Danube Island Festival 2026 Will Not Take Place in June
The Donauinselfest 2026 will be held from July 3 to 5. The reason for this is that the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg will take place on June 28 of the next year. "We do not want to compete with another major event," explained Jörg Neumayer, who was recently appointed as the state party secretary of the Vienna SPÖ, in a conversation with the APA regarding the decision to change the date.
Donauinselfest: No Permanent Date Change
The Vienna Reds organize Europe's largest open-air festival with free admission, which will enter its 43rd edition in 2026. The postponement will not affect the planning and organization of the island festival, said Neumayer. He also has no concerns that many potential guests will already be on summer vacation, as school will only end on July 3, 2026. However, the first weekend of July is not intended to become the new regular date: "There are no considerations for a permanent postponement." The fact that the three-day festival in 2026 will not take place at the end of June is not a first. In 2008, the event was postponed to autumn due to the European Football Championship, which was also held in Vienna in June. The same happened in 2020 when the coronavirus forced the organizers to hold a very reduced edition in September.
No Worries in Times of Budget Pressure at the Donauinselfest
As for the specific plans for next year's festival, Neumayer could not yet announce any acts. It is certain that he wants to maintain the diversity of the program to appeal to the widest possible audience. The inclusion offerings and the focus on sustainability are also to be further expanded.
Whether there will be a pre-opening in 2026, like this year, on the evening before the actual festival - a reinterpretation of "Carmen" was already on the program on Thursday - is still open. "The first-time collaboration with the Vienna Volksoper worked very well: We were very well attended, there were minutes of standing ovations," said Neumayer. The format will certainly be "included in our further considerations."
Fears that in times of budget constraints and financial pressure there will be less public funding next year - the city supports the festival with 1.8 million euros - and from private supporters, and therefore the event will have to be scaled down, are not shared by Neumayer. "We have a wide range of sponsors who are very interested in being with their target audience," the SPÖ state party secretary is confident.
Aut of Orda to Conclude the Donauinselfest 2025
Before planning for the 43rd edition begins, the final day of edition number 42 is still to come. On Sunday, the British singer Rag'n'Bone delivers soul and blues, before the local group Aut of Orda takes over the festival stage as the last act of this year's festival. The down-to-earth group has invited Otto Jaus, Rian, and Thomas Spitzer as guests. There will be something to laugh about in the culture tent thanks to cabaret by Antonia Stabinger, Manuel Rubey & Simon Schwarz, or David Scheid. On the Peace Stage, the Viennese rapper Jugo Ürdens will perform, and on the Schlager Stage, it's - after the band of the same name - Alle Achtung. In total, 200 acts were booked for this year's Donauinselfest on 16 stages. Overall, there were 700 hours of programming.
14 Arrests on the First Two Days at Donauinselfest 2025
The executive drew a preliminary positive conclusion. So far, there have been 14 arrests - nine on Friday and five more on Saturday - for minor offenses such as resisting state authority, as police spokesman Markus Dittrich announced to the APA on Sunday. The preliminary reporting on the security measures and the presence of the executive at the event itself had shown an effect.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.