Vienna shrugs off its modesty, puts on its finest clothes and presents the best the city has to offer in the #wienliebe three-day festival.
- New open-air festival
- Focus on gastronomy, music, and arts & crafts
- Located on the central Rathausplatz
- 2024 dates: May 24-26
- See also:
Celebrating a city
(Our mayor Michael Ludwig on the left and President of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce Walter Ruck on the right announcing the new event; press photo © Stadt Wien / Bubu Dujmic)
Now here’s a festival after my own heart.
Vienna often hosts events presenting the delights of one of Austria’s regions, like the Steiermark, Burgenland or the Waldviertel.
And now, like a beautiful debutante stepping out after watching from the sidelines, Vienna finally prepares to present…Vienna; the #wienliebe festival takes place for the first time in May 2024.
The name translates to Vienna Love, and the event on the large Rathausplatz square promises three days of culinary, cultural and crafted treats for locals and visitors alike.
I shall report in more detail after attending the actual event, but here’s what to expect…
Food & drink
(The Bitzinger folk will be there. The photo shows their popular sausage stand near the Albertina museum)
Vienna is known for its Heuriger wine taverns, sausage stands, and cafés. Not to mention its cakes and traditional foods like Wiener Schnitzel, which is practically a staple food here.
All the above make an appearance at #wienliebe courtesy of some of the better-known city establishments.
So we have, for example, Plachutta (try their beef Tafelspitz), the Schweizerhaus from the Prater (try their pork knuckle), Bitzinger (all about the sausages), Gerstner (bringing on the cake) and Zum Schwarzen Kameel (traditional Viennese cooking).
Despite how that sounds, I’m sure vegetarians and vegans will be catered for, too.
Our city brewery spreads Viennese tradition in half-litre glasses. And you have a chance to sample the city’s best wines (Vienna has a flourishing wine sector thanks to the kindness of the local geological and meteorological deities).
Music & (agri)culture
(Brass music will also feature)
Traditional Viennese songsters use the kind of accented German you won’t find on your language app. But a programme of stage performances takes in a wider spectrum of offerings. From chamber music and waltzes to musical theatre, brass bands, rap and hip hop.
Sections of the festival also allow local businesses to showcase their handcrafted products. I imagine this will look much like the kind of booths you find at the seasonal Christmas markets.
And the adjoining park should feature a farmer’s market, offering up goodies from farms and food businesses. Along with vineyards, Vienna has some significant food growing areas, especially horticulture (not so much alpine cattle).
Indeed, one of the fascinating facts I like to bore people with and ensure they never invite me to dinner again is that Vienna produces more aubergines than the rest of the country combined. I really am that fun at parties.
All-in-all, then, I look forward to #wienliebe with optimism.
2024 dates, tickets & tips
The inaugural festival runs from May 24th to May 26th, 2024. Entry is free. Provisional opening times are:
- Friday: 2pm to 10pm
- Saturday: 10am to 10pm
- Sunday: 10am to 6pm
My experience with these big open-air festivals is that they can get very busy. We usually go at the start of the Saturday or Sunday before the crowds grow.
How to get to #wienliebe
The Rathausplatz is central and best reached directly by tram (though you can walk to it easily from various subway stations in the centre).
Trams: Line 2 to Parlament or lines 1, D, 71 to Rathausplatz / Burgtheater
Address: Rathausplatz, 1010 Vienna | Website