The Viennese Pop Festival returns to Karlsplatz

“We are glad that the time has finally come,” declared musician and composer Andreas Specht, who is responsible for organizing this year with music journalist and DJ Dalia Ahmed. More than 50 works about Karlsplatz will appear in some of the new locations. It is important to focus on variety when designing a program. So this year there will be something for everyone from pop to hip-hop and electronic sounds.

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This year, the represented artists are once again focusing on established stars and newcomers from the local music scene. Kerosin95, Euroteuro, Friedberg and W1ZE will begin work on the central lake platform on Thursday. On Fridays, the Big Lake Theater with performances by Crack Ignaz, Ibo and Camp revolves around the local rap scene. The latter is celebrating its comeback this year after the album’s 13-year hiatus.

New sites and workshops

In addition to the well-known stages, this year’s event also brings new locations with it. This year, sound engineering workshops, discussion tours and nightclubs will take place in “Club U”, which was used for the first time. Also new to Karlsplatz is a new outdoor sound system that will be played by different groups.

Nearby TU Vienna has also become a party location these days, when acts like Radian, Jung an Tage, Zinn, Kenji Araki, and Brenk Sinatra ensure a lively atmosphere. Finally, on the last day, you’ll go to church: Viennese singer Sofia Belinda will make her first solo debut “Die Neue Heiterkeit” there, while honorary Rogen and Dagmar Schreier will do an audiovisual work they designed themselves.

“A space for the younger generation free from coercion and hierarchy”

Festival director Christoph Modrendorfer looks back on the past few difficult years and is now looking forward to a comeback with Karlsplatz as the site. “The younger generation needs a space that operates without coercion or hierarchy,” says Modrendorfer.

The Vienna City Councilor for Culture, Veronica Kaup Hasler (SPÖ), stresses the importance of the festival with free entry: “Especially in economically difficult times, it is important for all Viennese to present culture with free admission, and the pop festival joins a festival of great artistic importance. Diverse in this city.”