A city known for its architecture, music, and paintings switches focus to another art form for around four weeks at the FOTO WIEN photography festival.
- A long celebration of photography around Vienna
- Exhibitions, talks and more
- Held every two years
- 2027 dates: TBA (was Oct 3 – Nov 2 in 2025)
- …partner exhibitions may continue after
- See also:
A celebration of photography
(Foto Arsenal Wien: home of the 2025 festival HQ; press photo © Michael Seirer Photography)
Organised by FOTO ARSENAL WIEN, consider FOTO WIEN a celebration of the art of photography, a showcase for photographic initiatives and photographers, and a focus for all those with a love of the medium to come together at talks, presentations, exhibitions etc.
What do you get?
To give you an idea of what to expect, around 333 artists at 99 different Viennese locations were involved in the 2025 event. The main theme was Dynamic Futures.
Browse the festival website to review the full programme once available. As you explore the exhibition listings, look out for some unusual venues that might include the likes of Café Prückel (one of Vienna’s great coffee houses and a former participant).
Although activities take place across the city, FOTO WIEN has a festival HQ with its own events and exhibitions.
Previous festival centres have included the Post Office Savings Bank (itself an iconic piece of architecture designed by Otto Wagner) and the Atelier Augarten (the former studio complex of the sculptor Gustinus Ambrosi).
For the 2023 edition, the MuseumsQuartier (MQ) took on HQ responsibilities. This hotbed of contemporary art in Vienna housed FOTO ARSENAL WIEN until they got their permanent location and exhibition venue in the Arsenal complex (where you find, for example, the Museum of Military History).
As such, the 2025 festival HQ moved to FOTO ARSENAL WIEN itself in its new home.
2027 tickets and dates
I don’t have dates yet for FOTO WIEN 2027, but the previous one took place from October 3rd to November 2nd. Note that some of the associated exhibitions may run for longer than the formal dates of the festival.
See the website, too, for the situation regarding tickets and access to individual events, once available.