The documentary film 75 Jahre Wiener Festwochen - Schönheit und Provokation (75 Years of the Vienna Festival – Beauty and Provocation) takes us on a journey through the history of one of the most important cultural festivals in Europe. Rare historical TV footage meets scenes from the rehearsals for the anniversary production The Best Play Ever by artistic director Milo Rau. Interviews with contemporaries, artists, former artistic directors and employees draw a lively picture of art, new beginnings and cultural shifts in Vienna. It is a story of ruptures and continuities, visions and resistance.

Q&A following the film: Director Felix Breisach and actress Caroline Peters in conversation with Milo Rau.

Place Stadtkino Vienna
Free tickets here

The Tragic Destiny of Sonata No. 2 focuses on the close ties between classical music and power: When Chopin composed his marche funèbre, he could hardly have suspected that it would one day be played at the funerals of leaders from utterly different ideological backgrounds, such as British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and secretary-general of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah. Is it not the music itself that is buried in such moments, robbed of its freedom and instrumentalised to glorify leaders? With inimitable acuity and fine humour, Lina Majdalanie and Rabih Mroué dissect the interplay of power, death and music. The artists, who are from Beirut and now live in Berlin and whose works are shown across the globe, are bringing a pièce commune that is as humorous as it is politically charged to the Republic of Gods.

Place Riverbank in front of the Badeschiff

Public meeting of the Council of the Republic
Presentation by the council’s working groups on the Vienna Declaration, covering the topics of quotas, fundraising, community projects and public discourse.

Place Trinkhalle on the Badeschiff

Presentation of the A.R.E.A.L. children’s workshop series Oh my Godness!
In each workshop, the young participants worked together to design new divine beings. Using large-format cardboard, wooden slats and other materials, they created mythical beings that took up residence on the Badeschiff during the festival. Beyond design and construction, the voices and sounds of the new deities were explored in a sound workshop, whilst the myth workshop created stories and tales that revealed their divine qualities and superpowers.

Place Riverbank in front of the Badeschiff

Meeting point Badeschiff

Tales from the Danube Canal
To mark the conclusion of the Vienna Festival 2026, the Schwimmverein Donaukanal (Danube Canal Swimming Club) invites you to take a glimpse into the future: together, Viennese locals and visitors will swim their way back to the lost bathing culture of the Danube Canal and discover new perspectives on the city and life in, on and with the water. In a safe environment, anyone interested can let themselves drift and be welcomed into the community of canal swimmers. Along the way, they encounter stories from the past, Danube nymphs emerge from the depths, and secret legends are passed on from ear to ear, from swimmer to swimmer. Thus, with the voices of the past, an experience of the future emerges, in which swimming in the heart of the city is imagined as a natural part of everyday life in Vienna. Together, with enthusiasm and plenty of swimming fun, we herald the arrival of summer and rediscover the canal as an urban oasis.

Place at the Urania
Bring your swimwear! Water shoes recommended for the banks.

Audios by Lili Carr, 2025
Danube creatures concept & implementation Paul Simon, Sarah Zelt
A collaboration with the Schwimmverein Donaukanal.
Accompanied by the Samaritan Water Rescue Service.
Conditions of Participation

Now tell me, what do you think about religion? This crucial question is asked of Faust by Gretchen. In Gretchenfrage, Lulu Obermayer – who is at home in opera, theatre as well as performance – encounters the actor Michael König and investigates how liturgical forms and rituals, as aesthetic DNA, continue to have an effect in Western theatre.

Place Trinkhalle on the Badeschiff
Part of the Mythical Ark series

Nifty’s started 25 years ago with traditional Klezmer music and Jewish songs. In the beginning, Nifty’s was inspired by the tradition of its namesake, Naftule “Nifty” Brandwein, aiming to sound like the original. Naftule Brandwein was a brilliant clarinetist (the first to bring Klezmer from Galicia to the New World and responsible for some of the earliest recordings) – and was also famous for his extravagant lifestyle.

Over the years, the line-up changed from clarinet or violin with bass, drums, and guitar to trumpet, two guitars, bass, and drums — essentially a classic rock band line-up. Accordingly, Nifty’s performances are just as energetic.

For a long time, Nifty’s fueled stages between New York and Bucharest with “uptempo madness and Unza music,” delivering highly danceable tunes. Now the band is opening a new musical chapter in its history. To mark their 25th anniversary on stage, Nifty’s is touring Europe to present music from their fourth album, which will be released in 2026.

Still connected to the roots of Klezmer, Nifty’s now plays a very distinctive, modern Klezmer sound that is characteristic of this diverse band. The new program is largely danceable again, but explores entirely different grooves, with a strong influence from the surf sound of the 1960s and 1970s.

Line-up
Fabian Pollack – guitar
Michael Bruckner – guitar
Alexander Kranabetter – trumpet
Dominik Grünbühel – bass
Xavier Plus – drums
Jelena Popržan – vocals & viola

Place Trinkhalle on the Badeschiff