Wiener Festwochen

The Vienna Festival Weeks are Vienna's annual cultural "state of alarm" in the best sense of the word: for a few weeks, the whole city becomes a stage, not only in theaters and concert halls, but also in places where you would not normally expect to find art. The festival is known for mixing top international quality with bold, new voices: sometimes big and overwhelming, sometimes small and very close, often surprising and sometimes in such a way that people are still talking about it the next day.

What the festival weeks are all about (spoiler: not just a nice evening)

Sure, you can just go, sit back and enjoy a strong production. But the Festwochen can also do more: they invite you to try out new perspectives on society, politics, the present, on what is (or should be) on our minds.

This year: Vienna Festival Weeks | Free Republic of Vienna 2026

In 2026, the festival will once again run under the label "Wiener Festwochen | Freie Republik Wien", i.e. with this deliberately open, somewhat "city as a laboratory of ideas" vibe.

There is a 2026 program book and a box office in the MQ foyer (Hall E+G), which is open daily from May 4 to June 22 from 10 am to 6 pm. This is pleasantly low stress if you decide spontaneously or like to ask on the spot what is worth seeing.

What you can expect from the program

This year's festival is once again focusing on a cross-over program: theater, music, performances, discussions, installations and, above all, this mixture of "great evening" and "unusual format". On the program page, this is described as a diverse spectrum, from theater productions to installations/media formats.

You can find the complete program here.