What’s happening in Vienna in 2024? Which are the biggest and most important events that you need to remember? It will all depend greatly on your interests, but this article tries to give you information about the most important concerts, festivals, markets, and sports events in Vienna in 2024. Are you ready?
2024 is going to be a fantastic year. There are lots of things happening around the world, and even if it doesn’t take place in Vienna or in Austria, the Summer Olympics in Paris will greatly impact life also in Vienna. Why is that? There will be places where you can see all the events from the Summer Olympics, both inside restaurants and cafes, but also outdoors where you can watch with hundreds of others. And what might be even more interesting to locals is the European Championship in football which takes place in Germany this summer. With Austria among the top teams in the tournament, it will be lots of people out all across Vienna cheering for their players and hoping that Austria will do better than ever before in a European Championship in football.
But, let us return to the city of Vienna and all the awesome things that will happen in the city this year. We will list quite a lot of events, and not necessarily in chronological order. In other words, look through the entire article to find out if any of these events are of interest to you or not.
The highlights in Vienna in 2024
First of all, August is going to be one crazy month in Vienna. It is the month in which the Summer Olympics takes place in Paris, but it will also bring tens of thousands of people to Vienna. Why is that? We can look forward to concerts with the most popular singer in the world at the moment and several concerts with what might be the most popular band in the world currently.
Coldplay concerts in Vienna
We can look forward to four fantastic concerts with Coldplay at Ernst Happel Stadium in August. There are so many cities in Europe that would have loved to host such concerts, but we are extremely lucky to have Vienna as one of them. That is why there will be people coming from all across Europe to Vienna because Coldplay will not come to their countries in 2024. But, what an awesome opportunity to watch and experience the beautiful city of Vienna, and music from the most popular band in the world at the moment. Maybe you should come to Vienna as well for one of the Coldplay concerts?
The first Coldplay concert in on August 21 and the last is on August 25.
Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna
A few weeks before Coldplay comes to Vienna, the person who was chosen as “Person of the Year” by TIME Magazine in 2023 will come to Vienna. Taylor Swift, the most popular singer in the world at the moment, will perform at the Ernst Happel Stadium as well (just like Coldplay) and the stadium will be full every single evening. She started writing songs at the age of 12 and had her big breakthrough at the age of 16. She has a background as a country singer, but today she is more of a pop artist who knows how to use her voice and how to move her body. Many of her songs on Spotify have been played more than 1,500,000,000 times, and her videos on YouTube are just as popular.
The Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna come as a part of her big international tour that started in 2023. If you are unable to be there at one of the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna, then you can watch the movie “Taylor Swift – Era Tour” which is a cinema version of the concert.
The first Taylor Swift concert at the Ernst Happel Stadium is on August 8 and the last concert is on August 10.
Other concerts in Vienna
There will be lots of other concerts in Vienna in 2024 besides the Coldplay and Taylor Swift concerts, but none can compare the to size and popularity of those concerts. If you want to read more about other concerts in Vienna, look at our Vienna calendar to find out more about what’s going on in Vienna.
But, we can mention some of the artists coming to Vienna in 2024 besides Taylor Swift and Coldplay, for example;
- Andre Rieu
- Sepultura
- Picture This
- Ehrlich Brothers
- Wanda
- Die Fantastischen Vier
- Scooter
- and many others…
No year without the classical Easter and Christmas markets in Vienna.
It might sound like a joke, but the annual Christmas markets might be the most popular event in Vienna every single year. Tens of thousands of people travel to Vienna to drink hot wine, eat sausage, drink some more wine, buy all sorts of things they don’t need, and to see how beautiful the city of Vienna is with the magnificent lights on in the evening.
Vienna is a magical city in November and December and it is stunning after sunset. When they turn on the lights on the Christmas market at Rathausplatz, and the City Hall itself is illuminated… it is hard to describe it with words. It is fantastic, and there are probably millions of pictures taken in front of this Christmas market every year by visitors.
The Christmas markets in Vienna normally open in the middle of November and they remain open until some days after Christmas. Some markets remain open until the start of January. Besides the Christmas market at Rathausplatz, it is worth walking around the inner city which is dressed in Christmas magic. You should also visit Schönbrunn, the magnificent castle with a gigantic park. Not only will you be able to enjoy the Christmas market, but you can discover the palace from the inside, and you can walk for hours in the park. If you want to bring kids along, you should also visit the zoo which is located in the park of the palace.
And yes, the annual Easter market by Schönbrunn is one more popular event that brings thousands of people to Vienna. It might not be as big and as well-known as the Christmas markets, but it is still a valid excuse to visit Schönbrunn and Vienna during your Easter holidays.
Exhibitions in the Museum of Fine Arts
Vienna has several magnificent museums. The most famous of them all is the Museum of Fine Arts, also known as Kunsthistorisches Museum. The permanent exhibitions in the museum are astonishing, but a good temporary exhibitions gives an additional excuse to visit Vienna.
There will be several temporary exhibitions in the museum in 2024 worth visiting, and the most interesting exhibitions are:
- Holbein. Burgkmair. Dürer (Renaissance in the North), from March 19
- Rembrandt – Hoogstraten (Color and Illusion), from October 24
Besides the Museum of Fine Arts, you should also look into temporary and permanent exhibitions in popular museums such as:
- Museum of Natural History.
- Hundertwasser House.
- Albertina Museum
- Leopold Museum
- Vienna Science Museum
- Sigmund Freud Museum.
There are lots of running competitions in Vienna.
Just like one wouldn’t expect a Christmas market to bring tens of thousands of people to a city, you probably didn’t think of all the running competitions in a city to bring thousands of tourists to a city. That is wrong! The big marathons and running competitions are so popular that people travel for hours by car, train, and plane to partake. Vienna is a city with lots of running competitions, and even though the biggest is the Vienna Marathon, there are plenty of competitions for those who aren’t capable of running a full marathon.
There are running competitions all year around, but the highest density is in the autumn and December. In this period, you can run night running competitions, half-marathons, running competitions for women, New Year’s running competitions, advent running competitions and so much more.
If you like to run, then you should definitely combine your trip to Vienna with a running competition of some sort. If you don’t like running (yet), then it is time to prepare, and use it as an excuse to visit Vienna in 2024.
There are also running competitions that will take you out into the wild where you will run up and down in a green environment. An example of such a competition is the annual Vienna Trail Run.
Celebrating Vienna!
There are a couple of celebrations worth paying attention to if you want to celebrate with locals in Vienna. One of these celebrations is the annual Lichterfest that takes place on the Alte Donau Insel (Old Danube Island). It is normally arranged late in July and on this evening you can enjoy the sky above Vienna filled with beautiful fireworks.
Another event that celebrates Vienna is Wiener Festwochen. This isn’t an event for just an evening, but instead it lasts for more than a month and it comes with fantastic concerts and other cultural programs. Many cities in Europe arrange spring festivals, and this is what many would refer to as the Vienna Spring Festival. The opening program is arranged in front of the City Hall, and it is a spectacular concert at one of the most beautiful locations in Vienna. If you are interested in cultural programs such as theater performances, classical music concerts, and more, then this might be for you!
These are some of the coolest events that will happen in Vienna in 2024. But, there are lots of other programs that you should check out as well as you come to Vienna (available all year around). Keep on reading to get some recommendations.
Programs and events available in Vienna the entire year.
As we already mentioned, there are fantastic museums in Vienna that you should visit, no matter when you come to Vienna. They have brilliant permanent exhibitions, and you don’t need a temporary exhibition for these museums to be interesting.
Maybe you don’t want to go to a museum, but you should still visit the Dunauturm (Danube Tower). Here you can enjoy a great view in all directions, and if you want a location for a romantic breakfast, lunch, or dinner, this is the place!
The aquarium and the zoo of Vienna are two locations that both young and old love. The aquarium is indoor, meaning it is wonderful throughout the year, and especially on rainy and cold days in Vienna when you don’t feel like spending too much time outdoors. Would you like even more adrenaline, then travel with the metro to Praterstern and visit the Prater area. Here you can enjoy rollercoasters and other programs that will give you an adrenaline boost. This is also where you can find the legendary Riesenrad, frequently featured on images and postcards from Vienna.
If you haven’t been to this part of Europe before and you have several days in Vienna, then you could also consider a day-trip to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. It is easy to visit the city by boat, which means that you get to experience a trip on the Danube, and another European capital with the same program. If you want to stay within Austria, then one of the most popular locations in Austria among tourists is the beautiful Hallstatt. There are many daytrips to Hallstatt from Vienna, so if that is of interest to you, check it out.
The pictures above are from Hallstatt. Looks nice like a nice place to visit, doesn’t it? You can even combine it with climbing mountains and a fantastic view if you decide to climb any of the mountains surrounding Hallstatt.
If you decide to stay in Vienna, do not forget that the Spanish Riding School has programs in which you can see horse shows throughout the year. This is located in Hofburg, which means you get to see one of the most beautiful palaces in Vienna while enjoying the programs.
In the end, do not forget that you need energy to enjoy all these programs in Vienna. The apple strudel is a famous delight from Austria, but that is only a dessert or a sweet served next to your cup of coffee. There are many other cakes as well, so if you are into sweets, visit a confectionary to enjoy life.
When you are ready to eat a warm meal, the traditional Wiener schnitzel is a must-eat in Vienna. You can find this in traditional Viennese restaurants. If you want exclusive food, then Vienna has several restaurants with Michelin stars. Do not forget to reserve your table very early if you want to dine in any of these restaurants.
Restaurants with Michelin stars in Vienna:
- Amador (3 stars)
- Tian (1 star)
- Silvio Nickol Gourmet (2 stars)
- Konstantin Filippou (2 stars)
- Edvard (1 star)
- Steiereck im Stadtpark (2 stars)
- Apron (1 star)
- Pramerl & The Wolf (1 star)
- Mraz & Sohn (2 stars)
- [aend] (1 star)
Good appetite!
We hope this article has given you suggestions for what you should do in Vienna in 2024 and maybe when you should come to Vienna in 2024. If you have tips and advice about other programs and activities in Vienna, use the comment field below and share your thoughts!
