Vienna's Outdoor Concert Culture

In Vienna, soft summer breezes are scored by outdoor symphonies, operettas, and concerts. While an outdoor venue would be a rather chilly choice for our Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert here in North America, we think the Viennese are onto something special by bringing their concerts into parks and platz-es in the warmer months.

Whether you’re planning or dreaming a trip to Vienna this summer, here’s a little background on the city’s outdoor concert culture.

Glatz company co-founder, Marion Glatz, attends an outdoor concert in Vienna.

Music to everyone’s ears

Vienna and world-class music have been synonymous for hundreds of years. Once primarily appreciated by and performed for aristocratic audiences, this music becomes accessible to the masses during outdoor concert season. Many outdoor concerts are free of charge or have low admission fees, breaking down cost barriers. Outdoor stages also break down walls by allowing the music to soar freely through the air, to be enjoyed by any lucky person in earshot.

Summer Rhapsodie at Liechtenstein Garden Palace.

Tooting their own horn

As they say: if you’ve got hundreds of years of rich music history, flaunt it! Outdoor performances allow Vienna to put some of its greatest attributes on show for visitors and residents alike. Part of what draws people to Vienna is the top-notch music, so proudly showing off this key characteristic adds to the city’s undeniable charm.

But Vienna’s charm doesn’t end at the melodies! The locations of these outdoor concerts can be as spectacular as the waltzes and overtures that echo off their walls. From popular outdoor event locations such as Rathausplatz to Liechtenstein Garden Palace, the full concert experience is truly outstanding.

A summer night concert at Schönbrunn Palace.

Know the score

Free events may be outstanding, but that doesn’t mean you want to be out standing in a queue for hours! For best seats to popular events, you may need to arrive quite early, or prepare to focus on the atmosphere and music at a distance versus being able to spot beads of sweat on the conductor’s brow.

Speaking of perspiration, it goes without saying your personal comfort may be weather dependent. But Viennese summers are generally pleasant, which is why outdoor concerts are such a hit! Evening shows are common and can be particularly lovely with the summer warmth sans scorching sun.

Evening performances are popular and prevalent.

Outdoor concerts of note

• Vienna’s most famous outdoor concert is Danube Island’s Donauinselfest. Held every June for more than 40 years now, the three-day event features around a dozen open-air stages across the island, attracting nearly 3 million music lovers.

  
  

• The event we’re most jazzed about this year is Vienna’s Opernsommer. Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert baritone Thomas Weinhappel is part of the incredible cast of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata. The outdoor opera festival’s second season is being held at the open-air opera arena at Heumarkt.

  

  Baritone Thomas Weinhappel, left, as Giorgio Germont in La Traviata with Glatz Productions founders Marion and Attila Glatz.

• For more than 35 years, the Music Film Festival at Rathausplatz has turned the square at City Hall into a massive outdoor theatre that screens music films and offers a vibrant space for food and drink all July and August.    

  
  

• The beautiful Liechtenstein Garden Palace is where you’ll find Summer Rhapsodie in the Garden each July. This diverse affair is a collection of classical music, theatre, cabaret, and more—including some wine and food on offer.

  
  

• Theatre in the Park turns the garden at Palais Schwarzenberg into an open-air theatre, hosting plays, musicals, and concerts all summer long. Artists such as the Vienna Boys’ Choir and Ursula Strauss, among dozens of others, will perform.

Fresh air and listening to classical music are both considered beneficial to one’s happiness and mental well-being. If that’s all it takes for you to justify a summer trip to Vienna, then please enjoy stopping by as many outdoor stages as you can cram into your itinerary.

But if a Viennese adventure isn’t on the schedule for 2025, we’ll make up for it at New Year’s with all the joy and happiness of Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert (where you will warm and cozy—and indoors)!