The ''Donauinselfest'' (German for "

Danube Island The Donauinsel (Danube Island) is a long, narrow artificial island in central Vienna, Austria, lying between the Danube river and the parallel excavated channel ''Neue Donau'' ("New Danube"). The island is in length, but is only wide. The Ne ...

Festival") is a free open-air

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...

which occurs annually at

Donauinsel The Donauinsel (Danube Island) is a long, narrow artificial island in central Vienna, Austria, lying between the Danube river and the parallel excavated channel ''Neue Donau'' ("New Danube"). The island is in length, but is only wide. The Ne ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria. The festival is hosted by

SPÖ Wien The Social Democratic Party of Austria (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs , SPÖ), founded and known as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (german: link=no, Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs, SDAPÖ) unti ...

. It is the largest open-air music festival in the world, with around 3 million visitors over 3 days.

The event

Performances take place in the festival area which is 4.5 km long and consists of 11 different open-air stages in 16 tented areas around the island. Stages are added or removed depending on the performance lineup. Local bands, DJs, and many world-famous artists have performed at the festival since its beginning in 1984. According to numerous media reports, the Donauinselfest is among Europe's biggest open-air festivals with over 3 million visitors. To ensure the safety of visitors, "house rules" were introduced in 2007 and checkpoint controls were established to help control certain items (such as glass and liquor inside the festival perimeter). A strong police presence, in tandem with around 1,500 volunteers from around the world, help make the Donauinselfest one of the most secure events in Europe. Food stands offer a variety of

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

and

international cuisine Fusion cuisine is cuisine that combines elements of different culinary traditions that originate from different countries, regions, or cultures. They can occur naturally and become aspects of culturally relevant cuisines, or they can be part of ...

, including

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Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

, and

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

. Although all concerts are free, financial experts estimate the event generates €40 million in city revenue due to increased tourism. Traffic connection (how to get there): * OEBB Travel Portal (trains) *

Austrian Airlines Austrian Airlines AG, often shortened to Austrian, is the flag carrier of Austria and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. The airline is headquartered on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat where it also maintains its hub ...

Wiener Linien Wiener Linien (Viennese Lines) is the company running most of the public transit network in the city of Vienna, Austria. It is part of the city corporation Wiener Stadtwerke Holding AG. Governing structure and statistics Until decentralisation ...

(public transport in Vienna) Areas referred to as "islands" are sponsored by radio stations, newspapers, and other companies.

Rock the Island Contest

The winners of the RTIC (Rock the Island Contest), which is focusing on the support of talented Austrian newcomers, performed in the living room of their fans. This way, Austrian talents prepare themselves for their gig, and their fans experience a private

live concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety ...

in their room.

History

In 1983 '',''

SPÖ The Social Democratic Party of Austria (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs , SPÖ), founded and known as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (german: link=no, Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs, SDAPÖ) unti ...

politician, invented the organization of a one-day party near the ''Floridsdorferbrücke,'' to promote the attractiveness of the Donauinsel as a recreational area. Organizers expected some 15,000 people, but 160,000 showed up. The event became annual the following year (300,000 visitors) and meanwhile always attracts more than two million people during three days of activities (2.9 million in 2006, "only" 2.6 in 2007, as, due to a heavy

thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...

, a few concerts had to be canceled on opening day). 1993
The most memorable concert was Falco's in 1993, in front of almost 100,000 fans: The band played during a torrential downpour and a lightning strike caused a power cut. Power was restored after ten minutes and the band continued their performance, to widespread acclaim. 2003
This year's headline included

Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' a ...

Shaggy Shaggy may refer to: People *Shaggy (musician) (born 1968), Jamaican American reggae rapper and singer *Shaggy 2 Dope, half of the hip hop, horrorcore band Insane Clown Posse *Shaggy Flores (born 1973), Nuyorican poet, writer and African diaspora ...

and

Melanie C Melanie Jayne Chisholm (12 January 1974 - 25 December 2022), better known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer-songwriter and media personality. She is best known as one of the five members of the Spice Girls, during which time she was ni ...

. 2004 The headline Band was the "

SCORPIONS Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

" 2006
2006 performers included

Bloodhound Gang The Bloodhound Gang was an American rap rock band from Collegeville, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1988 by rappers Jimmy Pop and Daddy Long Legs (now in Wolfpac) as a hip-hop group, before branching out into other genres as their career pro ...

Juli Juli may refer to: * Juli (band), a rock/pop band from Germany * "Juli", by Ryan Adams from the album '' Prisoner (B-Sides)'' * Juli District, one district of the province Chucuito in Puno Region, Peru ** , the capital of Juli District * Juli (foo ...

Silbermond Silbermond ("silver moon") is a German pop rock band from Bautzen, Saxony. The band consists of Stefanie Kloß, Andreas Nowak, and brothers Johannes and Thomas Stolle. History The band members originally met in 1998 when they participated in t ...

Christina Stürmer Christina Stürmer (born 9 June 1982) is an Austrian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Linz, she rose to fame as the runner-up of the inaugural season of the ORF eins television talent series ''Starmania (TV series), Starmania''. Follow ...

Fettes Brot Fettes Brot () is a German hip hop group that formed in 1992. History Band name Fettes Brot means ''fat bread'' in German. "Fett" is a German slang term for "excellent" and brot is slang for "hash". The band took the name from a fan who ca ...

, and

Tocotronic Tocotronic is a German rock band founded in 1993 (see 1993 in music). Similar to Blumfeld or Die Sterne they are considered a part of the Hamburger Schule (''Hamburg School'') movement. They are influential for bands such as Wir sind Helden. ...

. 2007
The 2007 Donauinselfest was partly successful. 2007 performers included Master Blaster,

Gianna Nannini Gianna Nannini (; born 14 June 1954Who Is Who
''Bello e possibile'' ...

Zucchero Adelmo Fornaciari (; born 25 September 1955), more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero (), is an Italian singer, musician and songwriter. His stage name is the Italian word for "sugar", as his elementary teach ...

Willi Resetarits Wilhelm Resetarits (21 December 1948 – 24 April 2022),Rainhard Fendrich Rainhard Jürgen Fendrich (born 27 February 1955) is an Austrian singer, composer, entertainer, and actor. He is one of the most successful Austropop musicians, and his songs are written in Viennese German. He is very popular in Austria, but less ...

whose concert attracted an audience of 200,000 people. Due to thunderstorm warning, the

Vienna Symphony The Vienna Symphony (Vienna Symphony Orchestra, german: Wiener Symphoniker) is an Austrian orchestra based in Vienna. Its primary concert venue is the Konzerthaus, Vienna, Vienna Konzerthaus. In Vienna, the orchestra also performs at the Musikv ...

Orchestra concert had to be canceled.

Der Standard ''Der Standard'' is an Austrian daily newspaper published in Vienna. History and profile ''Der Standard'' was founded by Oscar Bronner as a financial newspaper and published its first edition on 19 October 1988. German media company Axel Springe ...

o
2007-06-25
in German 2008
In 2008, the festival was attended by

Extremschrammeln Extremschrammeln are an Austrian folk music band, led by guitarist and singer Roland Neuwirth. The group enhance the traditional Viennese folk music ''Schrammelmusik'' with satirical lyrics, as well as jazz, blues, rock, and 20th-century classica ...

Gigi d'Agostino Luigino Celestino di Agostino (; born 17 December 1967), known professionally as Gigi D'Agostino (), is an Italian DJ, remixer, singer and record producer. In 1986, he started his career as a DJ spinning Italo disco. His biggest chart successes ...

Basshunter Jonas Erik Altberg (; born 22 December 1984), known professionally as Basshunter, is a Swedish singer, record producer, songwriter and DJ. Basshunter has recorded five studio albums: ''The Bassmachine'' (2004), ''LOL (Basshunter album), LOL'' (2 ...

and

Gabry Ponte Gabriele Ponte (; born 20 April 1973) is an Italian DJ, remixer, record producer, and radio personality, best known for his membership in the Italian dance band Eiffel 65. With Eiffel 65's rise to fame in the late 1990s, his celebrity status w ...

. On the same stage, the

Orchestra performed one of its open-air concerts on Monday evening. 2009
The 2009 Donauinselfest was on the verge of being canceled due to

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

. It had rained consistently for the last few days, making it necessary to open flood protection, which leveled out the water level on the sides of the

but brings enough to flood the side paths, that would have provided an important escape route should it be necessary. Luckily, the water level sank and the roads were cleared in time, saving the event. 2010
In 2010 the highlights were

Amy Macdonald Amy Elizabeth Macdonald (born 25 August 1987) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. In 2007, she released her debut studio album, ''This Is the Life (Amy Macdonald album), This Is the Life'', which respectively produced the singles "Mr. Rock & Roll ...

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

, as well as

Paul van Dyk Matthias Paul (; born 16 December 1971), known professionally as Paul van Dyk () is a German DJ, record producer and musician. One of the first true renowned DJs, van Dyk was the first artist to receive a Grammy Award nomination in the newly a ...

Rainhard Fendrich Rainhard Jürgen Fendrich (born 27 February 1955) is an Austrian singer, composer, entertainer, and actor. He is one of the most successful Austropop musicians, and his songs are written in Viennese German. He is very popular in Austria, but less ...

Milow Jonathan Ivo Gilles Vandenbroeck (; born 14 July 1981), known professionally as Milow, is a Belgian singer-songwriter. Milow released his debut album, ''The Bigger Picture'', in 2006 on his own label Homerun Records. The fourth single from that ...

and

Sunrise Avenue Sunrise Avenue was a Finnish rock band originally formed in 2002 in Helsinki, Finland. In the early days, the band was called Sunrise and the name was changed to Sunrise Avenue in 2003. Their style varies from rock and pop-rock to rock ballads. ...

. 2011
In 2011 performers such as

Train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...

Söhne Mannheims Söhne Mannheims (German: �zøːnə ˈmanhaɪms ''Sons of Mannheim'') is a German pop and soul band founded 1995 in Mannheim by Xavier Naidoo and others. History The Group was founded in 1995 by Xavier Naidoo, Claus Eisenmann, Robbee Maria ...

Andreas Gabalier Andreas Gabalier (born next to Friesach on 21 November 1984) is an Austrian folk singer. In 2012, he won the ECHO music award in folk music category, the Amadeus Austrian Music Award in 2012 as Best Live Act and Best Schlager Singer and in 2 ...

and

Darius & Finlay Darius may refer to: Persian royalty ;Kings of the Achaemenid Empire * Darius I (the Great, 550 to 487 BC) * Darius II (423 to 404 BC) * Darius III (Codomannus, 380 to 330 BC) ;Crown princes * Darius (son of Xerxes I), crown prince of Persia ...

. 2012
The 29th Donauinselfest featured

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United St ...

and

Marlon Roudette Marlon Roudette is a British singer, songwriter and producer. He is the former front man for the duo Mattafix, who had their first number 1, "Big City Life", in 2006. After the group split, Roudette embarked on a solo career with two number one ...

. 2013
In 2013 the

celebrated the 30th edition of the Donauinselfest. 600 hours of music, dancing, and fun. More than 2.000 performers in three days. Highlights were Rae Garvey,

Wolfgang Ambros Wolfgang Ambros is an Austrian singer-songwriter. He is one of the most important contemporary Austrian musicians and is considered to be one of the founders of Austropop. Life 1952–1970 Wolfgang Ambros was born in the Semmelweiskli ...

and more. 2014
In 2014 the Donauinselfest featured performers such as: Cro,

Adel Tawil Adel Salah Mahmoud Eid El-Tawil (born 15 August 1978) is a German singer, songwriter and producer. Besides his solo career, he is part of the popular German duo Ich + Ich and a former member of the boy band The Boyz. Early life Tawil was born ...

The Commodores Commodores are an American funk and Soul music, soul band, which were at their peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed wit ...

Macy Gray Natalie Renée McIntyre (born September 6, 1967), known by her stage name Macy Gray, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday. Gray ha ...

and

Bilderbuch Bilderbuch (English: "Picture Book") is an Austrian rock band and was formed in Kremsmünster, Austria in 2005 but has been based in Vienna since 2008. The current band members are Maurice Ernst (vocals, guitar), Peter Horazdovsky (bass), Micha ...

. 2015
In 2015 the festival was attended by

Andreas Bourani Andreas Bourani (formerly Stiegelmair; 2 November 1983) is a German singer-songwriter. Career Bourani was born to Egyptians, Egyptian parents and adopted as an infant by a German family in Augsburg, in the southwest of Bavaria. As a youth, he a ...

The Common Linnets The Common Linnets are a Dutch band that was formed in 2013. The band originally consisted of friends Ilse DeLange and Waylon. DeLange has stated that the group is a platform for Dutch artists to make country, Americana, and bluegrass music, a ...

Taio Cruz Jacob Taio Cruz (; born Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere, 23 April 1980), better known professionally as Taio Cruz (stylized TΛIO CRUZ), is an English singer, songwriter and record producer from London, England, currently based in Los Angeles. In 200 ...

Anastacia Anastacia Lyn Newkirk ( ; born September 17, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter and former dancer. Her first two albums '' Not That Kind'' (2000) and '' Freak of Nature'' (2001) were released in quick succession to major success. Spurred o ...

and

Robin Schulz Robin Alexander Schulz (; born 28 April 1987) is a German musician, DJ and record producer. On 4 February 2014, he released the first single from his debut album, a remix of "Waves" by Dutch hip hop artist Mr. Probz. This remix later received ...

. 2016
2016 presented

, Madsen,

Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is regarded as one of dancehall's most prolific artists. Paul's singles "Get Busy" and "Temperature" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the ...

and Zoë. 2017
2017 offered a broad selection of musicians including

, Cro,

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

and

Sportfreunde Stiller Sportfreunde Stiller () is a German indie rock band from Germering near Munich, Bavaria. History The band was founded by Peter Brugger (guitar, vocals), Florian "Flo" Weber (drums), and Andi Erhard (bass). They initially wanted to name themsel ...

. Image:Zucchero Donauinselfest 20070622.jpg, Zucchero in 2007 Image:Donauinselfest2007 sj-Bühne.jpg, One of the small stages (Socialist Youth) Image:Donauinselfest.jpg, Masses in 2006 File:Roland Neuwirth Extremschrammeln Donauinselfest2008.jpg, Extremschrammeln, 2008 File:A 'Donauinselfest' problem - bad luck for wikipedian photographer.jpg, Donauinselfest potpourri, 2009.

References

External links

Official site
A PDF orientation map can be downloaded from there.
Official site: photographs

{{Authority control Music festivals in Austria Festivals in Vienna Electronic music festivals in Austria Free festivals Pop music festivals Music festivals established in 1983 Summer events in Austria