Snowbombing is a popular week-long winter sports and music festival held annually in the spring at the Austrian ski resort of Mayrhofen. Since 2005, the Tyrolean resort of Mayrhofen in Austria has hosted the festival which has evolved into Europe's biggest snow and music festival. Originally a DJ and electronic dance music-themed event, live acts were added to the bill in 2008, reflecting the resurgence of indie/rock music. The events format is designed to combine winter sports (primarily snowboarding) with on-piste and après-ski music performances and themed parties in unusual locations. Artistes who have appeared at Snowbombing include Fatboy Slim, Madness, Pendulum, Magnetic Man, Sub Focus, Tinie Tempah, Chase & Status, Skream & Benga, Mark Ronson to name a few. The event has a reputation for its imaginative and humorous elements; traditional Austrian cultural references are embraced and given a contemporary/surreal twist. With around fifty pools and saunas within easy reach, and a backdrop of breathtaking alpine scenery, Snowbombing regards itself as a festival which, in addition to music, additionally offers luxury and comfort.

Mail / Postal address: The Stables, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 5PG
E-mail: eventenquiries@snowbombing.com

Vienna Festival, City Hall Square
Photograph by Mike Ranz

Vienna Festival is a cultural festival that takes place every year for five or six weeks in May and June. Vienna has become an undisputed cultural metropolis, and the Wiener Festwochen has evolved into an innovative event based on international co-operation. It offers a modern and multilingual program that covers the whole range from tradition to avant-garde, with a rich variety of plays, music dramas, concerts, performances, lectures, installations, films and video shows. The traditional inauguration of Vienna Festival takes place in Vienna’s City Hall Square with an open air event with free admission. Each year a series of cultural events which combine the highest artistic standards with socially relevant issues and objectives are presented to the public. Vienna Festival is not only a reflection of the city's infatuation with art but also provides an opportunity to open the door to other worlds and cultures.

Mail / Postal address: Wiener Festwochen, A-1060 Wien, Lehárgasse 11
E-mail: festwochen@festwochen.at

The Vienna International Film Festival, or Viennale, is a film festival taking place every October since 1960 in Vienna, Austria. The average number of visitors is about 75,000. Traditional cinema venues are Gartenbaukino, Urania, Metro-Kino, Filmmuseum and Stadtkino. The program of the festival includes galas, special events and celebrations, as well as discussions and meetings between international guests and local visitors. At the end of the festival, the Vienna Film Prize is awarded. The festival features a collection of new films from all over the world, as well as national and international premieres. Apart from new feature films in various film genres the festival focuses on documentary films, short films, experimental films and crossover productions.

Mail / Postal address: Viennale, Siebensterngasse 2, A-1070 Wien
E-mail: office@viennale.at

Vienna International Film Festival, Stadtkino

Since 1998, the world’s most colourful event has taken place every year in Austria. Today it is the biggest annual event of the body painting culture and community. Tens of thousands of visitors admire the wonderful work of the participants every year. During the main days, artists from 40 nations worldwide compete. The festival lasts a week, of which the first four days consist of over thirty special workshops and lessons run by the WBF Academy, and the last three days consist of the actual festival event in the body paint city, which is open to the public without prior reservation. The festival event is open for both adults and children, and many families come there together. The artists compete in many categories: brush and sponge, airbrush, and special effects are World Champion titles.

The WBF Institute of Sound is the community music project that developed through the World Bodypainting Festival. Every year the festival brings together international musicians, specialists in electronic music and technicians from many different countries and cultures.

Mail / Postal address: WB.Production GmbH, Villacher Straße 120, 9710 Feistritz/Drau, Austria
E-mail: world@bodypainting-festival.com

World Bodypainting Festival 2011
Artist: J. Fusilier & L. Hammel; Photo: Michael Genswaider

The Vienna Jazz Festival started in 1991. It is a fixed point on the international festival scene and a milestone for Austria and Vienna’s cultural landscape. The Vienna Jazz Fest is a modern, urbane festival with an international reputation which places it as one of three most important Jazz festivals in the world, a factor which has only boosted Vienna’s position as an attractive travel destination. In the past it has been attended by 60,000 spectators. Venues include the Museumsquartier, the Stadthalle Wien, the Wien Energie Fernwдrme in Spittelau, designed by Hundertwasser, and the Vienna State Opera as the central venue, among others. Some concerts are freely accessible, such as those at the Town Hall Square. Alongside classical music, waltzes and opera, the city also offers a rich landscape of Jazz, Blues, Soul and World Music. The Vienna Jazz Fest is proof that the Austrian capital is also a true metropolis of Jazz and other forms of popular music. In the past artists including Jan Garbarek, Oscar Peterson, John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Manhattan Transfer, Dizzy Gillespie and Pharoah Sanders to name a few have played. The 2012 festival will host elite jazz musicians such as Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, John Scofield and Mike Stern.

Mail / Postal address: Verein Jazz Fest Wien, A-1080 Vienna, Lammgasse 12/8
E-mail: office@viennajazz.org

The Donauinselfest is an annual open-air free music festival. It is usually held in mid-June in Vienna. This annual outdoor festival lasts for three days. The Donauinselfest is Europe's biggest open air event, soon expected to reach the 3 million visitors. Every year the Danube Island turns into Europe's largest festival arena. The Danube Island becomes one large festival ground with numerous stages, food and drink stalls. There are 21 different areas. These are spread out over a 6.5 kilometre area. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra performs one of its open air concerts on Monday evening after the pop events. Top Austrian bands as well as internationally recognised musicians ensure first class entertainment throughout the Donauinselfest festival weekend. Plenty of stars have performed in the past: Falco, the Bloodhound Gang, Tocotronic, the Kelly Family and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

The annual open-air Donauinselfest

The Linzer Klangwolke (Linz Cloud of Sound) is an open-air multimedia musical event held each year since 1979 in early September in the Linz Danube Park in the Austrian town of Linz. It is organized by the Austrian broadcasting company Österreichischer Rundfunk and the Brucknerhaus. The Cloud of Sound currently consists of three concerts of modern music, supplemented by visualizations. The series starts with modern music (mostly commissioned works) staged with lasers, video projections, fireworks, ships, cranes and balloons. The concert attracts an audience of about 100,000 spectators. The classic Cloud of Sound is the opening concert of the Brucknerfest, performed without visualization. The children's Cloud of Sound, an afternoon event since 1998, provides musical stories for younger listeners. Admission is free.

Mail / Postal address: Linzer Klangwolke, Lower Donaulände 7, A-4010 Linz
E-mail: info@liva.linz.at