You know, September’s not a bad month to visit Vienna. The summer holidays are over, so the Viennese roll back into town. Which means far more events to choose from.
The end of summer also means fewer visitors to compete with at exhibitions and similar. And the weather is still deciding whether it should be hot or chilly, possibly settling for something pleasant in the middle.
- Book a classical concert experience* for September
- See also:
Top ideas for September 2026
Many event organisers hold fire until the locals come back from summer retreats and beach holidays. So, compared to August, September has a far wider selection of fairs and festivals to offer alongside the usual museums, concerts, tours and similar.
My quick tip
As the evenings grow darker, then a concert in the breathtaking interior of some magnificent baroque church seems like a fine plan.
Top options around the city centre include the Peterskirche (which I tried and enjoyed), Annakirche, and Karlskirche (which I also loved).
Take in some art
(The Albertina art museum always has something worth seeing)
Early September can be a bit of an ugly stepchild in the art world, but top exhibitions tend to begin mid-month in anticipation of the Christmas period.
My highlights
- Enjoy the final days of the exhibition over at the Albertina Modern revealing the creativity of US artist KAWS (until September 27th), but the museum continues to showcase the movement and illusion in works by Victor Vasarely and Marc Adrian
- …and enjoy the last days of the lovely show of scenes and cityscapes by Canaletto & Bellotto at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (until September 6th)
- September is also your final chance to catch the biographical exhibition on Schiele at the Wien Museum (until September 27th)
- The Albertina starts its big autumn exhibition: Picasso-Bacon (from September 18th). The museum ends its Helga Philipp solo exhibition (until September 20th), but continues celebrating its origins with such joys as Albrecht Dürer’s Young Hare. And it also presents travel photos from the 1800s
- Another ending over at the MAK, where the Van Cleef & Arpels exhibition of jewelry art ends on the 27th
- Take a deeper dive into two overpainted works by Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder and the Younger at Upper Belvedere
- Lower Belvedere begins its solo exhibition for the artist and educator Erika Giovanna Klien (from September 18th), an important proponent of Viennese Kineticism, and continues its solo exhibition for Erna Rosenstein
- Selected works from the modern and contemporary art collection of the national bank appear at the Leopold Museum as well as an exhibition featuring both Herbert Boeckl and Hans Josephsohn
- Discover the best of Viennese contemporary art in a wide-ranging overview at the Kunsthalle Wien
- The Jewish Museum brings Everything Forgotten on the culture of forgetting to an end (until September 6th) but continues with its exhibition of art by Eran Shakine. The museum also begins (from September 23rd) its look at the biographies of some of those forced into exile during Nazi rule
- The Technisches Museum gets us thinking about resource use in modern life and how we might make better use of materials in ways that go beyond recycling
Check the full exhibition listings for more suggestions as they come in.
Other art & humanities events
(Plenty to browse at the WAMP design market)
Alongside the museal exhibitions, we also have various art markets and fairs. These include:
- The Vienna Highlights art fair (September 24th to 27th): this event brings art into the hallowed halls of the baroque national library right in the centre
- Parallel Vienna (September 16th to 20th): a unique “hybrid art fair, exhibition platform and artist studio”
- The Art Vienna fair (2026 dates TBA): a 3-day art fair that gathers together numerous art galleries and usually features works of international and regional importance, as well as giving a platform to up and coming artists
- The WAMP design market typically holds an autumn edition this month (2026 dates TBA)
Thought leaders & more
September also brings us the Vienna Humanities Festival (2026 dates TBA), where renowned international speakers and panelists explore numerous themes relevant to our times. Almost all events are usually free to attend, though some require registration in advance.
#wienliebe
(A neogothic background, white canopies and plenty of Viennese food and drink)
#wienliebe first took place in 2024 and repeated in 2025 (2026 dates TBA). The event presents the best of Vienna’s food, drink, music, crafts and more in a multi-day festival.
- Some of the famous gastronomic, brewing and vineyard addresses in the city provide the food, beer and wine
- A stage hosts musical and other performances across a range of genres associated with Vienna (from classical onwards)
- A selection of stalls showcase the crafted products of small enterprises and (which might surprise you) even Vienna’s agricultural side
Treat your taste buds
(Live coffee creativity; press photo courtesy of Vienna Coffee Festival)
The way to a man’s heart is, allegedly, through his stomach. And the way to the Viennese heart is actually the same. September has a few more related festivals to whet your appetite.
- If you’re up for something a little more spirited (ba dum tish!), try the Rum festival (September 18th to 19th). Local interest in such drinks has shot up recently. Tastings, talks, food, music, and more. Its sister Ginmarkt gin festival runs across the same dates at the same location
- The city has the Vienna Coffee Festival (September 11th to 13th): not a staid industry event, but a caffeine-fueled celebration of the bean, with music, competitions, tastings, demonstrations, and more
- The Erntedankfest (September 12th and 13th) is a weekend festival bringing Austria’s agriculture into the city, armed with truckloads of regional specialties from all over the country
- The Veganmania vegan summer festival (September 18th to 20th) rolls into town with street food, music and more
- The European Street Food festival (September 5th and 6th) also appears with trucks and stalls tempting you with a wide diversity of culinary delights from around the globe
- The Oktoberfest concept has relatives in Vienna. For example: the Kaiser Wiesn near the Prater entertainment complex (September 24th to October 11th)
- On the wine front, a themed hiking weekend (2026 dates TBA) features routes around the areas closely associated with wine growing and wine taverns, who offer stops along the way
Autumnal competition
The 5km Vienna Night Run (September 17th) offers an opportunity to stretch your legs and lose some of the calories accumulated at all the above events. Not a competitive race as such…more a chance to run around the famous Ringstrassen for a good cause.
Schönbrunn Palace provides a rather lovely backdrop to a Longines Global Champions Tour showjumping event from September 24th to 27th.
Get a little modern (and classic)
(Scene from a previous Buskers Festival; press photo © Buskers Wien)
Vienna is an elegant city, rich in history and numerous buildings whose names end in Palace. But it’s a big, thriving capital city, too, with urban and contemporary culture to share. For example:
- Vienna Fashion Week (September 14th to 19th) lets you enjoy daily catwalk shows and more from prestigious local and international designers
- Vienna Design Week (September 25th to October 4th) offers a host of events and exhibitions around the city with all sorts of tracks and channels to pick from
- The Buskers Festival (September 11th to 13th) turns street entertainment into an art form, with free performances from some of the world’s best…enjoy musicians, magicians, acrobats, clowns, dancers, and more
Go behind the scenes
(The Hofburg often opens special areas for the Tag des Denkmals)
September has special treats for those who like to go behind closed doors or enjoy special insights into some of the many wonderful buildings and institutions in the city. And they’re all free.
- Tag des Denkmals (TBA but traditionally the last Sunday in September) is Vienna’s contribution to European Heritage Day, when numerous historical buildings unlock their doors. Many open to the public for this day only
- And talking of opening doors, Open House Vienna (September 25th to 27th) follows a similar concept but with newer buildings and architectural initiatives. Vienna’s famous social housing projects usually get good coverage at this
- The central Am Hof square hosts the annual festival of the Vienna fire services (2026 dates TBA) with demonstrations and similar. The other emergency services participate, too
Go in front of the screen
If you want to escape it all and enter other worlds, you can always try:
- The SLASH film festival with its focus on the fantastical and imaginary (September 23rd to October 4th)
- The Vienna Independent Film Festival, which supports the indie movie world (September 14th to 16th)
- Kino am Dach has daily open-air showings of films on the roof of Vienna’s main city library through the summer until September 12th
- The Queerfilmfestival, which has showings of the best of recent queer filmmaking (September 10th to 16th)
Seasonal tip(s)
(New season at the State Opera House)
September marks the start of the new season in opera, music and theatre after the summer break. So look for performances at, for example:
- The city’s main opera houses: Staatsoper, Volksoper and Theater and der Wien
- The prestigious concert halls that are the Musikverein and Konzerthaus
- The Burgtheater and the English-language theatres
Look out, too, for the classical concerts designed for visitor needs, with a programme of light music and often options to add on dinner.