Osterfestspiele (Salzburg Easter Festival) is an exclusive classical music festival founded in 1967 by the legendary conductor Herbert von Karajan, held each spring in Salzburg, Austria. Over the Easter period, the festival presents world-class opera productions, symphonic concerts, and chamber music, often featuring the renowned Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra alongside celebrated soloists. Known for its artistic excellence and intimate scale, the Osterfestspiele offers a rare opportunity to experience top-tier performances in Salzburg’s historic venues, combining spiritual reflection with musical brilliance.

Wiener Festwochen (Vienna Festival) is a six-week celebration of theater, music, and art that transforms Austria’s capital into a vibrant stage each May and June. Founded in 1951, the festival brings together international artists, avant-garde productions, and cutting-edge performances in venues ranging from grand theaters to open-air stages across Vienna. With its blend of classical tradition and contemporary experimentation, the Wiener Festwochen embodies the city’s cultural dynamism and remains one of Europe’s most prestigious multidisciplinary festivals.

Carinthischer Sommer (Carinthian Summer) is a celebrated music and arts festival held each July and August in Carinthia, Austria, centered around the lakeside town of Ossiach. Concerts take place in atmospheric venues such as the Ossiach Abbey, where world-class musicians present classical music, chamber concerts, and innovative cross-genre programs, often paired with literature and contemporary performance. Framed by Lake Ossiach and the Alpine landscape, the festival blends artistic excellence, summer holiday ambience, and Carinthia’s relaxed lakeside charm, making it one of Austria’s most distinctive cultural highlights.

Donauinselfest (Danube Island Festival) turns the Donauinsel (Danube Island) in Vienna, Austria into a vast, free-admission riverside celebration of live music and summer city life each June or early July. Over several kilometres, multiple open-air stages deliver pop, rock, electronic, and Austrian favourites, complemented by cabaret, family/kids’ areas, and crowd-pleasing food-and-drink stands. Arrive for daytime discoveries and stay for sunset sets as the Danube banks pulse with festival energy.

ImPulsTanz Festival (ImPulsTanz Festival) is Europe’s largest contemporary dance festival, held each summer with an expansive program of bold performances, intensive workshops, and creative labs that attract leading choreographers, dancers, and curious newcomers from around the world. Alongside evening shows ranging from avant-garde premieres to internationally acclaimed productions, the festival is famous for its hands-on classes for all levels—turning the city into a dynamic meeting point for movement, experimentation, and artistic exchange. Founded in 1984, ImPulsTanz blends innovation, training, and high-impact stage work into a vibrant celebration of modern dance culture.

Bregenzer Festspiele (Bregenz Festival) is a spectacular summer performing arts festival held on the shores of Lake Constance in Bregenz, Austria, renowned for its jaw-dropping floating stage and epic open-air opera productions. Each July and August, audiences gather to experience world-class performances—often reinvented classics—set against a backdrop of dramatic stage sets rising from the water, enhanced by cutting-edge lighting and acoustics. The atmosphere is part opera, part theatrical wonder, and entirely unforgettable, making it one of Europe’s most visually stunning and culturally rich festivals.

Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik (Innsbruck Festival of Early Music) is a world-renowned celebration of early music, bringing the sounds of the Renaissance and Baroque eras to life in the historic heart of Innsbruck, Austria. Held each summer, the festival features authentic performances by top international ensembles and soloists, often using period instruments in ornate venues like imperial palaces and centuries-old churches. From rare operas to intimate chamber concerts, it offers a rich, immersive dive into Europe’s musical past, making it a must for classical music lovers and cultural travelers alike.

La Strada Street Theatre Festival, Graz is a vibrant international street arts festival held each summer, when Graz’s squares, courtyards, and public spaces become stages for theatre, circus, dance, live music, and inventive site-specific performances. The program mixes acclaimed international companies with emerging artists, inviting audiences to follow pop-up shows through the city and experience Graz in a playful, unexpected way. With its lively outdoor atmosphere and emphasis on creative experimentation, La Strada blends urban culture, accessible performance, and festival energy into one of Austria’s most distinctive arts events.

Grafenegg Festival is a renowned classical music festival held each late summer on the grounds of Schloss Grafenegg in Grafenegg, Austria, where international orchestras, major soloists, and leading conductors perform a mix of symphonic concerts, chamber music, and recitals in a striking setting that blends heritage and contemporary design. Signature venues include the open-air Wolkenturm stage for large-scale evenings under the sky and the indoor Auditorium for acoustically focused performances, creating a distinctive festival atmosphere that pairs world-class music-making with the elegance of the castle park in Lower Austria.

Jazzfestival Saalfelden (Saalfelden Jazz Festival) is an internationally respected celebration of adventurous jazz and improvised music held each August in Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer, Austria, set against the dramatic limestone peaks of the Steinernes Meer. The festival combines major evening concerts on its main stage (notably at Congress Saalfelden) with edgier late-night sets and pop-up formats, plus a strong strand of free “City Tracks” performances and special concerts in distinctive venues such as Kunsthaus Nexus and other unexpected city and outdoor locations. Known for its open-minded programming—where bold experimentation meets Alpine atmosphere—Jazzfestival Saalfelden turns the town into a walkable soundscape of discovery, community, and high-level live music.