Free events in Vienna today and this week

The Kunsthistorisches Museum presents the city views of Canaletto and his nephew Bernardo Bellotto together for the first time in the German-speaking world. Paintings of Venice, London and Vienna reveal how optical precision, atmosphere and painterly staging shaped images of European cities.

The MQ Summer Stage features daily changing concerts, performances, readings, talks, and film screenings in the main courtyard of MuseumsQuartier. The free program runs from late May to late September, starting at various times depending on the event.

VOLXkino presents over 40 free open-air film nights in Vienna's parks, courtyards and public squares throughout the summer. Locations and start times vary by date; screenings usually begin at 9 pm in June and July, with earlier starts later in the summer.

Mira Gáberová, Marei Loellmann and Mario Mu explore how memory, the body and the surrounding world intersect in Where Boundaries Blur. Video, textiles and digital imagery form an intimate group exhibition in the freely accessible MQ Pop Up Showroom.

Bewegt im Park offers free courses like yoga, full-body workouts, and dance in public green spaces across Vienna. Courses start between mid and late June, running until September 13; no registration is required.

At the KABINETT comic passage, Monika Ernst combines humour, irony and Viennese gruffness with questions about equality and social change. The free comic exhibition, published as KABINETT booklet no. 63, is accessible around the clock between the MQ courtyards.

Aldo Giannotti turns the MQ Art Box into a walk-through corridor for the first time. Passing through becomes part of the work, raising questions about freedom of movement, public space and the rules of cultural institutions.

Paintings and sculptures by Elisabeth Olivier exploring forests and the sea can be viewed around the clock in the freely accessible Dialogfenster entrance. The presentation runs until the end of August.

Until early September, the plaza at francis becomes a freely accessible summer venue with a lounge, bar and design market. Thursdays feature after-work DJ sets, Fridays bring open-air cinema, and Saturdays offer salsa and bachata.

The puzzle rally guides participants of all ages through the Allied Quarter with eight questions. Puzzle sheets can be picked up and returned during opening hours at the GB* district office on Nordbahnstraße; a small gift awaits after finding the correct solution.

UTOPIA THEATER brings Jura Soyfer's satire about the conquest of America to several Vienna neighbourhoods as free open-air theatre. Action, cabaret-style dialogue and contemporary political relevance make the production suitable for all ages.

Three circus artists and a musician arrive in a new neighbourhood with a caravan. The mobile production combines acrobatics, music and comedy and performs free of charge in several Vienna squares and parks.

PALAIS FREILUFT combines a public art garden with street food and a changing cultural program from June 3 to September 5. The garden at Palais Auersperg is open Tuesday to Sunday; entry is free.

WIENXTRA-Cinemagic and VOLXkino present free open-air screenings of youth and cult films from the 1990s and 2000s. The final three evenings take place in Weghuberpark on 1, 2 and 3 September, featuring Star Trek, Bibi & Tina 2 and a Mamma Mia! sing-along.

Wiener Neustadt Cultural Summer brings concerts, matinees, literature, theatre, children's events, city tours and other open-air formats to squares, parks and venues across the city from July to September. Every remaining date is listed separately with its title, start time and venue; admission is usually free, with a small number of paid exceptions marked in the programme.

The Ottakringer Beer Festival opens from July 2 to September 4, every Tuesday to Saturday in the brewery courtyard. Enjoy over 20 types of beer, live music, pub quizzes, table tennis, and changing pop-ups.

The free Jazz Brunch presents Austrian jazz acts at Vienna's Rathausplatz on Sundays from noon to 2 pm. The open-air series is organised with the Film Festival at Rathausplatz and runs until 6 September.

Young people aged 10 to 14 create avatars, collective creatures and animated worlds in two three-day workshop blocks. Each block ends with a presentation at FOTO ARSENAL WIEN.

Bernd Watzka reads humorous and satirical poems centred on his eccentric Viennese character Herlicek. The free series travels through parks, inns, cafés and a district hall across several Vienna neighbourhoods.

The art and antiques market at Am Hof offers rarities, paintings, historical prints, coins and other collectables on Fridays and Saturdays. It is held in the historic city centre and runs during the day until mid-November.

The group exhibition Water Resistance brings together artistic approaches to water, bodies, materials and urban infrastructure in the historic Alte Schieberkammer. Alongside the opening and closing events, the exhibition has two regular afternoon openings; additional visits can be arranged.

Children aged 6 to 12 build their own kites together in Helmut Zilk Park and can fly them straight away if the late-summer wind allows.

Across four free evenings, researchers discuss energy supply and storage, materials research, everyday technologies, climate change, the energy transition and artificial intelligence. The talks take place in the TU campus garden and explicitly invite audience discussion.

The youth sports area in Währinger Park becomes a free family festival with bouncy castles, a climbing tower, face painting, sports stations, accessible games, a DJ and refreshments.

Twenty Viennese markets extend their opening hours with a citywide programme of live music, children's activities, dance, workshops and food. New participants include the organic market at Freyung and the market hall at Naschmarkt, with a different programme at each location.

The sixth edition of Jazz at Schlingermarkt brings a free evening concert to Floridsdorf Market, combining live jazz with the open neighbourhood atmosphere of the market.

Volksstimmefest is a two-day open-air festival on Jesuitenwiese. Three stages combine live music with literature, theatre, discussions, children's activities and further cultural programming, all with free admission.

At the weekly flea market next to Naschmarkt, around 400 private and commercial sellers offer antiques, second-hand goods, and curiosities. In September 2026, it takes place on all four Saturdays starting at 6:30 AM; entry is free.

This street festival on Wollzeile brings together traditional local businesses, musicians and artists for a day centred on experiencing Viennese character with all the senses.

The European Street Food Festival brings international food trucks, trailers, and stalls to the outdoor area of Halle E. It's open on Saturday from 11 AM to 10 PM and on Sunday from 11 AM to 8 PM; entry is free, but food and drinks are paid.

This open family studio approaches the start of school through ink-eraser art, modelling-clay study buddies and playful concentration exercises. Entry is available every hour on four Saturdays, with each session lasting about 40 minutes.

The Opera Air Concert by the Vienna State Opera takes place in Burggarten, featuring international soloists performing an open-air program with the orchestra. This evening concert is held outdoors in the park next to the Hofburg and is free to attend.

Servitenplatz becomes a small open-air stage for an afternoon of free live jazz in the neighbourhood. If bad weather prevents the event, a replacement date is scheduled one week later.

Parallel Vienna is an exhibition and art fair for contemporary art at the Otto Wagner site. From September 9 to 13, galleries and artists present their work throughout the former hospital complex, accompanied by a programme such as tours and talks.

Oliver Hangl's two-channel wireless-headphone disco turns Südtiroler Platz into a public silent dance floor. Places are limited and registration is required; participants must be 16 or older and leave an ID as a headphone deposit.

Astoria Artshow is the preview edition of a new Vienna art fair. Around 70 Austrian and international galleries present established and emerging positions in the historic Astoria Garage.

A free open-air rave meets the historic setting in front of Karlskirche. Dance, peak-time techno and trance run from 4 pm to 11 pm, with a music break during mass from 6 pm to 7 pm. Afterwards, the church is also open free of charge and Father Marek invites visitors to talk.

The 11th Währing Jazz Autumn brings free live jazz to Kutschkermarkt beside Gertrud Church. The afternoon concert is planned outdoors, with the lower church hall serving as the bad-weather venue.

After 13 years, the post-migrant theatre, film and performance laboratory diverCITYLAB closes with a multi-part festival. The Kabelwerk programme combines sound performance, theatre and Titanic – Das Brot ist voll, followed by additional festival evenings at Kosmos Theater.

Curated by Sarah Johanna Theurer and Aditi Kapoor, this group exhibition examines the psychological costs of producing, using and consuming goods and infrastructure. Time-based media reveal hidden connections and dependencies within these systems.

For the curated by gallery festival, international curators develop exhibitions for 24 Vienna galleries. The opening weekend brings extended hours and tours, followed by the festival programme through mid-October.

Roasteries, baristas, and manufacturers showcase the diversity of coffee through its origins, craftsmanship, and technology over three days. Entry includes tastings, along with demonstrations, machines, accessories, street food, and music.

WestLicht presents the World Press Photo exhibition in Vienna for the 25th time. It features 42 award-winning works selected from 57,376 submissions by more than 3,747 photographers from 141 countries.

The Reindorfgasse street festival fills the neighbourhood street for two afternoons and evenings across three stages. Live music, DJ sets and readings are joined by exhibitors, food trucks, walking acts and a children's programme. Admission is free on both days.

At the Börseviertel Live street festival, local businesses and organisations around Rudolfsplatz introduce themselves. Music, food, encounters and participatory activities turn the afternoon into an open neighbourhood gathering.

Austria's agriculture and forestry sectors present regional produce, food, information and a supporting programme at the country's largest harvest festival on Heldenplatz.

From 12 to 23 September, dotdotdot presents international and Austrian short films in the park of Palais Auersperg. The twelve open-air evenings also include conversations with filmmakers. Pay-as-you-can tickets are available exclusively through online advance sales; there is no box office at the venue.

The ALBERTINA brings Pablo Picasso and Francis Bacon together in a major exhibition of around 70 key works from international museums and private collections. Their radical depictions of the human figure, vulnerability, pain and desire take centre stage.

Plant-based street food from various cuisines meets music, sustainable products, and information booths right by the New Danube. Entry is free; only food, drinks, and purchases are to be paid.

The free Mistfest combines environmental information with family activities, vehicle and technology demonstrations, a children's flea market, hands-on stations, rides, food and live music.

The 20th Vienna Design Week showcases product, furniture, industrial, graphic and social design through exhibitions, installations, workshops, talks and tours at locations across Vienna.

Open House Vienna opens 53 doors to architecturally significant buildings and open spaces in 2026, some of which are normally inaccessible to the public. Every site can be visited free of charge and without advance registration through volunteer or expert tours.

Four different routes lead through Vienna's vineyards to wineries, snack stations, and viewpoints over the city. Shorter sections and stroller-friendly paths make the Wine Hiking Day easy to plan even without a long tour.

The Vienna City Gallery Walk features guided tours and events in downtown galleries over several days. Participating venues showcase exhibitions, artist talks, and specials focusing on contemporary art and positions from Vienna and beyond.

This one-day symposium with an international line-up explores how cultural institutions can actively shape the future and foster participation in society. It focuses on responsibility, accessibility, sustainability and new forms of exchange in times of social transformation; the event is held in German and English.

Psychology Day at Vienna City Hall presents a free public programme on digitalisation, artificial intelligence, mental health, the future of work and residential psychology. Talks alternate with short participatory exercises, followed by a poetry slam hosted by FOMP Vienna.

More than 130 museums and galleries in Vienna stay open from 6 p.m. to midnight with one shared ticket, special tours, short programmes and shuttle routes.

The two-day Vienna Tea Festival brings international producers, tea merchants, ceramic artists and specialists to REAKTOR. Visitors can taste rare teas, discover handcrafted teaware and attend talks, ceremonies, tastings and separately bookable workshops exploring traditional and contemporary tea culture.

FAIR FOR ART Vienna returns to the Vienna Künstlerhaus in 2026, presenting modern and contemporary art from Austrian and international galleries. The public fair runs for five days; the preview and vernissage on the preceding evening are by personal invitation only.

Design District turns Vienna's Hofburg into a three-day fair for interior design and lifestyle. Across more than 7,500 square metres, Austrian and international brands present furniture, interiors, real estate, technology, art and accessories to explore and try out.