After the first wave of pandemics subsided last spring, Vienna set up a kind of corona-compatible festival in a hurry. Since the virus is still raging, there will be this “cultural summer” again this year under special security precautions – with more budget, more stages and more genres, as Mayor Michael Ludwig and City Councilor for Culture Veronica Kaup-Hasler (both SPÖ) announced on Tuesday. It starts at the beginning of July.
Image: APA
The concept remains essentially the same as in the previous year: at various locations throughout the city, there will be free concerts from different musical styles, dance performances, readings, poetry slams as well as cabaret, theater or circus performances for a limited number of guests due to the corona. The “Public Moves” in cooperation with ImPulsTanz will also take place again – for example in the arcade courtyard of the town hall.
In the previous year there were 25 venues, this year 40 locations are planned on as many match days, Ludwig announced in a press conference. The aim is to offer 2,000 artists the opportunity to play in front of an audience again from the beginning of July to mid-August. Interested acts can apply from now until the end of March. The program will then be presented in the course of spring. The budget was increased from four to six million euros.
Of course, one does not yet know what the corona framework would look like in summer. But thanks to progressive vaccinations and an offensive test strategy, Ludwig is confident that he will assume that the cultural summer can also take place this year. In any case, after a year of pandemic, the need is great: “We want to offer many Viennese people the decentralized opportunity to participate in culture – physically,” said the city chief.
Kaup-Hasler took a similar line: “We all have music, books and films at home – but we need social closeness.” This is one of the reasons why the art and cultural life in Vienna is now so sorely missed. The exact security concept has not yet been determined. It will then be based on the relevant ordinances. The city councilor assumed today that there would again be distance rules and, in contrast to the premiere in summer 2020, this time also entry tests and a mask requirement. However: Thanks to the longer lead time, it should be possible this year to offer catering on site.
In addition to stages that were tried out last year, for example on the Danube Island, on the Kaiserwiese in the Prater or on the Naschmarkt, several new stages are being planned for this year's edition – for example in the Simmeringer Herderpark, in Neu Marx or in the Ottakringer Kongresspark. It is played from Thursday to Sunday, usually two acts should be shown per evening. According to the current status, the largest locations should accommodate up to 500 people, the smallest around 30.
Ludwig emphasized that the program will be expanded this year in the area of children's and youth entertainment as well as for the elderly. For example, the number of appearances in retirement homes will be increased from 16 to 25.
The festival is organized by the City of Vienna Marketing. A separate “Kultursommer-Board” is responsible for the curation – with a few new names. A new addition is Nadine Cobbina, member of the IG Clubkultur and responsible for electronics and experimental music. Today she announced her own club profile: Club operators, for whom the lockdown has now lasted for more than a year, should be able to “maybe even dance a bit” at a special outdoor location, at least they will Hope.
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