23 things you NEED to do to make the most out of September in Vienna

September is Sturm season! If you visit a Heuriger at this time of year, you’ll be able to sip on the sweet and sour delight of Sturm. The semi-fermented, alcoholic grape juice made from the first grapes of the wine harvest season is a tradition that has played out for many years in Austria’s wine taverns. And it’s a drink worth experiencing amongst the changing colours of Autumn happening in Vienna’s wine hills at this time of year. Watch the brown leaves fall to the ground, and let the Sturm keep you warm.

Where to begin with such an expansive programme! This street art festival literally has everything covered, from graffiti tours to  to spray painting workshops to garden parties. In case you were wondering, this year’s theme is ‘comm:unity’. We’re sure that over the course of this week-long-festival, you will definitely find something that intrigues you, especially if you’re into street art. Just be sure to check out what events require registration, as many have limited spaces! Check out the programme.

Top restaurants all around Vienna will be offering discounts as part of Wiener Restaurantwoche. Around 80 gourmet places will participate, offering up of their lunch and dinner menus starting at 19.50€. Don’t forget to make a reservation, because it can get really busy. And be sure to check out all the restaurants that are participating.

A wave of bands will be hitting Vienna’s shores when the Waves Vienna music festival rolls up. They claim to bring some of the best of up-and-coming Eastern European and Western European bands together in the three-day festival.

You won’t know the names of most of the bands in the program, and that’s the point – this music festival is all about discovering new sounds for your ears. Rock, Electronic and Alternative acts are amongst the mix, and there is a conference attached to the festival at which music and the collaborations between Eastern and Western are discussed and explored. Check out the full line-up.

Shake it baby! And once you’re done with that, you’ve got a cocktail festival to get to! Liquid Market will see many elite cocktail mixers from bars all over Vienna get together and do ‘der tang, if ya’ know what we mean?! You’re right, we’re not sure either.

So, to get straight with you – you pay your entry and you get all your fancy drinks inside for free (well, you kind of paid for them). That means you’ll have a whole bunch of beverages (with, or without alcohol) included in your ticket. Shit! We suggest you stay dry for a couple of weeks and see what happens after this marathon!

Please note: we do not promote excessive drinking…unless you do stuff that makes us laugh afterwards and post it on our Instagram.

We’re tired of the constant display of hetero couples in movies. We get it, you like to do it on the kitchen counter! Thank god for the Queerfilmfestival that is happening this week. As you might’ve guessed, this film festival presents the best movies featuring LGBTQIA+ storylines. So swing by for some quality queer movies from all over the world!

This one’s for the lovers of the bean! For those that want to bathe themselves in the brown nectar of the Gods! Ok, we’re getting a bit carried away – maybe we’ve had one too many coffees already today.

Anyhow, the Vienna Coffee Festival will be showcasing Vienna’s budding artisan coffee scene.

Coffee battles, workshops, demonstrations of how the bean becomes a cup of bliss – this is all in the program.

For details, check out their website

You won’t be able to stand still at this street festival (like, really, because the crowd will be pushing you) as you listen and marvel at the many bands and solo artists playing on 3 different stages. This will be 2 days jam-packed (get it? Jam) full of music; and that is not all folks! That is not all! There will be food, there will be face painting (we suggest you go for a butterfly look), there will be shopping for random flea market treasures, there will be children’s activities. ANNND… no, that’s about it. Something for everyone, right?

Bold fashion, red carpet and catwalk moments, and pretty people giving steely stares into a sea of fashion aficionados – this is MQ Vienna Fashion Week. This week of fashion will act as a platform to exhibit local and international designers, top models, photographers, art directors, and stylists.

We can’t even coordinate our socks, however, we enjoy showing up at this festival in denim overalls, flip flops, and a bowler hat. Check out the website for more details on ticket prices, participating designers, and the programme.

PARALLEL VIENNA showcases a diverse range of artistic practices, uniting local and international art initiatives, including art associations, galleries, project spaces, and artist studios. By doing so, it promotes collaboration and networking among artists, curators, collectors, and visitors while bridging local creativity with global artistic trends.

Outstanding Austrian and international art will be displayed at the viennacontemporary art fair of a different kind. Goggle at art that you might not understand, but that’s okay. They have a full programm: countless discussions, guides and even concerts.

This exhibit is even in the calendars of those that hardly ever step foot in a gallery. With around 100 exhibitions around the world annually, the World Press Photo exhibition is the most popular traveling photo event in the world and will be displaying attention-grabbing photos at Westlicht gallery throughout September, October and the first week of November.

The poignant, moving images that are always guaranteed at this exhibition of photojournalism’s greatest shots of the year can be seen by anyone who has an interest in photography, or those that find the idea of reflecting on the last year of happenings around the world something they’d like to do.

Don’t be surprised if you leave with tears in your eyes, or full of inspiration.

Silent Disco is taking the headbanging headphone party to the wall-less, roof-less outdoor venue of Strandbar Herrmann for the last time this season.

If you don’t know the drill, you put on a pair of headphones, choose from two different channels—each with a different DJ feeding their mixes—and dance along to the music like nobody’s watching.

Glitz will make you feel at home. The goal is to bring the entire city together on three floors beneath the Vienna State Opera once a month. A fulminant wonderful universe full of artists, attractions and escalations is waiting for you to listen, feel and enter.

Be willing to fully express who you are, surround yourself with admirable, kind and optimistic individuals. Dance with the crowd like there’s no tomorrow. The location is virtually irresistible, so you should go see for yourself.

Ever wondered what’s behind the street facade of some of Vienna’s beautiful and interesting looking buildings? Ever wondered what some companies do that you’ve heard of. Ever wanted to get a sneak peek at the parts of the city that are closed to the public? Well, Open House Vienna is all about exploring your city and doing the things mentioned above.

Companies and buildings will throw open their doors to the public, and allow them to have a look around some of the most interesting parts of the city, especially those places with some of the most interesting architecture. Full details are available on their website, which will also includes a list of the buildings that are participating.

The event of the year for all the theatre kids is finally around the corner…The International Musical Theatre Days! *Ball change, jazz hands!* You’ll be able to indulge in contemporary, independently produced works as well as guest plays from local and international theatre stars. Basically you’ll be in the room where it happens. Your future is unlimited. OMIGOD YOU GUYS!! (Ok, we’re stopping now.)

At the end of September, cinemas in Vienna will play host to the city’s one and only horror and fantasy film festival, screening film after film that are made to twist your mind like a pretzel, or scare the crap out of you. So expect plenty of blood (on the screen, we mean), and plenty of mindf**** films.

Be sure to check out the full programme.

In September, the Ottakringer Brauerei will play host to a festival celebrating 2 kinds of spirits that have gained popularity in recent years – Rum and Gin! Two festivals will be taking place in the brewery at the same time – the Ginmarkt and the Rum Festival. Both festivals will bring together and showcase local and international spirit distillers, new cocktails, and there will also be some funky food on offer to soak up all the booze. You’ll be given your own tasting glass, but be careful how often you use it…you’ll probably end up leaving with a very wonky walk.

For ten days, the city will become an open stage for design. This festival showcases how design is shaping our everyday lives and influences us as individuals. Design is defining our lifestyle, our taste and our aesthetic sense and the Vienna Design Week is here to remind us of exactly that. This festival shows that design can open eyes and bring solutions to many day to day issues.

Check out their website for the complete program and get ready for many days full of exhibitions, workshops, presentations, guided tours and talks on the subject of design.

Vienna’s open-air international designer market is back!

WAMP brings a whole bunch of Eastern European and local designers together in a great atmosphere in front of Vienna’s MQ. There’s also usually a few food trucks supplying some tasty street food.

This summer has been HOT. So if you wanted to go for a run it was basically impossible unless you did it at night. And that is exactly what this event decided to do – a night run! So get your dusty running shoes out of the closet and join the 5km marathon around the Ring!

Now this is something for fans of Austrian traditions (and drinking. Which is basically the same thing) – a beer festival!
Put on a dirndl or Lederhosen and head to the streers, for a day and night full of Schlager, Bretzeln and beer (obviously).

Vienna looooves its wine and during this time of the year, a big part of the city can be found up on the wine hills surrounding the city, throwing back bottles of the liquid of the Gods and cooling in the shade of well tangled vines.

For beginners, head out to the 19th district’s area of Grinzing and pick from the many nice Heurige gardens aligning the streets. There, you can sit and enjoy the local, self-produced wine, that you must pair with some unpretentious but tasty Schmankerl (a snack made of cold cuts, cheese and spreads). Some Heuriger have a hot buffet to choose some limited but carefully selected Austrian dishes.

For a more authentic and non-touristy wine expedition, head out to Stammersdorf where you can follow our tipsy-tips for a full experience.

The fun doesn’t stop here: the areas around Vienna are packed with Heurige, so anytime you want to be surrounded by grape vines, check out our guide to the wine growing and Heurige-hosting regions around Vienna.

And in case you want to brush up your Heurige-Know-How before heading out to one of them, we’ve got some facts about Heurige we bet you didn’t know.