When is festival season in Lower Austria?

Actually, all year round. The festival season reaches its peak between May and September, when spring and summer bring big names, open-air venues and a special atmosphere. Autumn also offers fine cultural highlights with smaller, atmospheric formats.

Where can I find festivals by date or location?

In the central events calendar for Lower Austria, you will find all current festivals clearly arranged by period, region and theme.

What is the best way to get to the individual festival venues – even without a car?

Many venues are easily accessible by train and bus (ÖBB, VOR). In addition, shuttles, shared taxis, cycle paths or short footpaths are often available on site. Our tip: check your connection briefly before departure to ensure a relaxed start to your festival visit.

Can I combine my festival visit with a holiday?

Absolutely. Lower Austria impresses with its short distances, packed programmes and venues in the heart of cultural and natural landscapes. One to three nights are ideal, combined with culinary experiences, cycling or hiking opportunities – for short breaks with a big impact.

Where can I buy tickets and when do they go on sale?

Tickets are available directly from the respective festival website or via linked ticket shops. Popular dates often sell out quickly. Recommendation: book early and subscribe to the festival newsletters or ours so you don't miss any dates.

Where can I find accommodation near the venues?

Our Selected Stays offer hand-picked, top-quality accommodation in Lower Austria. Curated in four categories – Classic, Pure, Unique, Urban – they stand for high quality, regional roots and special architecture. In short: less searching, more arriving – from chalets and castles to hideaways and urban retreats with insider tip character.

©© Niederösterreich Werbung/Lisa Eiersebner

Festival Land in Lower Austria

From classical music to avant-garde, from cabaret to dance – Lower Austria's festivals transform entire landscapes into lively stages, create lasting impressions and show the country and its scenery from their most beautiful sides.

The magic? Each festival connects with its location – with the landscape, the people and often also with the cuisine. This turns a concert evening into an overall experience when it ends with a glass of regional wine or begins with a hike through the surrounding countryside.

Festivals that touch the heart

Our most beautiful festivals bring artists from all over the world to the stage – from classical music to literature, from theatre to jazz.
But the experience doesn't end with the final applause: the festival location itself shapes the memory.

That's why we reveal where to go for a bite to eat after the concert, which accommodations promise a relaxing night's sleep, and which hikes, cycle routes or sights round off your stay. This way, your festival visit becomes a mini cultural holiday in Lower Austria.

©© Grafenegg/Lisa Edi
Grafenegg Festival
©© Niederösterreich Werbung/Robert Herbst
Schrammel Sound Festival
©© david visnjic
Danube Festival
©© Wienerwald Tourismus/Martin Fülöp
La Gacilly Photo Festival
©© Julia Geiter
wave sounds

Festival voices

Here, the artistic directors themselves speak. They reveal their favourite routes, viewpoints and places to stop for refreshments around their festivals – often just a short walk away. Click in, follow a voice – and set off.

LisaEdi_Grafenegg0123_Film4873_05 — ©© Grafenegg/Lisa Edi

The vast countryside becomes a stage – from forest sounds to towering clouds.

Which festival world suits you best?

Or, to put it another way: are you looking for a grand symphony in the castle grounds, intimate chamber music in a monastery, contemporary theatre within ancient walls, or jazz among the vines? The festival worlds of Lower Austria bundle the programmes by genre – from classical music and opera to literature and theatre to jazz, world music and crossover. This makes it easier for you to find the places, artists and formats where art, space and attitude come together in harmony.

A fine selection of themed clusters – curated, clearly arranged, for browsing and planning:

1 | Classical music in special locations

Symphonic evenings in castles, monasteries and gardens – where architecture carries sound and acoustics tell stories.

©Busyshutters
Bösendorfer Festival
©© Haydnregion Niederösterreich/Lukas Lorenz
Haydn Experience
©© Wiener Alpen/Martin Fülöp
Culture.Summer.Semmering

2 | Opera, operetta and musical summer

From light entertainment to grand emotions – open-air and in historic venues, with melodies that linger into the night.

©© (Jenni Koller)
Baden Stage
©© Oper BURG GARS © Alexander Ch. Wulz
Gars Castle Opera
©© Wienerwald_Tourismus/Andreas Hofer
Operkloster Neuburg
©© Jenni Koller
Langenlois Operetta

3 | Early music, Baroque & sacred spaces

Transparent sound art in dialogue with Baroque architecture and sacred spaces – pure, intimate, rich in detail.

©© Daniela Matejschek
Melk International Baroque Festival
©© Sascha Osaka
image of God
©© Klaus Engelmayer
Musica Sacra Festival
©© Klaus Engelmayer
St. Pölten Baroque Festival

4 | Chamber music, masterclasses & young talents

Intimate and focused: fine ensembles, precise playing and young talent that shines alongside big names.

©© Wiener Alpen/Martin Fülöp
Harriet & Friends
©© Waldviertel Tourismus, Line Sulzbacher
Allegro Vivo

5 | Contemporary, avant-garde & world music

World premieres, global sounds and experiments – formats for open ears and curious minds.

6 | Theatre festivals & summer theatre

From reinterpretations of classics to world premieres – pointedly staged, with short distances between the play and the discussion.

7 | Literature, readings & salons

Authors read, discuss, sign books – salons, walks and conversations that bring texts to life.

8 | Mountains, lakes and natural stages

Concerts by the lake, matinees on alpine pastures, programme trails in the forest – music and landscape in harmony.

9 | City Summer & Street Art

Squares become stages: pop-ups, markets, street art and short concerts – urban, spontaneous, easily accessible.

10 | Photographic art, light and open-air installations

Large-format photographic art, light paths and temporary installations – freely accessible and a great place to stroll in the evening as well as during the day.