Skip the black tie, evening gown or opera glasses for a change of musical pace. The Popfest Wien festival showcases the latest Austrian pop music. And it’s free.
- Multi-day festival with open-air and indoor stages
- Dozens of acts and a supporting event programme
- Pop, hip hop, and similar genres dominate
- 2022 dates: TBA (normally July)
- See also: The Buskers festival | Events in Vienna
Pop music from Austria
(Popfest curators for the 2021 event: Esra Özmen and Herwig Zamernik)
Vienna may be known for its classical concerts, but like any big city there’s a vibrant wider musical scene.
Each year, Popfest Wien brings the latest offerings from pop and related genres to the city on various stages in and around Vienna’s central Karlsplatz square.
Popfest performers include established stars in the Austrian firmament as well as relative newcomers. And the locations typically vary from a waterborne stage in front of the giant Baroque Karlskirche church to the hallowed halls of a local university.
Various side events and activities accompany the music, too.
2022 dates and tickets
The 2021 Popfest Wien only just ended so I await official news of 2022. Expect dates in late July.
Thanks to the previous uncertainty regarding events and regulations, most of the 2021 festival moved to the Arena Wien venue, with Karlsplatz only providing two locations: Karlsgarten (open-air) and the Karlskirche church (indoors).
Attendance is free thanks to sponsors like the Wiener Städtische Versicherung (the same insurance folk who do the Ringturm exhibitions) and the Arbeiterkammer Wien (the representative organisation for Vienna’s employees).
How to get to Popfest Wien
Popfest’s traditional home on Karlsplatz is not just a large open space for outdoor events, including the fantastic divina art Christmas market: it also sits on top of one of the city’s main transport hubs.
Subway: take the U1, U2 or U4 lines to Karlsplatz station
Tram/bus: Take the 1, 2, D, 62 or 71 trams to Oper/Karlsplatz
Address: Karlsplatz, 1010 Vienna | Website