Landscape view of the Alps on a warm sunny day (kre_geg (123RF))
The Carinthian Summer Festival is one of Austria’s most vibrant cultural events, taking place from July 3 to August 3, 2025, with a special closing concert on August 23rd. Set against the stunning backdrop of Carinthia’s Lake Ossiach and mountains around the city of Villach, the festival offers a tantalizing program of music, literature and dance with over fifty events. Neighboring Slovenia and Italy are also just a few minutes away.
The festival director, Nadja Kayali, has attracted world-renowned artists with exquisite shows to this year’s festival, while at the same time keeping the charming, wholesome and somewhat hokey character of Austria’s south on brand and center stage.
You thought Tango was a South American affair? Visit the festival’s opening event FINTango on July 5th in Villach and think again. The Austrian composer HK Gruber reimagines a unique Tango tradition in crisp and snowy Finland. “Immigrants from Argentina and Uruguay,” the composer said, “brought Tango rhythms to Helsinki and the locals reimagined the form – again. It’s a cultural adaptation of the second order.” As much as Tango itself is a mishmash of Caribbean, Spanish-Cuban, and Argentine dance and music forms, its development didn’t end, when South American immigrants brought it back to Europe during the last century.
If you’re a Latin culture lover, you’re in the right place. On July 12th, the Portuguese Fado singer Cuca Roseta is coming to Villach with her band. “She’s the real deal,” says festival director Nadja Kayali, “Cuca Roseta’s one of the premier voices in her country. She was trained classically, but she’s been singing Fado in the bars and restaurants of Lisbon since she was 18 years old. The music is radiant with melancholy and desire as well as a hint of fatalism and humor. It’s the feeling they call Suadade in Portugal.”
Or book tickets for the piano concert with Gabriela Montero on July 25th. A native of Venezuela, Gabriela Montero studied in Florida and London. She is one of the most sought-after musicians currently working and combines an endearing engagement with her audience, often bringing the entire concert hall to sing along, with highly imaginative interpretations of classical repertoire. In Villach, Montero will perform Chopin as well Russian composers including Rachmaninov or Stravinsky.
Close up of the legs of two Tango dancers dancing (ssviluppo (123RF))
You can also combine culture with the great outdoors at the Carinthian Summer. There are numerous events that offer a guided hiking tour for the whole family. Look for Inselhören to attend a tour on the Faaker-See-Insel (island). Visitors are shuttled to the lake island by boat. Visitors may explore a sound installation, performed by sopranos Jennifer Davison and Kaoko Armano, on the island that is composed of “acoustic surprises.” Hiking tours on July 12th and 13th combine music and dance, presenting ‘Let’s Dance!’ and ‘Femenine Moves’ with music by American composer Julius Eastman (1940-1990).
Also, keep an eye out for breathtaking venues. Listen to medieval Gregorian chants with a modern twist on July 16th. These are performed by the vocal ensemble Graces & Voices, founded by Antanina Kalechyts and accompanied by organ music in the Klagenfurt Cathedral. Or attend the Holy Mass, which traditionally marks the beginning of the festival, at the collegiate church (Stiftskirche) at the lake town Ossiach (July 6th) and witness sacred music, composed by Joseph Haydn, as well as the world premiere of Alyssa Aska’s composition “sini. vox et ventus.”
The Carinthian Summer also offers exciting events for children, such as a music lab. But also blends bouldering with culture events in an area called Kanzianiberg, loved by rock climbers for its jagged cliffs. The lakes in the area, such as the Wörthersee or the Ossiachsee, offer supervised bathing with certified lifeguards.
Backpacker hiking on sunset alpine mountain peak (lzflzf (123RF))
While you’re in the area climb the viewing platform Pyramidenkogel and take the slide back down from the 350 feet tall structure. Also, while you’re not attending a concert, dance performance, or other events, scale the walls of enormous castles, such as Burg Hochosterwitz, Burgruine Landskron, or Burgruine Glanegg.
If you always wanted to discover this fascinating region at the intersection of Austria, Slovenia and Italy, the makers of the Carinthian Summer Festival are telling you to come in July. Aside from the great regional foods and gorgeous landscape at the foot of the Alps, what else could make your trip better than a festival that offers unique artistic performances as well as plenty of opportunities to meet and mingle with other guests? The Carinthian Summer Festival is true to form – it’s great for aficionados, sophisticates, adventurers and families.
You can find Information and tickets for events at the Carinthian Summer Festival here.
Editor’s Note: This article was written by a member of the local military community, not an employee of Stars and Stripes. Neither the organization nor the content is being represented by Stars and Stripes or the Department of Defense.
