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, workshops, talks and more
- Held every two years
- 2025 dates: Oct 4th to Nov 2nd
- …partner exhibitions may continue after
- See also:
A celebration of photography
(Home of the 2023 festival HQ)
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, workshops, exhibitions etc.
What do you get?
To give you an idea of what to expect, around 300 events at some 110 different Viennese locations were involved in the previous event. The notable (and timely) theme was Photography Lies.
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 and design by Otto Wagner) and the Atelier Augarten (the former studio complex of the sculptor Gustinus Ambrosi).
For the last edition, the MuseumsQuartier (MQ) took on HQ responsibilities. This hotbed of contemporary art in Vienna is the temporary home of FOTO ARSENAL WIEN until they get a permanent home and exhibition venue in the Arsenal complex (where you find, for example, the Museum of Military History).
As such, the 2025 HQ will be at the Arsenal in the new location.
2025 tickets and dates
FOTO WIEN 2025 takes place from October 4th 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.