C Montforter Zwischentöne (c) Büro Magma
Enjoy colourful festivals in summer and autumn. Nature plays a big part as always, from Lake Constance to the mountain panorama. With programmes for young and old, ranging from high culture to cabaret, and events held in villages and cities, many of them open air!
The Montforter Zwischentöne were founded in 2015 by the city of Feldkirch on the occasion of the opening of the newly built Montforthaus. The annual festival, which takes place between November and the beginning of December, uses the period between All Souls’ Day and Advent to address questions between retrospection, farewell and hopeful new beginnings. A “dramaturgy of closeness” in which transformation becomes the basic principle. The programme includes concerts, music salons and talks.
In the summer of 2025, Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber can be experienced on Bregenz Festival’ lake stage. The open-air atmosphere, the spectacular stage, the first-class artists and the wonderful music that the Bregenz Festival conjures up on Lake Constance every year are unique. In addition to the play on the lake, OEdipe is presented as an opera in the Festspielhaus. The programme is complemented by orchestral concerts by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Young Festival for children and young people and many other larger and smaller productions. The complete programme for summer 2025 is expected to be announced at the end of 2024.
The most important Schubert Festival in the world takes place annually in Hohenems and Schwarzenberg in the Bregenzerwald. In its place of origin, Hohenems, concert series are performed in spring and autumn, in June and August/September in Schwarzenberg, where culture and nature form a wonderful symbiosis.
Top-class concerts of different genres at unusual venues in the Montafon: from baroque to chamber music, jazz, crossover or organ – 16 organs from four centuries can be found in the Montafon in a very small space! Divided over the weekends, these thematic focal points take place in the Montafon towns during the summer.
The forum with festival character illuminates questions on current topics from different perspectives. The programme includes lectures and discussions in unusual locations, concerts in special places, hikes, readings and culinary experiences. FAQ Bregenzerwald is also accessible all year round as an online platform for questions and answers, food for thought and inspiration.
The :alpenarte is the young classical music festival for a broad audience in Schwarzenberg in Bregenzerwald. From 2023, Matthias Honeck and his sister Anna Maria Honeck will take over as artistic directors. Matthias Honeck is, among other things, a principal with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and was born and has his roots in Vorarlberg. As a member of a famous family of musicians, he is also firmly anchored in the international music scene. Outstanding talents with a connection to Vorarlberg as well as international musicians from all over the world show their skills.
“Lichtstadt Feldkirch” (Light City Feldkirch) is the festival for art with light in Vorarlberg. Every two years, the festival invites artists to perform in Feldkirch in many forms and facets. The historic old town is not only a spectacular backdrop for the festival evenings themselves. Above all, the locations are the starting point and source of inspiration for the content and design framework of the light art festival.
The Bludenzer Tage zeitgemäßer Musik is an international festival whose aim is to make contemporary music audible in Bludenz. The festival takes place in the Remise Bludenz. This year there will again be a total of five concerts, master classes and interesting encounters between composers, musicians and visitors over four days. The programme includes music from the last ten years, including twelve world premieres and five Austrian premieres.
With its performances of dance art at the highest level, the Bregenzer Frühling enjoys great popularity far beyond the borders of the country. Its special profile and quality is unique in the Lake Constance region. Every spring, top-class, internationally acclaimed ensembles thrill audiences with their new standard-setting productions in the Festspielhaus. Extremely remarkable and expressive choreographies determine the programme. Five world-class companies from France, Spain, Germany and Great Britain will thrill the audience.
Every summer the poolbar festival is on the programme: the festival for cultural events from niche to pop attracts numerous guests to Feldkirch every year with its uniquely designed ambience and big names. The venue is an empty indoor swimming pool and an open-air stage. Attractions include a varied programme of events with amazing musical headliners and a new high-quality design on all levels every year. From the family-friendly jazz breakfast in the park to cinema, open air on the meadow, poetry slam, performances to the concerts with renowned bands or those that can be discovered as insider tips.
The open-air short film festival ALPINALE takes place annually on the Remiseplatz in the Alpine town of Bludenz. Every year, a preliminary jury selects the best short films from over 1,000 submitted in the categories action, animation, VR or 360, horror and local short films, which are then shown during the festival and subsequently awarded prizes.
