A regional festival in Vienna normally means the opportunity to eat and drink copious quantities of local fare from one of Austria’s provinces. Which brings me to the Waldviertelpur festival…
- 3-day celebration of the Waldviertel region
- Lots of local gastronomic treats
- Area known particularly for its beer and poppy seed products
- 2025 dates: TBA (was June 19-21 in 2024)
- See also:
The what-viertel?
(Festival tents in front of the Neue Burg on Heldenplatz)
The Waldviertel lies to the northwest of Vienna, about an hour’s drive away in the province of Lower Austria. It has a certain mystical quality to it, encouraged by harsh winters, moors, forests and distinctive boulder formations.
You could easily imagine the place has the odd ghostly hound wandering mournfully around the landscape.
The Viennese like to retreat there for the weekend, taking advantage of the relative peace and quiet, not to mention a host of delightful regional drinks and dishes.
(Beer from the Waldviertel)
Each year, however, the people of the Waldviertel move in the other direction, decamping to Vienna to present a three-day celebration of their traditions, tourism offers, handicrafts, music and (especially) culinary prowess at the Waldviertelpur festival.
We Viennese join them, pretending to share in the celebration of those traditions, tourism offers, handicrafts and music. But really to eat and drink (or maybe that’s just me).
The festival combines dozens of open-air booths with a programme of events, all showcasing the region’s blessings.
(Pork, horseradish and dark bread)
These booths are a healthy (or not, depending on how much – and what – you eat and drink there) mix of bakeries, breweries, butchers and food buffets, distilleries and vineyards, tourist attractions, fashion outlets, plus art and craft stalls.
The region enjoys particularly fame for its poppy seeds (German: Mohn), so if you want to try something truly local, go for a poppy seed treat. They come in all sorts of forms, but mostly in baked products like the organic Mohnzelten pictured below.
Another popular option is Mohnnudeln: thick noodles made from potato dough and covered in a poppy seed sauce. So it looks like the plate is being savaged by a blackfly invasion (it tastes much better than my description).
(Mohnnudeln poppy seed noodles! Press photo courtesy of and © Waldviertel Tourismus / Studio Kerschbaum)
The accompanying festival programme focuses on local music, with a strong folk flavour to it. But you might also catch, for example, craft demonstrations or a fashion show featuring Waldviertel Trachten (the traditional clothing familiar from films like the Sound of Music).
The festival makes a nice contrast to pounding city pavements, offering a short break from historical tours and dark coffee houses. Mind you, I was there on a Wednesday afternoon and it was packed (like I say, they do good beer).
(“Mohnzelten”)
2025 dates, tickets & tips
I don’t have dates just yet for 2025. For the record, the 2024 event ran from June 19th to 21st with times of:
- Wednesday: 11am to 10pm
- Thursday: 10am to 10pm
- Friday: 10am to 10pm
You don’t need a ticket to wander round: everything is open-air with free access.
How to get to Waldviertelpur
The previous event occupied Heldenplatz square, which you’ll likely wander through if sightseeing in the centre; you pass it on my self-guided walking tour. It’s also close to a number of central subway stations and tram stops.
Subway: various stations are not far from Heldenplatz. For example, Herrengasse (U3), Stephansplatz (U1 and U3), Volkstheater (U2 and U3) and Museumsquartier (U2).
Tram/bus: the routes around the Ring take you there. For example, take the 1, 2, D or 71 lines to the Ring/Volkstheater or Burgring stops.
Address: Heldenplatz, 1010 Vienna | Website