European Bike Week, Carinthia
One of Europe's biggest motorcycle gatherings returns to Lake Faak in Carinthia from September 8th to 13th.
European Bike Week is centred on the Harley Village at Faaker See but is free and open to everyone, not only Harley-Davidson owners. The programme includes motorbike exhibitions, demo rides, live music, food, shopping and events around the wider Villach region.
If you're not attending, the event is still worth knowing about. The organisers say it attracts hundreds of thousands of motorcycle fans, meaning the area around Faak am See can become exceptionally busy.
Dates: September 8th-13th
Location: Faaker See, Carinthia
Price: Free entry
Ars Electronica Festival, Linz
Linz becomes a meeting place for artists, researchers and technologists during the Ars Electronica Festival from September 9th to 13th.
The 2026 edition spreads exhibitions, performances, concerts and conferences around the city. This year's programme explores the theme "Future Begins - Negotiating Humanity", with artificial intelligence and questions about what it means to be human among the subjects being examined.
There are also activities for children and young people through the festival's create your world programme.
Dates: September 9th-13th
Location: Various venues in Linz
Price: Depends on event or festival pass
READ ALSO: Linz's Ars Electronica: Window on the future?
Herbstmesse Dornbirn
Vorarlberg's large autumn fair runs from September 9th to 13th at the Messequartier in Dornbirn.
The Herbstmesse falls somewhere between a trade fair, a shopping event, and a Volksfest, with regional food, agricultural, and household exhibitors, live music, fairground attractions, and an Oktoberfest-style programme.
Regular admission costs €6 in 2026, while children up to 14 can enter free. A valid fair ticket also includes free travel to and from the event on public transport.
Dates: September 9th-13th
Time: 10 am-6 pm daily, with some evening events running later
Location: Messequartier Dornbirn
Price: €6, free for children up to 14
Almabtrieb season in Tyrol
September is also when cattle begin returning from their summer pastures high in the Alps, producing some of Tyrol's most recognisable autumn celebrations.
An Almabtrieb is the traditional drive back down from the mountain pastures. Cattle are often decorated, and villages mark their return with music, markets and regional food.
Tirol Werbung's 2026 calendar lists events across the province, including Steeg, Jerzens, and Pfunds on September 12th; Söll, Wildschönau, and several other villages on September 19th; and another group of celebrations on September 26th.
Dates can change due to weather and mountain conditions, so check locally before setting off.
Dates: Various, particularly September 12th, 19th and 26th
Location: Villages across Tyrol
READ ALSO: Changing economy and climate hit Austria's Alpine pastures
Herbstgold, Eisenstadt
Classical music takes over Schloss Esterházy in Eisenstadt during Herbstgold, which begins on September 16th, with its published concert programme running through September 26th.
The programme includes the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Bamberger Symphoniker and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, alongside performers including Rolando Villazón, Pablo Ferrández and Ian Bostridge.
Much of the programme takes place in the Haydnsaal at Esterházy Palace, closely associated with composer Joseph Haydn and his decades working for the Esterházy family.
Dates: September 16th-26th
Location: Schloss Esterházy, Eisenstadt
Price: Varies by concert
READ ALSO: Seven great things to do within 50 miles of Vienna
Aufsteirern, Graz
For a rather different type of Austrian culture, Graz hosts Aufsteirern on September 19th and 20th.
The city-centre festival celebrates Styrian folk culture with music, dancing, crafts and regional food. More than 50 acts are scheduled across the weekend, and there is also a children's programme.
The festival marks its 25th anniversary in 2026 and admission to the main weekend programme is free.
Dates: September 19th-20th
Time: Saturday noon-10 pm, Sunday 10 am-8 pm
Location: Graz city centre
Price: Free
READ ALSO: Austria's dirndl: a dress for past and present
Rupertikirtag, Salzburg
Salzburg's old town turns into a large traditional fair for the Rupertikirtag from September 23rd to 27th.
The festival is held around September 24th, the feast day of St Rupert, Salzburg's patron saint. Domplatz, Residenzplatz, Kapitelplatz and the surrounding old-town squares fill with rides, craft stalls, food, beer tents and folk music.
Although it has its roots in a religious celebration, you don't need any knowledge of the tradition to enjoy it. It functions much like a large-city Volksfest and is free to enter.
Dates: September 23rd-27th
Location: Salzburg old town around the cathedral
Price: Free entry
steirischer herbst, Graz and Styria
Just days after Aufsteirern fills Graz with traditional Styrian culture, one of Austria's leading contemporary arts festivals begins in the same city.
The 59th steirischer herbst runs from September 24th to October 18th under the title "Red Flags".
Its programme of exhibitions, performances and discussions looks at political warning signs, culture wars and conflict, with events spread across Graz and elsewhere in Styria.
Dates: September 24th-October 18th
Location: Graz and other venues in Styria
Price: Depends on event
READ ALSO: The best festivals and events taking place in Austria this autumn
Retzer Weinlesefest, Lower Austria
September is grape harvest season in eastern Austria, and a major harvest celebration takes place in the wine town of Retz.
The 71st Retzer Weinlesefest runs from September 24th to 27th, with wine tastings, live music, a large Heuriger, fairground attractions and the traditional Sunday parade.
One of its more distinctive traditions involves the town's fountains, where water symbolically makes way for wine during the festival.
Ticket prices vary by day. Advance day tickets range from €9 to €12, while a four-day ticket costs €20 online. Children up to 14 enter free.
Dates: September 24th-27th
Location: Hauptplatz, Retz
Price: From €9 in advance
READ ALSO: Sturm: Why you should try Austria's traditional autumn drink
Wiener Weinwandertag
Vienna's vineyards become walking routes for the city's annual Wiener Weinwandertag on September 26th and 27th.
The event combines hiking through the city's wine-growing areas with stops at wineries and Heurige, where walkers can try local wine and food.
You don't have to complete an entire route. Visitors can join shorter sections, and the city says specially marked stretches are suitable for families with prams.
Dates: September 26th-27th
Location: Vienna's wine-growing areas
Price: Free
READ ALSO: Wiener Weinwandertage: Everything you need to know about Vienna's 'Wine Hiking Days'
Wiener Kaiser Wiesn
Vienna gets its own answer to Oktoberfest when the Wiener Kaiser Wiesn returns to the Prater from September 24th to October 11th.
The 18-day festival takes over the Kaiserwiese with three large festival tents, live bands, Austrian food and plenty of traditional dress. The organisers describe it as Austria's largest Brauchtums- and Oktoberfest-style festival.
You can enter the festival grounds without a ticket. Tickets are required for evening events inside the three main beer tents.
Dates: September 24th-October 11th
Location: Kaiserwiese, Vienna Prater
Price: Free entry to the grounds, tickets required for evening tent events
Tag des Denkmals across Austria
The last Sunday of September is Austria's Tag des Denkmals, or Heritage Day, when monuments and historic buildings across the country open their doors free of charge.
This year's event takes place on September 27th under the theme "Denkmale: Wert für alle".
According to the official Tag des Denkmals programme, hundreds of sites will take part. Many are buildings or spaces that are normally closed to visitors or only accessible on special tours.
The complete 2026 programme is due to be published on August 27th. Most visits don't require registration, but for the limited number that do, bookings will be open from September 12th to 22nd.
Date: September 27th
Location: Across Austria
Price: Free
Comments