19 things you need to do to make the most out of this October in Vienna

As the trees lining the Ringstrasse of the old city begin to turn all kinds of colours (trees are such show-offs), this is the perfect time of year to jump on your bike and cycle the sweeping boulevards.

We’ve made a super cool list (well, at least we think so) of the perfect spots for autumn walks in Vienna where you’ll find heaps of brown and gold inspiration for your gram’ gallery.

We recommend you begin at Stadtpark and head towards the University, carry on to Schwedenplatz, and if you still have the energy, ride on and disappear into the Prater park which is full of those show-off trees.

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.

Vienna will see its Sake festival taking place again this October. Various events will take place throughout the city during this week that are dedicated to Japan’s finest rice wines. Take part in cheese & sake tastings, cocktail workshop, masterclasses with sake sommeliers (yup, that’s a thing) and much more!

As Autumn sets in, that familiar and pleasant smell of Maroni (chestnuts) roasting on an open fire begins to permeate the streets, with little stands selling them popping up around the city.

Even better, you can partake in an old Tyrolean tradition that saw farmers visit each other at this time of year after the grape harvest to try the first young wine of the season and east chestnuts.

So why not plan a chilly day meet up with friends where you hit up a Maroni stand, bring your own wine and do like the Tyrolean farmers do.

Once a year, the museums are the cool kids in town and leave clubs and dance floors empty as they make crowds of people choose art and discovery over getting so smashed you pass out in the closest park on your way home. As part of the long night of the museum, museums and galleries will open their doors (including many rarely open places) from 6pm to 1am for all those interested in culture. Presentations, special exhibitions and other events will also be happening all over town throughout the night as part of the program.

One ticket will ensure you the entrance into a variety of museums, so plan ahead and map out your choices so you’re prepared. The main museums will obviously be the busiest ones, where queues are to be expected. So, why not use the occasion to check out the smaller, more underground and unexpected amongst Vienna’s museums? Such as a hat museum, or one dedicated to funerals? Get inspired by our guide of the lesser known, weird and wonderful museums in Vienna.

Especially young artists deserve and need a place to shine. This is exactly what this event is about.

The exhibition area was made for them to present their work, connect and find new inspiration. Events like these have taken place in other cities such as London and Berlin for years and now this is finally happening in Vienna as well.

The most important thing: YOU can be part of it all, whether you are an artist or just like looking at art pieces. Grab your friends and go! Spend a cool afternoon together and show some support for all the passionate young artists out there.

This is one of those conferences that are meant to inspire you to change your life and career entirely, and get up very early in the morning for the days to follow, to, you know, simply create more.

At the Forward Festival, you’ll have the chance to feed your innovative and creative spirit with insights and ideas from some forward-thinking creative minds and successful entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, you’ll also be able to exchange ideas and network with other out-of-the-box thinkers in between keynote talks.

Find the complete program and other details about the festival on their website.

This October the Female Future Festival will be happening again. Its focus is on the female side of our species, particularly women at work and how they can get ahead in the future. This festival is for CEOs, women who want to climb the career ladder, and anybody else who is looking to create and achieve more. It’s worth checking out.

This weekend, the first district will turn into a design Mecca (so they’re saying), with the Hofburg at its centre.

For the course of three days, the Hofburg will serve as a showroom for local and international design brands, from the fields of art, interior design, lifestyle, and technology.

While the heart of this design festival is in the imperial palace, you can pick up a map there which will lead you on a tour of the city center along which you’ll discover a number of amazing design stores and galleries.

The event, Fair for Art Vienna, sees a mix of different creative scenes and periods of art coming together in one location – and all of this will be happening for over one week in October.

The fair has taken place every autumn for over 40 years, and each and every event welcomes a new wave of artists, while also showcasing the golden oldies.

On the big screens of Vienna’s most charming cinemas, the Viennale film festival will be happening again this month.

This international film festival is always made up of a good range of local, European and international films. This is the one time of year our eyes go slightly rectangular, our diet consists mainly of popcorn, and every date turns into a movie date.

Make sure to check out our film recommendations for this year’s festival.

Blickfang Wien is bringing design from all fields to the MAK in October.

Many people await this event like Christmas! Especially the creatives of the city. Local and international designers are getting together to show their best of furniture, fashion and jewelry creations, plus all kinds of other stuff.

Also, Blickfang Vienna is turning 20 this year, which means we’re in for an extra-special edition packed with surprises.

The whole nightlife hotspot strip, the Gürtel, will come alive at the end of this month for one night only for a big festival. And the partying is all in the name of charity! Many of the night spots along the shady infamous Gürtel will join forces to deliver over 50 live acts and DJ performances across 14 different venues. And this year, the majority of the proceeds will go to Augustin and the organisation Volkshilfe Ottakring .

This will be one hell of a night that will continue on into the early hours of the following morning. The only problem will be deciding where to start. Check out the programme on the event website.

Those who know, know. Another convention is ahead! The YuniCon! For those who are not giant nerds like we are, the YuniCon is a convention filled with Anime, Manga and Co. There’ll be a full programme of workshops, live acts, contests (we love a contest), and merchandise. Everything your little geek heart can dream of, basically. So whip out your cosplay and come along!

IT’S SPOOKY SEASON PEOPLE! Sorry, did we come off too strong? Well, we are VERY excited about Halloween this year as you can imagine. Of course, we’ve already put together a Halloween guide for you, so be sure to check it out!

If you’re more the lowkey celebrator, there’s many things you could do this year, other than your usual witchy midnight ritual to hex your ex with a lifetime of misfortune. If you want to spend the day outside, you could go on a spooky walk through the Zentralfriedhof, or check out the catacombs under good ole’ Stephansdom.

All you homebodies out there can prepare a spooky movie night with lots of haunted snacks like finger-hotdogs and blood punch and chill the night away with friends.

Or, you can take it upon yourself to prepare a murder mystery party and have you and your friends play the protagonists in a, you guessed it, cold-blooded murder story.

Now we gotta say, the programme of this event is so multifaceted we don’t really know where to start. But what we do know is if you’re against climate change, inflation and everything that’s wrong with the world then this is your place to be! On Friday you’ll be able to laugh your goofiest laugh during one of the many stand-up comedy shows, on Saturday you can even bring your kids because there’s a kids programme too! There’ll be concerts, performances, workshops and more. Just check it out!