2021 Anniversaries in Austria

10 Years of Klassik am Dom – Linz, Upper Austria

Linz is Austria’s third largest city, located just over one hour west of Vienna. The cobblestone streets in its charming Old Town exist alongside its cutting-edge museums and a lively contemporary arts scene. A fact that captures this juxtaposition neatly: Linz is home to both Europe’s largest graffiti gallery and Austria’s largest church. The latter – the Mariendom or ‘New Cathedral’ – is the location for the open-air music festival Klassik am Dom, which celebrates its 10^th anniversary in 2021.

The festival comprises a series of atmospheric evening concerts with a programme incorporating classical, jazz, crossover and early music. Melophiles from all over the world gather in front of the church’s stained-glass windows and intricate spires for performances from the likes of opera singer José Carreras, jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin, singer-songwriter Katie Melua, Austrian multi-percussionist Martin Grubinger and the multi-talented Paolo Conte.

This under-the-radar event brings together some of the world’s most respected musicians and an enthusiastic audience in one of Austria’s most up and coming cities. What’s more, eco-aware travellers will be glad to know that Klassik am Dom is certified as a GREEN EVENT by the Federal Ministry for Sustainability & Tourism thanks to its commitment to reusable materials and a low-impact infrastructure.


75 Years of the Bregenz Festival – Bodensee-Vorarlberg

Bregenz is the capital city of Vorarlberg, Austria’s smallest and most western province. The city is known for its slow food culture, unique architectural style, and the wide variety of outdoor activities on its doorstep. Bregenz sits on the shores of Lake Constance, which provides the setting for the city’s incredible Bregenzer Festspiele; a summer festival with the world’s largest floating stage

The first ever Bregenzer Festspiele took place in 1946, kicking off with a performance held on two barges moored on Lake Constance, one carrying the staging for Mozart’s Bastien et Bastienne, the other an orchestra. For a town that didn’t even have a theatre at the time, this inaugural performance and its surrounding week-long festival was ambitious – and proved to be a huge success.

The Bregenzer Festspiele is now an internationally renowned event in the world of performing arts, with a programme of plays, orchestral concerts, workshops and, of course, operas. The leading opera takes place each night on the floating stage; as twilight falls over the water, the singers perform on sets of unimaginable scale and intricacy. A pack of scattered playing cards on which Carmen unfolds, a looming clown’s head watching over Rigoletto, a giant skeleton propping open a blank book as A Masked Ball is performed on its pages – the iconic floating stage never fails to astound the audience.

In 2021, the Bregenzer Festspiele will begin with a lake-stage performance of Verdi's Rigoletto. That’s definitely something to look forward to.


High-res images are available to download below. For further information such as exact prices, dates and addresses, please contact eleanor.moody@austria.info. Up-to-date information about Coronavirus in Austria can be found on our website.