In recent years, the MQ Summer Stage in the main courtyard has established itself as a fixture of the summer in Vienna. From the end of May to mid of September, its varied open-air evening program complements the museums' offerings and invites visitors to concerts, performances, talks, readings and film screenings free of charge after their closing times.
The popular literature festival “O-Töne” and the open-air film festival “frame[o]ut” are also part of this year’s program once again. The new concert series “MQ Tunes” brings fresh sounds to the MuseumsQuartier every Wednesday – featuring young, up-and-coming bands from Austria.
Let the weekend vibes take over: from Fridays to Sundays and on public holidays, between 14 and 22h, our garden restaurants and the summer stage come alive with weekend sounds curated by Christoph Etzlsdorfer.
Fri 22.08., 19h
FALTER-Sommergespräche
Wien und die Natur
"Die Stadt und das Klima" (in German language)
Eva Konzett, deputy editor-in-chief of FALTER, discusses how climate change will affect life in cities and how populations can adapt with environmental historian Verena Winiwarter.
Fri 22.08., 20:30h
frame[o]ut open-air film festival
FROM THE FABRICS OF UTOPIA: a cinematic foray through the IntAkt archive
Short film program | 1977 - 1988 | 72min.
This short film programme pays tribute to the artistic and political legacy of the IntAkt artists who rebelled against patriarchal structures in the cultural sector in the 1970s and created their own spaces. With films about and by IntAkt members, a polyphonic homage to their resistance, their creativity and the lasting influence on the visibility of women artists to this day is created.
Sat 23.08., 20.30h
frame[o]ut open-air film festival
UNSICHTBARE GEGNER
D: VALIE EXPORT | AT 1977 | feature film | 110min. | original version
In VALIE EXPORT's experimental science fiction debut film, Vienna in the 1970s becomes the backdrop for a hallucinatory state of emergency in which an extraterrestrial force manipulates human consciousness. The photographer Anna fights against invisible enemies and social constraints - a radical departure into naked, unadorned existence.
Mon 25.08., 18h
Monday Listening Club hosted by Martin Markeli
Special Guest: DJ Cut Ex
Music
As part of the Viennese duo Urbs & Cutex, Cut Ex is the expert on sounds, samples, scratches and arrangements. He effortlessly mixes his way through different genres, whether it's funk, disco, hip hop, reggae or house.
Di 26.08., 19h
Live-Podcast
Die Wurzeln der Regionalität
Talk (in German language)
What makes the Austrian potato so special? In this edition of the Land schafft Leben live podcast, the focus lies entirely on the potato and we celebrate 70 years of Kelly's with exciting insights into cultivation, regionality and genuine sustainable value creation. Joining in: young farmer Georg Rath in conversation with Hannes Royer about agriculture, responsibility and local quality.
Wed 27.08., 19.30h
MQ Tunes: Luca Malina
Concert
The Viennese artist Luca Malina has long established herself as a unique voice in the music scene –raw, versatile, and always with her own distinctive vibe. She doesn’t pay attention to genre boundaries. Somewhere between alternative pop, R&B, and electronic sounds, Luca Malina has found her own unique mix –sometimes delicate, sometimes punchy, but always bold.
Thu 28.08., 20h
O-Töne
Nava Ebrahimi l Anna Maschik
Literature festival
Readings (in German language)
This summer, the popular O-Töne literature festival will once again bring current authors and literary voices to the MuseumsQuartier and invite you to readings and discussions in the open air. For the finale, Nava Ebrahimi will read from "Und Federn überall" and Anna Maschik from "Wenn du es heimlich machen willst, musst du die Schafe töten".
Fri 29.08., 20.30h
frame[o]ut open-air film festival
ORLANDO, MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY
D: Paul B. Preciado | FR 2023 | documentary | 98min. | original version with subtitles
In Orlando, My Political Biography, Paul B. Preciado responds to Virginia Woolf's classic with a powerful cinematic essay - and declares Orlando to be the reality of today's diverse trans and non-binary generation. Over twenty protagonists lend their voices and bodies to the character and together create a moving manifesto for self-determination, visibility and queer life.
Sat 30.08., 20.30h
frame[o]ut open-air film festival
BUSHMAN
US 1971 | D: David Schickele | documentary | 73min. | original version with subtitles
BUSHMAN follows the Nigerian migrant Gabriel in 1968 in a San Francisco shaken by political upheaval - and in doing so reveals the racist projections he encounters from all sides. When the reality of the civil rights protests overtakes the script, the film turns into a documentary chronicle of resistance against repression, violence and exclusion.
Mon 01.09., 18h
Monday Listening Club hosted by Martin Markeli
Special Guest: Andaka
Music
Andaka has been on the turntables since 2002 and has explored numerous genres over the years. She started out with drum'n'bass and jungle, but soon switched to hip hop and turntablism and its roots in soul, funk, disco and boogie.
Her experience as a back-up DJ for rap acts and at breakdance battles finally opened the door to an even larger musical universe - the world of experimental electronic sounds.
Wed 03.09., 19.30h
MQ Tunes: Multitudes
Concert
MULTITUDES present their rocking songs on stage, underlined by a versatile stage show - the regular change of instruments not only contributes to the dynamic live performance of the Multitudes, but also testifies to their musical versatility.
Thu 04.09., 19h
FALTER book presentation: Thomas Roth – 50 Wiener Bäume
in conversation with Katharina Kropshofer
Talk
Thomas Roth, together with Katharina Kropshofer, guides us through the surprisingly diverse world of urban trees – from exotic curiosities to native veterans. The FALTER book presentation invites you to an evening full of botanical eye-opening moments and new perspectives on the seemingly mundane.
Fr 05.09., 18h
Inclusion as an opportunity for art and culture
Talk | in German language
As part of MQ Lottery Day, the MuseumQuartier invites you to a panel discussion on inclusion in art and culture — with a keynote speech by Klaus Höckner, insights into inclusive educational approaches from Kunsthalle Wien and mumok, followed by a discussion and Q&A session.
Fri 05.09., 20.30h
frame[o]ut open-air film festival
SAMBIZANGA
D: Sarah Maldoror | FR, AO, CD 1972 | feature film | 102min. | original version with subtitles
Sambizanga tells the story of the beginning of the Angolan struggle for independence in 1961 and follows Maria as she sets off in search of her arrested husband - and increasingly sees through the colonial violence. Sarah Maldoror's impressive debut film, shot in exile, powerfully focuses on the often overlooked role of women in the anti-colonial resistance.
Sat 06.09., 20.30h
frame[o]ut open-air film festival
BAD GIRL
D: Varsha Bharath | IN 2025 | feature film | 115min. | original version with subtitles
Bad Girl follows 16-year-old Ramya on her chaotic, lustful and rebellious journey through growing up in South India - between chats, college and the constant resistance to social expectations. With wit, pace and formal freedom, Varsha Bharath creates a queer, energetic coming-of-age comedy that celebrates the imperfect and non-conformist.
Mon 08.09., 18h
Monday Listening Club hosted by Martin Markeli
ALL STARS
Music
The Monday Listening Club by Martin Markeli offers visitors a unique combination of vinyl listening experience, vintage flea market and live DJ sets. On this evening, Markeli invites us to an ALL-STARS special, where various special guests will bring their very own sounds to the MQ Summer Stage.
Tue 09.09., 18.30h
Fashion Talk
Fashion in Austria, a journey from the past to the future
Fashion reflects the spirit of the times and is a tactile sensor for art and culture, a vibrant means of expression in our rapidly changing society. At the Fashion Talk, guests will discuss topics such as clothing as a statement and the many aspects of sustainability, production, marketing, circular economy, and the importance of the fashion industry in the domestic economy. With social media expert Natalia Ferraz, designers Katha Harrer and Patrizia Markus, and MQ Artist-in-Residence Idan Yoav, moderated by designer, Vienna Fashion Week organizer, and Combinat operator Maria Oberfrank.
Wed 10.09., 19h
Reading: „Nochmal von vorne"
MQ Writer-in-Residence Dana von Suffrin
MQ Writer-in-Residence Dana von Suffrin, who will be a guest at the MuseumsQuartier in September and October 2025, will read from her virtuoso novel “Nochmal von vorne”, which is about modern Jewish life between Munich and Tel Aviv.
Powerfully and with great black humor, von Suffrin tells of a German-Jewish family in which an entire century of violence and expulsion continues to have an effect - and of two sisters who are divided and reconciled because there is something that only they understand about each other.
