Switch off the streaming service, blow the dust off your LPs, and fire up the turntable. Time to dive into music that comes with “authentic” written in large neon letters on the album cover. It’s the Ottakringer Vinyl & Music festival at (where else?) Vienna’s brewery.
- Music fair and festival with dozens of exhibitors
- View and buy instruments, sound systems, (lots of ) vinyl LPs, artwork, and more
- Also has live acts and DJs
- 2023 dates: March 4th and 5th
- See also:
What’s it all about?
(Inside the festival. Photo courtesy of Vinyl & Music; photo by Esther Crapélle Photography)
Think of the festival as everything music, but without the veneer of corporate marketing.
Like a musical artiste that refuses to be pigeonholded into a single genre, Vinyl & Music defies classification. It’s an exhibition and trade fair. A live gig and art gallery. A meeting point and dinner date.
It all takes place in Ottakringer Brauerei, which is Vienna’s big brewery in the 16th district.
The numerous exhibitors offer the full gamut of music products, from its creation through to consumption.
Instrument makers and indie labels jostle for space with those offering sound systems and jukeboxes. And there are more vinyl LPs, cover art and concert posters than you can shake a Fender at. Live acts, DJs, and several food trucks round out the entertainment.
Highlights
We went to the 2020 festival and were blown away. And not just because one of the food trucks sold the best fruit dipped in chocolate we’ve ever had (and we’ve had a *lot* of fruit dipped in chocolate).
There’s the venue for starters.
The old brewery buildings look like they stepped right out of a movie set for a New York-based mafia thriller, with the hollowed-out industrial premises and a labyrinth of rooms hiding one musical delight after another.
Jukeboxes, pinball machines and arcade games had us cooing like grandparents at a wedding. And music everywhere, featuring everything from Bowie to Bartók:
- Stacks upon stacks of LPs, with aficionados earnestly searching through the specialist collections in search of some elusive vinyl
- Gorgeous custom instruments (I fell in love with a guitar)
- Music-flavoured art, such as tiered cake stands made of old LPs
- Interesting memorabilia (fancy a game of Beatles monopoly?)
- …and more
(The 2023 poster reveal with the brewery’s co-owner and chairperson of the supervisory board (Christiane Wenckheim), their CEO (Tobias Frank) and Vinyl & Music’s organiser (Till Philippi); photo courtesy of Vinyl & Music)
2023 dates & tickets
The Ottakringer Vinyl & Music festival traditionally takes place in March (the 4th and 5th in 2023). A weekend festival pass in 2023 costs €20, while day tickets cost from €10.
Festival hours last time out were:
- Saturday: 10am to 10pm (live acts in the evening)
- Sunday: 10am to 6pm (live acts in the afternoon)
How to get to the festival
The 16th district is working class heartland outside of the old town. But like anywhere in Vienna, it’s all easy to reach on public transport.
Incidentally, two gastronomic tips if you find yourself in the area:
- The Tasty Asia restaurant opposite the brewery serves excellent food (we regularly order takeout there)
- The Café Ritter Ottakring (walk past the brewery away from the centre to Ottakringer Straße 117) is a gorgeous Jugendstil traditional coffee house and a hot insider tip
Subway: the U3 travels out from the centre (e.g. Stephansplatz and Volkstheater stations) and ends at Ottakring station. Walk down from there to the brewery or take the 44 tram
Tram/bus: the Johann-Nepomuk-Berger-Platz stop is opposite the brewery. Take the 2, 44 or 9 trams to get there. Both the 2 (e.g. Karlsplatz/Oper or Burgring) and 44 (Schottentor) leave from the centre of town
Address: Ottakringer Brauerei, Ottakringer Platz 1, 1160 Vienna | Website