EVEN NOW, when the Christmas lights are not yet being switched on, Vienna is already preparing for the winter season of 2026; and, apart from the traditional Christmas markets, the city has an event programme and cultural highlights in the works that go far beyond the usual market fare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In mid-October, the first Christmas lights were installed on K\u00e4rntner Stra\u00dfe and Annagasse, and Rotenturmstra\u00dfe was scheduled for late October. The lights will be switched on in early November, though the exact date depends on the street. When fully operational, more than two million LEDs will light up 32 shopping streets across Vienna, all powered by green electricity. The K\u00e4rntner Stra\u00dfe installation is inspired by classic crystal chandeliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Christmas Magic at Schwarzenbergplatz is making its debut this year, running from 13 November to 26 December. It is set around the historic Hochstrahlbrunnen fountain and the green spaces in front of Palais Schwarzenberg, and promises atmospheric light installations, local craftwork, a stall program and activities for children. It takes its place among the familiar favorite Christmas markets: the Viennese Christmas Market on Rathausplatz opens on 13 November with its famous Ice World skating rink, while the Old Viennese Christmas Market on Freyung begins on 14 November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is really unexpected: the acclaimed Taubenkobel team is launching TurboTaube, a pop-up restaurant in the Astoria garage in Josefstadt, from 13 November to 22 December. The first floor of the 1920s parking structure will host two tasting menus: a five-course “Le Mans” menu at \u20ac220, and a three-course “Monaco” menu at \u20ac120 available Monday through Wednesday. The motorsport-themed project follows a series of unconventional venues by Barbara Eselb\u00f6ck and Alain Weissgerber, including an Art Nouveau theater and a nightclub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Cream Vienna” returns to the former Gschwandner’s house on November 28-29, with a mixture of art, design and culinary arts, in which producers present limited products and Austrian chefs present food, accompanied by wine tastings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Advent Concerts at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna run on selected evenings from 27 November to 23 December, featuring the Harmonia Ensemble Vienna performing works by Mozart, Bach, Schubert and Handel alongside traditional Christmas songs in the most famous church of the city. For choral enthusiasts, a special musical week, the Harmonies of the Festive Season festival, is held from 10 to 14 December. This festival culminates in a concert at the MuTh, home of the Vienna Boys Choir, with works by Vivaldi, Schubert and North American spirituals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The New Year’s Eve Trail runs from 2 p.m. on 31 December until 2 a.m. The annual New Year’s Trail transforms the city centre, with stages along Freyung, Graben, Stephansplatz and K\u00e4rntner Stra\u00dfe offering pop, rock, big band and DJ sets. Free waltz courses on the Graben in the afternoon let visitors prepare for the midnight Pummerin bell. The entrance is free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Note for planning: The exact switching on dates for the Christmas lights and some details of the individual events may still change; check the Viennese tourist board’s official tourism and event pages closer to the time of your trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
by JOANNA LEVIN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n FOR MORE INFO<\/p>\n\n\n\n EVEN NOW, when the Christmas lights are not yet being switched on, Vienna is already preparing for the winter season of 2026; and, apart from the traditional Christmas markets, the city has an event programme and cultural highlights in the works that go far beyond the usual market fare. The Lights Are Coming (But Not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-europe-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53432"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53432\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53434,"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53432\/revisions\/53434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoptraveler.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
https:\/\/presse.wien.gv.at\/presse\/2026\/10\/29\/wiener-weihnachtsmaerkte-2026-15-maerkte-mit-insgesamt-814-staenden<\/a>
This is the official press release from the Vienna city government, listing the dates, locations, and operating hours of 15 Christmas markets for 2026, including the newly added “Weihnachtszauber Schwarzenbergplatz” .<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.wien.info\/en\/now-on\/events\/viennese-christmas-market-1001488<\/a>
This is the official Vienna tourism website, providing detailed dates and daily opening hours for the Rathausplatz Christmas market (November 13 to December 26) .<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/kurier.at\/chronik\/burgenland\/taubenkobel-pop-up-restaurant-wien-turbotaube-astoria-garage\/403196617<\/a>
This is a report by the Austrian mainstream media Kurier on the Taubenkobel pop-up restaurant “TurboTaube,” covering the location (Astoria Garage), dates (November 13 to December 22), and menu prices (Le Mans \u20ac220, Monaco \u20ac120)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"