Vienna Folk Marathon 24/25

… is going to happen from December 29(28), 2024 till January 2, 2025.

Official registration just started on Tue, October 1st.
Link to the registration form: https://tinyurl.com/y5fc5vbk

Here’s the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1911345682702396
The official and detailed website for Vienna Folk Marathon will go online around October 15th.

Around New Year 2024/25, Folk Marathon is returning to Vienna, the place where it all began 14 years ago: For five days, the lovely capital of Austria will be filled with folk & trad music & dance!
Concerts, dancing, jams, exchange, different styles, traditions and approaches – people from many countries meeting and having, well, a ball with each other.

What’s happening, and when?

We’ll have you still stay curious about many details, anyway here are some highlights:

  • Warming up party & jam on December 28th evening.
  • Official start & welcome party on December 29th.
  • Big New Year’s Eve party on 31st (at lovely club “Reigen”)
  • Closing party on January 2nd.
  • Dozens of workshops on all five days, as well as dances and concerts, jams, a friendly head quarter (music club “Fania Live”) – all that. 😉
  • There will also be a Mazurka Clandestina, Interest Groups (to connect with like-minded), open jamming spaces – and much more!
  • And there might still be a little afterparty on Jan 3rd…

The schedule will get more and more detailled over the next couple of weeks – we’ll keep you updated!

What is Folk Marathon?

Folk Marathon is a five days nonprofit grassroots event around the turn of the year

It is for folk / trad / world musicians, dancers and enthusiasts alike.

It takes place once a year in a European city, this time in Vienna / Austria. Neither small nor too huge, we’ll be welcoming about 300 participants, who will hopefully all spend a great time together, to party, jam, dance, share knowledge, skills, tunes and songs on a voluntary basis with each other:

Folk Marathon is a gathering rather than a “festival”, in the sense that it’s more about meeting, active participation, experiencing, experimenting rather than presenting something finished and polished.

  • Of course, there will also be lots of opportunities for bands and projects to play on stage, as a concert or for dancing, in different carefully selected venues,
  • but an essential part of Folk Marathon is to provide lots of space to meet, for a huge diversity of open sessions and for exchange.
  • One could call it an open, communicative, creative space, a friendly (maybe a little bit utopian?) framework, celebrating togetherness as well as individualism.

How does Folk Marathon work?

Folk Marathon lives by the enthusiasm, energy and experience of the local organizing team as well as of all its folksy participants. It’s a grass roots event carried by all participants, carefully prepared by the local team.

  • The local team provides the basic structure (places, timetable, venue, info, technical support etc.) and puts everything together as good and neat as possible.
  • All workshops, concerts and dances will be led by participants on a voluntary base (but you may expect donations!)
  • Participants together with the local team will take care that everything runs smoothly.

Every friendly human, independent of age and skill, is invited to join into Folk Marathon, in their own fashion: One may visit dozens of workshops or none at all, party and jam and dance all day and night or take it much more contempatively, choose to go to this bal or rather to that session, explore everything on one’s one or party together…

There’s a modest participation fee, just to cover expenses.

How much will it cost?

  • Folk Marathon Pass: You may choose how much to pay for that, including all events: Between 60 and 100 € (or a bit less, if you’re broke. Or more, if you want to support the future of Folk Marathon). To get a pass, you have to register in advance. Registration is open now: https://tinyurl.com/y5fc5vbk
  • Reduced Fee: Kids up to the age of 12 may participate for free, youth under 16 for the half price.
  • Single Events: It’s also possible to only participate in some single events (for instance, one or the other workshop or evening party) for a modest fee. In this case, you don’t have to register in advance.
  • What’s included: All the workshops and evening events, including the large new year’s party. Accommodation is not included in the fee, anyway the local team will assist you with finding very affordable ways to stay, if needed.

When and how to register?

  • Link to the registration form: https://tinyurl.com/y5fc5vbk
  • Registration opens on October 1st and closes the latest on Oct 31st (or a bit earlier in case we get 300 registrations before that).
  • Anyway, no stress! It will normally take a couple of days or even weeks until we’re getting close to our capacities. 😉 Therefore, take some time to decide when you want to come, whether you want to lead a workshop or play for a concert / dance, where you want to stay, etc.

Where to stay?

  • There are still affordable hostel spaces for the time around new year (see here, for instance: https://www.oejhv.at/jugendherbergen/wien/1070vienna/ )
  • There will definitely be a couple of dozens floor / sofa spaces offered by friendly people from the Vienna folk music / dancing community.
  • We are still in the process of finding one or the other cozy communal sleeping place.
  • Many of the Folk Marathon venues will be west of the city center, so accommodation in districts like 6,7,8,(9) and 15,16,17,18 (if not too far out) will work well. If you’re not sure, contact us (see below).

More info / contact

We are looking forward to seeing you, sharing music, dances, smiles and experiences and … having the best party ever! 🙂