Culture Calendar – September 2019
Hello September! We are almost at the end of the summer but that doesn’t mean the outdoor fun is over just yet. From food and music festivals to classical concerts and, of course, the legendary Oktoberfest in Munich, September promises to be an exciting fun-packed month throughout.
TEXT: MARILENA STRACKE | MAIN PHOTO © STEPHAN FLAD
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Stephansdom Vienna (every Saturday in September)
What a great way to celebrate the changing of the season: Enjoy the fabulous violin concerts from Antonio Vivaldi’s legendary Four Seasons at the stunning Stephansdom right in the heart of Vienna. But make sure to book your tickets in good time, as they do sell out very quickly.
E-Mountainbiking. Photo © Thömus by David Birri
Festival of German Film, Ludwigshafen am Rhein (21 August – 8 September)
After the Berlinale, this is Germany’s second-biggest Film Festival. It takes place on a lovely little island and celebrates the absolute best of German filmmaking. Each year, it’s packed with great films, attracting many celebrities and emerging talent to mingle with film lovers from across the globe.
www.festival-des-deutschen-films.de
Ars Electronica Festival, Linz (5 – 9 September)
Ars Electronica is a world-class festival for art, technology and society. This year’s edition is dedicated to thinking outside of the box and ‘The Midlife Crisis of the Digital Revolution’. Each year, a large international audience shows up to witness how the city is being turned into a large setting for artistic and scientific encounters with social and cultural phenomena that are the result of technological change. Are you curious to come take look?
Ars Electronica. Photo © Ars Electronica
Lollapalooza Festival, Berlin (7 – 8 September)
Once again, Berlin hosts this popular US-Festival at Olympiastadion and Olympiapark to celebrates the end of the summer. This year’s fabulous line-up includes Swedish House Mafia, Twenty One Pilots, Billie Eilish, Kings of Leon and Marteria & Casper, amongst many others. This is a very family-friendly festival, as there is the Kidzapalooza location dedicated entirely to children.
Anna Dickinson / Catherine Walsh at von Bartha, Basel (7 September – 2 November)
Glass artist Anna Dickinson and beauty and design entrepreneur Catherine Walsh are collaborating on an upcoming exhibition of new works at von Bartha gallery, Basel. Dickinson’s unique glass pieces experiment with innovative material combinations, often allowing the material to guide and govern the creative process. It’s certainly a great exhibition not to be missed.
Genussmeile, Vienna Woods (7 – 8 and 14 – 15 September)
The festival is also called the ‘longest bar’ as it measures a stunning 10 kilometres. The German word ‘Genussmeile’ translates as Mile of Indulgence, which is very fitting for these two special weekends full of gorgeous food. Along Vienna’s waterline hiking path between Mödling and Bad Vöslau, more than 80 winegrowing enterprises from the Vienna Woods thermal region offer everything that can be produced from grapes and much more.
www.thermenregion-wienerwald.at/genussmeile
Jewish Film Festival Berlin & Brandenburg (8 – 17 September)
This year’s motto is giving a popular US-phrase a new and humorous spin: ‘No Fake Jews’. The festival is a lively forum for discussion and exploration, giving a glimpse into Jewish life and emerging talent. Films within a Jewish or Israeli context, with some of the best recent productions from all around the world, are shown during this special festival in Berlin.
Genussmeile. Photo © Christian Dusek
International Literature Festival Berlin (11 – 21 September)
Contemporary artists from all over the world present new poetry and prose at this exciting literature festival in Berlin. A unique element is that all of the texts are actually read out loud in their original language, with German translations. This festival is truly an absolute must for all literature fans from far and wide.
13th Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg (18 – 21 September)
Hamburg’s infamous red-light district around St. Pauli has become the proud home of Germany’s biggest club festival. Nowadays, the festival is one of the world’s most important meeting places for the global music industry and this year it features more than 900 events spanning a great range of genres, in locations around Hamburg’s Reeperbahn.
Literature festival Berlin. Photo © Ali Ghandtschi
eBike your Life Festival, Adelboden (21 – 22 September)
After last year’s successful first edition, the event returns to Adelboden and is the perfect combination of cycling and great food. On carefully selected trails to Gstaad, Lenk, Adelboden and Zweisimmen, cyclists can look forward to various food stations along the path – but it’s not only the cyclists who can recharge here, their Velo bikes can be plugged in, too. Make sure you register early though, as the number of participants is limited.
www.adelboden.ch/de/s/ebikefestival
Oktoberfest, Munich (21 September – 6 October)
It’s finally time to put your Lederhosen and Dirndl on once more, because the 186th Munich Oktoberfest is about to open its gates to international beer lovers. Munich’s legendary and beloved Wiesn becomes the backdrop for a true celebration of the quintessentially German pretzels and beer. Are you ready?
Oktoberfest. Photo © Pixabay
Waves Vienna, Vienna (26 – 28 September)
Vienna’s club- and showcase festival is held at the city’s most significant clubs, unique locations and public spaces. It attracts over 15,000 music fans and presents around 100 bands. Following their ongoing theme ‘East meets West’, various international, as well as local, alternative, electronic, rock, and club acts take part in this festival, and this year’s partner countries are Sweden and Hungary. Lectures, panels and workshops encourage Pan-European collaborations and draw attention to the importance of Europe.
Vienna Design Week, Vienna (27 September – 6 October)
Design is understood not just in the form of created objects, but also as an essential part of cultural development – meaning Austria’s largest design festival is also a great platform for discussion around this perspective. It takes place at a variety of locations and event venues across Vienna. The festival is again curated by Lilli Hollein, who also founded it together with Tulga Beyerle and Thomas Geisler. This edition’s European guest country is Finland, and so visitors can look forward to seeing some great Finish designs.
Waves Vienna, Zak Abel. Photo © Patrick Muennich
Berlin Marathon (29 September)
As this is one of the most popular road races worldwide, it attracts around 40,000 runners to Germany’s capital each September. The route, measuring 42 kilometres, takes the participants across the legendary cityscape of Berlin, including the Brandenburg Gate. If you want to get active this month, it’s the perfect event for you.
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