A little offbeat treat for fans of the baker’s art: the Brotfestival (bread festival) gives Austria’s bakers the opportunity to show off their skills and products to the public.
- One-day festival with a chance to get a closer look at the craft of bread making
- Large bread market to “try and buy” products
- Also includes “show baking”, workshops, and baking competitions
- Next event: March 2021
- See also: Events in Vienna
What’s the Brotfestival?
Austria is a country full of tradition, especially in rural areas. And food is a big part of that tradition. And bread is a big part of that food.
Not pallid slices of white bread, but bread in all its diversity and in the widest possible sense of the word. From aromatic dark loaves to jam-filled pastries.
The craft of bread making is equally rich in tradition and prestige here. And those craftsfolk drop into Vienna’s one-day Bread Festival to give us a look behind the curtain. This video from 2017 offers some insights into the event:
As you might expect, there’s a chance to try and buy the bakers’ wares…and not just regional Austrian products: the festival includes bakeries from neighbouring countries, too.
But the Bread Festival is much more than a giant marketplace.
For starters, numerous bakers provide demonstrations at their stands of the bread making process. So if you’ve always wondered how they get those curls and plaits into rolls and loaves, this is your moment.
There’s even a stage for the more effusive and expert displays, workshops for kids and adults (I’m guessing in German, though), and…competitive baking, where the pros and amateurs alike race to produce the most rolls in the allotted time.
The organisers “Kruste&Krume” are a kind of bread advocacy group, with their own bread studio, online shop and baking workshops.
2021 dates & tickets
The next festival has been announced for March, 2021. Soon as I get the details, I’ll post them here.
At the 2019 event, tickets were €8 if bought in advance through the website (see below), otherwise €10 on the door, with concessions available. Kids (under 12s) went free.
How to get to the bread festival
The 2019 event was in the Marx Halle, a 19th-century market hall and now a listed building and exhibition centre. The location in Vienna’s 3rd district is a little away from the usual tourist routes, but easily reached on public transport or by car.
Subway: It’s a few minutes walk from the nearest stations. Your best bet is the U3 line – get out at Erdberg or Schlachthausgasse
Tram/bus: Take the 18 tram or 74A bus to Viehmarktgasse (you can also catch the tram at Schlachthausgasse if you want to save a couple of minutes of walking) or take the 71 tram from the centre to St. Marx. Another alternative is the 80A bus (get out at Neu Marx or Maria-Jacobi-Gasse)
Address: Karl-Farkas-Gasse 19, 1030 Vienna | Website