What's on in Vienna today?

From October 2 to 18, re:pair FESTIVAL brings more than 90 participatory events to MuseumsQuartier and other venues across Vienna. Repair clinics, workshops, exhibitions, a clothing swap, films, talks and hands-on making explore practical repair, upcycling and resource-conscious everyday life. Public workshops and activities have individual times, prices and registration requirements.

The tenth Japanese Film Days present contemporary and historic cinema from Japan. Screenings take place at Filmcasino through 14 October and continue at Filmhaus Spittelberg on 15 October. Talks and accompanying events at HABARI and the Margareten district office complete the programme. Films are shown in Japanese with English subtitles, except A New Dawn, which has German subtitles. Seating is unassigned. Reserved tickets must be collected at least 30 minutes before the screening; festival passes are reserved by email.

The Mariahilf Women’s Weeks bring workshops, talks, readings, movement and music to several venues in the sixth district from 12 to 23 October. The programme opens with an art performance and includes 19 announced sessions. Workshops are intended for women and girls; everyone is welcome at the other events. Admission is free, with material fees for two craft workshops. Registration is requested for many workshops.

The 17th edition of the urbanize! festival explores streets as public urban space. From October 13 to 18, talks, discussions, workshops, city walks, films and artistic interventions address climate adaptation, mobility, social justice, protest and encounter. Events take place at different locations across Vienna and are free, although selected formats require registration.

Shows, workshops, talks and club nights make up the Vienna Drag Festival. Radio Altglas at Marea Alta and a discussion at Das Gugg start the programme. Dschungel hosts the Dutzi and Athene Show, the Miss*ter competition and Drag Society, alongside drag and voguing workshops. Several talks and parties are free; shows and workshops require tickets. The final club night runs until 4 am on 18 October. The three house shows also appear in the stage section; this festival card brings the programme together.

The multimedia exhibition PULS examines Vienna’s streets as social, climatic and political lifelines. Young artists explore movement, heat, encounter, standstill and visibility. The programme includes a pre-opening tour followed by the vernissage, a photo walk through Ottakring, and a closing event with a curatorial tour and queer-feminist discussion.

MILA is hosting two LeGallineFelici events on consecutive days. On 15 October at 7 pm, the film night “We, the Happy Hens” features portraits, followed by a discussion with guests from Sicily and a tasting. From 1 pm on 16 October, visitors can meet members of the Sicilian organic farming cooperative in the supermarket and sample their products. The organiser has not listed admission prices or end times.

The four-day TAKT Festival brings music together with dance, theatre, photography, fashion and discussion. Nine programme entries at Das LOT explore the theme Shadow:Play. Thursday starts at 8 pm, Friday at 7 pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 8 pm. Day tickets and festival passes are available. A limited number of free Kulturpass places can be requested from the association. The organiser publishes start times but no fixed finish times.

Kunsthalle Wien presents contemporary art from Vienna at its Museumsquartier and Karlsplatz locations. The exhibition brings together different media and artistic perspectives on the city. Both venues open Tuesday–Sunday, 10 am–6 pm, and Thursday until 8 pm; closed Mondays.

Historical sources from the monastery’s archive, library and art collections use maps, scientific works, travel diaries and expedition records to show how worldviews have changed.

This five-act exhibition takes Kate Millett’s 1972 installation “Terminal Piece” as its point of departure, placing around 400 works from the mumok collection in dialogue with loans and new commissions. The prologue on Level 0 is free to visit.

The exhibition Figure of the Child by Tolia Astakhishvili is running at mumok. The official MQ site lists the end date as November 1, 2026.

The anniversary exhibition traces the long and contested path from the imperial stables to today's MuseumsQuartier. Architectural proposals, political decisions and public debates show how the cultural complex changed Vienna. Visit Tuesday–Sunday, 10 am–6 pm; closed Mondays.

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.

The exhibition Schwelle runs at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna's Exhibit Gallery from September 10 to October 18, 2026. Five artistic positions explore and physically challenge transitions between interior, exhibition and public space. Visit Tuesday–Sunday, 10 am–6 pm; closed Mondays and public holidays.

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. Regular exhibition visits run from 11 September to 7 November: Tuesday–Friday, 11 am–7 pm; Saturday, 11 am–3 pm. Closed Mondays, Sundays and public holidays.

At the curated by festival, international curators develop exhibitions for 24 Vienna galleries. The opening weekend features extended hours and guided tours; the festival continues until mid-October. During the festival: Tue–Fri 12–18, Sat 12–16.

WestLicht is hosting the World Press Photo exhibition 2026 for the 25th time in Vienna. You can see 42 award-winning works selected from 57,376 submissions by over 3,747 photographers from 141 countries. Open daily from 11 AM to 7 PM, Thursdays until 9 PM.

Historical photographs and objects meet contemporary voices and art by the Ishír of Paraguay. Developed with representatives of the community, the exhibition explores how cultural heritage is remembered and passed on today. Open Tue–Sun 10 am–6 pm, Tuesdays until 9 pm; closed Mondays except selected public holidays.

At the MAK Forum, Kateryna Lysovenko presents paintings that connect personal observations with social and political questions. The Austria-based artist works with everyday scenes, fragments of news and transformations of familiar imagery. Open Tue 10 am–9 pm and Wed–Sun 10 am–6 pm; closed Mondays except public holidays.

The Weltmuseum presents objects from its collections that have rarely or never been shown publicly. Combs and hair ornaments, stone sculptures and contemporary art offer insights into their origins, cultural significance and current research. Open Tue–Sun 10 am–6 pm, Tuesdays until 9 pm; closed Mondays except selected public holidays.

In her solo exhibition, Ana de Almeida examines carnations and roses as political symbols in Cold War imagery. Taking the Portuguese Carnation Revolution and the Czechoslovak Velvet Revolution as points of departure, archival photographs, metal drawings and living plants form a spatial constellation.

This group exhibition at Kunsthalle Exnergasse explores care, parenthood and collaborative artistic practice. The regular exhibition runs from September 17 to October 24, with talks, workshops and performances scheduled separately.

The Lower Belvedere presents work by Erika Giovanna Klien exploring movement, perception and modern life. The exhibition runs from 18 September 2026 to 31 January 2027 during the museum’s regular opening hours.

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.

With “We Are Here”, FOTO ARSENAL WIEN presents Austria’s first extensive solo exhibition of Zanele Muholi. Works spanning more than two decades connect self-representation, queer lived realities and visual activism.

The Heidi Horten Collection presents a major solo exhibition of Elisabeth von Samsonow, bringing together sculpture, painting, drawing, film and a site-specific installation. The show centres on earth, the body, memory and transformation, while also connecting to works in the museum collection.

Kunst VHS opens its open-call exhibition on the theme of “Dialogue”. Submitted works are displayed and the winners selected by an expert jury are announced. The opening takes place on 22 September 2026, 6–9 pm, at Lazarettgasse 27. Admission is free.

Hannes Gröblacher’s installation in the Kunstzelle in WUK’s courtyard draws on fragments of overheard phone calls. At the opening on 23 September at 7 pm, visitors can join a performance that passes these fragments between people. The installation remains accessible until 6 November during WUK opening hours.

This exhibition at Weltmuseum Wien examines the arms trade around 1900 and its social consequences. Historical photographs, films and objects are shown alongside contemporary art. Opens on 29 September.

The exhibition tells the life stories of Viennese Jews forced into exile after the 1938 Anschluss. It explores the loss of home, difficult new beginnings and repeated journeys of flight to different parts of the world.

This shared virtual-reality experience takes groups of up to six to stars, space telescopes and a black hole. It was developed with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The VR journey lasts around 40 minutes; allow an hour including briefing and equipment. Minimum age is six, with nine and over recommended; children aged six to 14 must be accompanied. The indoor experience is available in German and English. Arrive 15 minutes before the booked slot. Tickets currently extend through 10 January.

The Academy’s Paintings Gallery examines the relationship between the avant-garde and academic art through historical and contemporary works. The exhibition opens to regular visitors on 2 October, with an opening event on 1 October at 7 pm.

MAK presents historical architectural building kits from 1890 to 1990. Original kits and models explore how playful construction has shaped ideas about architecture, with opportunities for visitors to experiment. The exhibition runs from 7 October 2026 to 14 March 2027. Open Tuesday, 10 am–9 pm, and Wednesday–Sunday, 10 am–6 pm; closed Mondays. The opening event on 6 October at 7 pm precedes the regular exhibition dates.

The ALBERTINA presents a solo exhibition by Shara Hughes. Her vivid paintings combine landscape motifs with imagined spaces. The exhibition runs from 9 October to 28 February.

This interactive mission takes groups through a walk-through Minecraft world to gather resources and help a village. The experience lasts about 60 minutes and requires no personal gaming device. All ages are welcome; visitors through age 14 need an accompanying adult over 18. Ages two and under enter free. Timed tickets and selected quieter Relaxed Sessions are available. Mondays are usually closed, with holiday exceptions; 26 October is bookable. Tickets currently extend through 28 February.

“Oberwasser” presents work by five artists inside the Favoriten Water Tower. The opening on 13 October includes a tower tour at 7:30 pm, followed by three further exhibition days through the closing event on 16 October.

The multimedia exhibition PULS examines Vienna’s streets as social, climatic and political lifelines. Young artists explore movement, heat, encounter, standstill and visibility. The programme includes a pre-opening tour followed by the vernissage, a photo walk through Ottakring, and a closing event with a curatorial tour and queer-feminist discussion.

The 20th Vienna Kunstsupermarkt presents original art for sale on Mariahilfer Straße. The opening and anniversary celebration starts at 5 pm on 14 October. The regular season runs from 15 October to 13 March 2027: Monday to Friday 11 am–7 pm and Saturday 10 am–6 pm. Admission is free; art purchases cost extra. Closed on Sundays. The current calendar lists closures around public holidays and New Year; check the source before a holiday visit.

This exhibition in the Austrian National Library’s State Hall explores displacement and aid during the Hungarian uprising of 1956. Photographs from the library’s collections document how refugees were received, supported and helped on their onward journeys.