Expert recommendations for the top events—with tips on how to best experience these celebrations.
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Christkindlmärkte
Mid-November through Christmas Eve. Christkindlmärkte (Christmas markets) spring up all over Vienna, selling cookies, mulled wine, hot punch, Christmas tree baubles, and souvenirs. The classic market on the square in front of Vienna City Hall features elaborately decorated trees in the park; Spittelberg market in the Seventh District has the best shopping, and Schönbrunn Palace market holds daily concerts.
Ball Season
November-June. Dozens of festive balls throughout the city, ranging from affordable to ostentatious. The Vienna State Opera Ball, attracting celebrities from around the world, is the most elaborate and expensive. The season officially starts with the Imperial Ball (www.kaiserball.at) on December 31 and ends on Ash Wednesday, but balls take place from November until June. For current ball schedule check www.austria.info/xxl/_site/us/
Wiener Festwochen
May-June. Cultural festival offering classical and contemporary performances; theater, music, and dance by notable international artists, such as King Lear with Swiss director Luc Bondy and German actor Gert Voss, Tennessee Williams drama adaptations by German director Frank Castorf, and the Parisian avant-garde theater group Théâtre du Soleil. www.festwochen.at
Film festival on Rathausplatz
July-August. Open-air film festival in front of the Vienna City Hall; free screenings of previously recorded live opera performances and concerts such as Placido Domingo’s 2006 concert in Berlin; also international food stalls. www.wien.info
Viennale
October. Two-week annual international film festival offers an extensive selection of international features, documentaries, and short films in the original languages; more than 320 screenings attract 90,000 filmgoers. www.viennale.at
