Rathaus Film Festival

Rathaus Film Festival

For two months each year Vienna throws a free party, the Rathaus (town hall) Film Festival.  This year it’s from June 27th to August 30th.  Every day for these two months, from 11AM until midnight, the area in front of the Rathaus is full of people enjoying the free music, international food, and nightly performances on a massive screen.

The Screen

This year the festival is being held in honor of the anniversaries of three celebrated musicians: Joseph Haydn (200th anniversary of his death), Georg Friedrich Händel (250th anniversary of his death) and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (200th anniversary of his birth).  The nightly performances feature a wide range of music from Haydn to Wynton Marsalis.  You can find the schedule here.

Since this is Vienna, the food is as important as the performances!  Here are a few examples of the 22 international food stalls:

Greek

Japanese

Mexican

So if you’re in Vienna now, or you’re planning a trip during summer, be sure not to miss the Rathaus Film Festival!