Pass more than a few hours in Vienna, and you’ll soon learn that coffee is an essential part of the fabric of the city. A fact confirmed by the annual Vienna Coffee Festival.
- A celebration of coffee, with displays, demonstrations, and more
- Also features food, other drinks, and live music
- 2023 dates: TBA (was Sept 8-11 in 2022; Day 1 was for trade visitors)
- See also:
What’s it all about?
Technically, coffee might be described as a simple drink. Much like you could call an iPhone a communication device. But there’s so much more to it than that. Coffee is part of Viennese society…rooted in tradition, yet a vibrant part of modern city culture.
Which is where the Vienna Coffee Festival comes in. Consider it a celebration of the coffee bean and its contribution to (Viennese) life.
Don’t expect lectures by white-haired historians on the role of Loos architecture in driving coffee house society in the early 1900s. The coffee festival is a contemporary celebration: the coffee is hot, the company is cool.
So you get, for example, tastings, demonstrations of the barista’s art, professional competitions, barista battles, numerous stands showcasing coffee products, and plenty of advice from those who make their living through the coffee trade. Not to mention street food, a festival shop, and live music.
The venue for early festivals was the premises of Ottakringer brewery, which – surprise – produces beer, but also hosts a range of events through the year, such as its own Bierfest or the rum and gin festivals.
In 2022, though, the event shifted to the Marx Halle: a popular event hall in a converted 19th-century slaughterhouse.
Dates & tickets
I don’t have 2023 dates yet, so come back later for news or check the official website (see below). The previous event took place September 8th to 11th, though the 8th was reserved for trade visitors only.
You typically book tickets from the official website once available or on the day on-site if not sold out.
Assuming the event returns to the Marx Halle, try these suggestions for nearby hotels. And should you wish to drink coffee before or after in its more traditional Viennese habitat, try these coffee houses.
How to get to the coffee festival
If the Marx Halle hosts the event next time, then public transport gets you there easily, with a bit of walking at the end. The location lies in the third district among media and biotech companies.
Subway: the U3 stations Schlachthausgasse and Erdberg are a few minutes’ walk away. The U3 passes through the centre (jump on at Stephansplatz or Herrengasse, for example)
Tram: catch the 18 or 71 trams to the St. Marx stop. That same stop is close to the former St. Marx cemetery (now a park and home to Mozart’s grave).
Address: Ottakringer Platz 1, 1160 Vienna