Donauinselfest is the largest free outdoor music festival in Europe. It is an annual festival which takes place on Danube Island in Vienna, Austria. In 2016, three million people attended.
Donauinselfest (German for Danube Island Festival) was started in 1983 by the Social Democratic Party of Austria. In the first year 160,000 people attended and the festival lasted one day. Nowadays the festival lasts three days and takes place in June. To help the festival run smoothly there are 1,500 volunteers and over 1,500 staff, including firefighters, police, stall-keepers and first aiders.
What makes the festival so good is the diversity of music and quantity of acts. The festival has twelve stages and on each stage a different genre of music is played. There is hip-hop, country, pop, rock, oldies, electronic, folk, indie and much more. Over the three days more than 300 music, theatre and cabaret acts perform. Some of the biggest music acts who have performed at the festival include: Sean Paul, Bloodhound Gang, Shaggy and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. There is also a competition called 'Rock the Island Contest' where new bands and artists can compete for a chance to perform at Donauinselfest. Each year over 500 bands and artists enter the competition!
Another good thing about the Donauinselfest is that it is held on an island. The island has lots of greenery and you can see the beautiful Danube River. The Danube River is the second longest river in Europe. Despite being located on an island it is very easy to get to Donauinselfest. The island has two underground train stations both of which connect to central Vienna.
This year Donauinselfest runs from 23rd - 25th June. I highly recommend attending!
Do you like music festivals?
