75 Years of the Vienna Festival
Founded in 1951, the Vienna Festival offers an enormous cultural spectrum for five weeks every year in May and June. It’s where tradition meets contemporary art, high culture meets subculture, and popular productions meet avant-garde works.
The whole of Vienna becomes a festival zone, as the 168 performances of Europe’s largest crossover festival are held at 34 different venues. 50,000 tickets are on sale, in addition to 21 projects with free admission.
Open-air launch concert with Patti Smith
At the opening of the Vienna Festival on 22 May at Rathausplatz, numerous stars such as American punk pioneer Patti Smith will take to the stage together with the newly founded Festival Band Gods Republic. Admission is free.
Republic of Gods
The Vienna Festival is not afraid to address social and political issues. In 2024, the Free Republic of Vienna ushered in a radical new concept with the participation of Vienna’s residents. In its third year of existence, the Free Republic of Vienna will proclaim itself the Republic of Gods.
This year’s programme revolves around new and old belief systems, gods and goddesses in ecclesiastical, art historical and popular culture, and the images and legends that shape society.
Programme highlights
- Exhibition “Christoph Schlingensief – It’s not my problem anymore!”: The German director, who died in 2010, is one of the icons of the Vienna Festival (from May 13 at the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts).
- Exhibition "Hype and High Culture – 75 Years of the Vienna Festival in Posters": standout posters from the festival’s history (from April 21 at the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts).
- “The Best Play of All Time”: Milo Rau’s anniversary production brings back unforgettable moments from 75 years of the Vienna Festival, along with untold stories of love and death, scandal and beauty, art and revolt. All of it is served up as a wild audience revue. (World premiere May 15, MuseumsQuartier, Hall E)
- An Evening with Patti Smith (May 19, Theater Akzent)
- Pfingstspiel by Florentina Holzinger (May 23, Wiener Eislaufverein)
- “Vampire’s Mountain”: the stage work by visual artist, set designer and director Philippe Quesne explores the relationship between humans and nature. (May 31, Volkstheater)
- “Бурята | The Tempest”: directed by the recently deceased theatre-maker Robert Wilson (June 5, Burgtheater)
- Concert by the Chineke! Orchestra: Europe’s first professional symphony orchestra made up largely of People of Color and members of ethnic minorities (June 10, Wiener Konzerthaus)
- Opera “Parsifal”: directed by German theatre director Susanne Kennedy (June 15, MuseumsQuartier, Hall E)
House of the Republic
The beating heart of the Vienna Festival is the House of the Republic.This year, it will drop anchor on the Danube Canal, but at the same time hoist its sails for the Republic of Gods with debates, mystical performances, concerts and parties, workshops, and programs for children and young people.
Vienna Festival Walk in the ivie app
From May 13, ivie, the Vienna Tourist Board’s city guide app, will offer a very special way to dive into the history of the Vienna Festival: the 75 Years of the Vienna Festival Walk invites you on a stroll through the city that brings memorable Festival locations and productions to life.
- Download ivie, the city guide app for Vienna, now for free: ivie.wien.info
Stars and scandals since 1951
The Vienna Festival was founded in 1951 to bring joy and optimism after the dark years of war, but also to initiate a cultural renaissance. From the very beginning, the festival served as a window to the world and had a strong international focus.
Major film and theatre names such as Willem Dafoe, Kate Blanchett, Jude Law and Isabelle Huppert have taken part, as have music legends like Leonard Cohen, Brian Eno and Austria’s national pop icon Falco. His global hit “Rock me Amadeus” was performed live for the first time at the Festival’s opening ceremony in 1985. Over the course of its 75-year history, Vienna Festival productions have repeatedly sparked controversy. This is a festival that makes an impact on everyone.
75 Years of the Vienna Festival
May 15 to June 21, 2026
May 22, 2026: Open-air launch event on Rathausplatz. Free admission.
34 venues all over Vienna
Program, info, tickets: www.festwochen.at
from May 13, 2026: 75 Years of the Vienna Festival Walk: free app download at ivie.wien.info
