The largest (free) open-air music festival in Europe takes place on an island in Vienna, a city not exactly famous for its ocean vistas. But we do have the Danube river, whose Donauinsel island hosts the Donauinselfest: a weekend of music, fun and bleary-eyed Monday mornings.
- Mainly local performers and the occasional international star
- Typically attracts around 2.5 million visits
- Previous event had 700 hours of programme, 16 stages & c. 200 acts
- Loads of other festival activities
- Easily reached on the subway
- Strong on accessibility and inclusivity
- 2026 dates: July 3rd to 5th
- Book a walking tour* of Vienna
- See also:
The music festival
(Photo © Andreas Jakwerth; reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC BY-SA 2.0 license)
Technically, the 21km long and 250m wide Donauinsel (Danube island) is a flood regulation measure, a description which has all the sex appeal of a broken exhaust pipe.
However, this artificial island also serves as a recreational park, where you can hike, swim, cycle, trampoline, climb, eat, drink and generally be merry. For one weekend each year, about 4.5km of it turns into a huge open-air music festival: the Donauinselfest (Danube Island festival)
And entry is free.
(Photo © Andreas Jakwerth; reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC BY-SA 2.0 license)
As you can imagine, the word “free” next to the words “music festival” has a certain attraction to it; the Donauinselfest can pull in over 2.5 million visits across all three days.
The music typically covers various genres, including rock, pop, rap, hip hop, electronic music, country, swing (yep), folk, metal, and all things in between.
Although most performers ply their trade in Austria, the roll call of international stars from past events makes for impressive reading.
The likes of The Backstreet Boys, Anastacia, Bonnie Tyler, Mando Diao, Lisa Stansfield, Amy Mcdonald, Michael Bolton, Sean Paul, Bob Geldof, and Ronan Keating have turned up, as well as a who’s who of the wider German-speaking music worlds.
The previous event, for example, saw No Angels and Kim Wilde drop by.
All sorts of other activities and entertainments help keep you occupied between performances, too, not to mention a host of stands to ensure you stay fed and watered (not free, obviously). The last event included, for example, a pop-up design market.
Get a feeling for a typical festival from the video at the bottom of the page.
(Unusually, a political party organises everything: the left-wing SPÖ has more or less formed the city government for decades.)
The 2026 Donauinselfest
I don’t have full details yet of the next edition. But to let you know what to expect…the previous one featured around 200 acts on 16 stages with some 700 hours of programming.
Dates and tickets
A June weekend is traditional, but the 2026 festival takes place from July 3rd to 5th to avoid clashing with the Austrian Grand Prix.
You don’t need to buy a ticket because entrance is, as mentioned, free. Look to that official website for access and programme details, as well as full visitor info, once available.
How to get to the Donauinselfest
For the events on the island, don’t take a car. Jump on the subway to the Donauinsel, Neue Donau or Handelskai stations.
The Donauinsel subway station is on the U1 line that traverses the city centre. Use the U6 line to reach Handelskai or Neue Donau. The trains usually run at very short intervals into the night during the 3-day festival.
The citywide WienMobil bike rental system may also have temporary stations in the area for renting and/or returning bicycles at any time: at the main entrance to Handelskai and at the Floridsdorfer Brücke and Reichsbrücke bridges. Check locally.
Address: Look for the long, wide watery object that passes through Vienna:
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