The Donauinselfest (German: Danube Island Festival) is a free open-air music festival which occurs annually at Donauinsel (map) in Vienna. It is the largest open-air music festival in the world. The festival is hosted by SPÖ Wien.
To ensure the safety of visitors, “house rules” were introduced in 2007 and checkpoint controls were established to help control certain items (such as glass and liquor inside the festival perimeter).
A strong police presence, in tandem with around 1,500 volunteers from around the world, help make the Donauinselfest one of the most secure events in Europe.
+ More information > Wikipedia • Wikivoyage • UNESCO
Performances take place in the festival area which is 4.5 km long and consists of 11 different open-air stages in 16 tented areas around the island. Stages are added or removed depending on the performance lineup.
Food stands offer a variety of Austrian and international cuisine, including Thai, Greek, Italian, Indian, and Turkish. Although all concerts are free, financial experts estimate the event generates €40 million in city revenue due to increased tourism.
About Vienna
The thing about Vienna is that it not only is a large city, but that it has always been – as the former home of the Habsburg court and its various empires, it has always housed a large population and enjoyed a privileged position, being home to many artists, especially composers including Beethoven, Haydn, Liszt, Mozart, Schubert and Johann Strauss II.
It was long the largest German-speaking city in the world before being surpassed by Berlin. The large historic city centre of Vienna filled with monuments to its imperial past is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Vienna has a good public transportation system > Wiener Linien • About Tickets. The underground is very efficient and will take you to within a few minutes walk of anywhere you are likely to want to visit. > Subway Map
WienMobil – the app for all routes in Vienna. > WienMobil for Android devices • WienMobil for iOS devices
+ Public Transport (wien.gv.at)
BUS > Eurolines Austria / ÖBB postbus.at / InterCityBus
RAIL > The railways are managed by the Austrian Federal Railways ÖBB. Wien Hauptbahnhof (map) – is the main railway station in Vienna. The station names of all stops in Vienna start with its German name “Wien“. + Rail Europe
Wien Westbahnhof (map). The services from Salzburg run by the private company WestBahn terminate here. Apart from it, only regional trains serve the Westbahnhof. Westbahn also serves a few other otherwise regional stations such as Wien Mitte and Wien Praterstern.
AIRPORTS > Vienna International Airport (map), located 18 km (11 mi) southeast of the city center. City Airport Train – non-stop airport transfer to Vienna! (+ St. Gallen-Altenrhein Airport)
WATERWAYS > Riverboats on the Danube include connections with Linz, Bratislava and Budapest, but are slower and more expensive than other options.
LOD – Run a fast hydrofoil between Vienna and Bratislava May–October with up to two daily departures.
Twin City Liner – A fast catamaran between Vienna and Bratislava March–December with up to four daily departures.
Mahart Passnave – Operate a fast hydrofoil between Vienna and Budapest May–October with daily departures during the peak season.