Before reading, be sure you have a full tank of petrol. And put on sunglasses, even though it’s dark outside. Because here’s a music festival to warm Jake and Elwood’s hearts: the Vienna Blues Spring.
- Regular performances throughout this fine blues festival
- Most gigs are at the cult Der Reigen venue (near Schönbrunn palace)
- Both regional and international musicians perform
- 2025 dates: Mar 20 – May 31
- Book a tour experience* for your Vienna stay
- See also:
The festival
(In 2025, the Mojo Blues Band put on a gala evening of New Orleans rhythm and blues; press photo © Dietmar Hoscher)
You can imagine the likes of Beethoven and Mozart appreciating the blues, given the troubles they encountered in their own lives. And Vienna is not short of a few clubs and bars where the Mojo Blues Band and genre colleagues ply their trade.
The Vienna Blues Spring festival brings together local performers and overseas guests in a string-bending feast of riffs and 12-bar chord progressions. Regular performances take place at the Der Reigen venue: a bar, restaurant and venue with a long musical past that dates back to the 1950s jazz scene.
Occasional special gigs also use other locations. In 2025, for example, Leopold.Wien play in the Haus der Musik, and the Mozarthaus lets you enjoy a few guitar solos where Vienna’s most famous musician once composed The Marriage of Figaro.
(Kofi Baker´s CREAM FAITH appeared in 2024; press photo courtesy of and © Kofi Baker)
Though I still put on my best pained expression to Muddy Waters or BB King (who I once indirectly made laugh), I’m no expert on the genre. But you’ll find full programme details at the official website.
Consider the festival an opportunity to enjoy the local blues scene in its most intense form, with a generous number of international musicians to round out the experience.
Dates, tickets & tips
The festival title hints at the traditional timing. The 2025 event begins on March 20th (with a pre-opening gig on the 18th and open blues session on the 19th) and continues until May 31st.
For individual gigs, you can reserve and/or purchase tickets from the venues or through the event website. Der Reigen also sells festival passes in 2025.
How to get to Der Reigen
The main venue is in Vienna’s 14th district, away from the centre, but close to the tourist hotspot that is Schönbrunn Palace (a place better known for music of the classical kind).
Find Der Reigen immediately opposite the Hietzing station, which is a stop on the U4 subway line.
Catch the U4 from, for example, the Karlsplatz and Schwedenplatz stations in the centre of town. Hietzing’s also a stop on the 10 and 60 tram lines, and the 51A, 56A, 56B and 58A bus lines.
Address: Hadikgasse 62, 1140 Vienna (for Der Reigen)