The Austrian Spring Festival

For four days in May or June, music and contemporary visual arts transform the Austrian settlement of Graz into an even more magical city. Graz is known for its traditional charm and is, in fact, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. This, juxtaposed with contemporary electronic music and arts, creates a fantastically unearthly atmosphere that is something to be experienced. 

The festival takes place sometime in May each year, and features an intriguing international line up from the world of electronic culture, including music and art. There is usually a variety of events, from concerts in large venues to street performances of music and visual arts. The contemporariness, if there is such a word, of Spring may be hard to reconcile with the ‘high culture’ character of Graz, but the contradiction is part of the festival’s charm and makes it what it is! 

The most fascinating venue sported by the Spring is probably the Dom Im Berg, which is situated under a mountain in the centre of Graz! Schlossberg is a hillock or mountain in the centre of Graz with a castle or Schloss on top of it; the tunnels under which were once used as air raid shelters. Today, this subterranean maze has been converted into three ultra-chic concert spaces, which form part of the Spring Festival each year. 

Graz itself is an important tourist and visitor’s attraction to begin with, being Austria’s second largest city and a World Heritage Site. So accommodation and other logistics are taken care of for festival goers, who can find plenty of options to suit their budget. 

The dates for this year’s Austrian Spring Festival are Wednesday 29^th May to Sunday 2^nd June. You can get a full four day pass for fewer than €90. You can find lots more information, including the scheduled line up, as and when it becomes available at http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/springaus/2013/