Vienna shrugs off its modesty, puts on its finest clothes and presents some of the best the city has to offer in the #wienliebe three-day festival.
- Open-air festival
- Focus on gastronomy, with music, arts & crafts
- Located on the central Rathausplatz
- 2026 dates: TBA (was Sept 18-21 in 2025)
- Take in a classical concert* while visiting
- See also:
Celebrating a city
(The imposing Rathaus makes a great background and the broad white canopies offer an alternative to the usual wooden booths found at such events)
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 debutante stepping out after watching from the sidelines, Vienna has finally presented…Vienna; the #wienliebe festival took place for the first time in May 2024 and returned in September 2025.
The name translates to Vienna Love, and that first edition on the large Rathausplatz square attracted around 54,000 visitors with its culinary, cultural, and crafted treats for locals and visitors alike.
Food & drink
(The Bitzinger folk were there last time out. 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 typically make an appearance at #wienliebe courtesy of some of the better-known city establishments.
In 2025, for example, we had Plachutta (famous for their beef Tafelspitz), the Schweizerhaus from the Prater (ditto for their pork knuckle), Bitzinger (all about the sausages), Gerstner (bringing on the cake), Leberkas Pepi (all about the Leberkäse) and Zum Schwarzen Kameel (café and restaurant tradition).
On my visit, most of the offered menus were heavy on meat, but you could still find vegetarian & vegan options.
(Look for a selection of beers from the Ottakringer Brauerei)
Our city brewery usually 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
Traditional Viennese songsters use the kind of accented German you won’t find on your language app. But a programme of main stage performances takes in a wider spectrum of offerings. From chamber music and waltzes to Austropop.
Last time out, a smaller stage in the neighbouring park also presented traditional tavern music: the kind you find at the Remassuri show.
(Various entertainments took place on a large stage)
A small number of booths allow local businesses to showcase their handcrafted products. These cover the kind of creative crafts you might otherwise find at the seasonal Christmas markets.
And the adjoining park commonly features 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.
Dates, tickets & tips
I don’t have 2026 details at the time of writing, but the previous edition ran from September 18th to September 21st. Entry is free, and opening times last time out were:
- Thursday: 2pm to 10pm
- Friday: 10am to 10pm
- Saturday: 10am to 10pm
- Sunday: 10am to 6pm
My experience with these big open-air festivals is that they can get remarkably busy. So 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: take line 2 to Parlament or lines 1, D, 71 to Rathausplatz / Burgtheater.
Subway: use the U2 line and get out at Rathaus station.
Address: Rathausplatz, 1010 Vienna | Website