains and enlightens as it builds bridges between cultures. Fill your senses (and your stomach).
- Music, dance, kids activities, food, shopping, and information with an African theme
- Concerts in the evening with international performers
- Held on the Danube Island on the Danube river
- Top event for kids, too
- 2022 dates: Jul 22 – Aug 8
- See also:
- The Weltmuseum
- Events in Vienna
- Vienna in July and August
Afrika Tage in Vienna
(The Fair und Sensibel Band at a past event; press photo courtesy of afrika-tage.at)
Each year, a piece of Africa puts ashore on the Danube in Vienna, setting up stall(s) on the long artificial island that splits the river as it passes through the city.
The Afrika Tage festival is much as you’d expect: a colourful and vibrant celebration of the continent’s culture with an opportunity to learn about the people and places (and the problems). See the official aftermovie from a past event at the bottom of the page for a flavour.
A visit is a treat for all the senses.
You have the forms and colours, especially in the clothing, arts and crafts at the African bazaar that dominates the festival site.
Then the sounds, whether from a drum or dance workshop or one of the evening concerts.
Various stands selling African cuisine provide the tastes and smells.
And the info booths from NGOs active in Africa should leave you touched with a better understanding of the continent’s diversity and challenges.
For me, the highlight is always browsing the bazaar for African crafts, but parents tend to value the kids activities, such as a Nigerian drum session or a ride on a camel.
In the evenings, the Afrika Tage turns into a music festival featuring concerts by African or Africa-inspired performers.
Top names often appear for the concerts. For example, Damian “Jr Gong” Marley drops by in 2022. Check the official website for full details of the next event (when available).
2022 dates and tickets
The next Afrika Tage is scheduled to run from July 22nd to August 8th, 2022. Opening hours are:
- 2pm to midnight (Wednesday to Saturday)
- 11am to midnight (Sunday to Tuesday)
The festival always has various ticket options. See the website for details. A day ticket costs €10 in 2022 if you enter before 5pm. Go in later and you may pay more normal concert prices, depending on the day.
Entry is free on Mondays or Tuesdays. Or “free”, as you should really make a donation to charity once inside.
How to get to the Africa festival
The festival takes place on the Donauinsel. The island’s a popular recreational area and event location (see, for example, the huge open-air Donauinselfest music event).
Getting there is probably best via the railway and subway stations at either end of the Nordbahnbrücke, with pedestrian access across to the island. The two stations are:
- Handelskai: on the U6 subway line and also various city train lines (S1, S2, S3, S4, S7 and S45)
- Neue Donau: also on the U6 subway line
Address: Donauinsel (Danube Island), 1220 Vienna
You may need to have consented to YouTube/Vimeo cookies, depending on the implementation, to see the following video(s), otherwise you’ll get an error message: