The 41st edition of the Vienna Danube Island Festival kicked off on Friday in midsummer temperatures and sometimes oppressively humid conditions. The open-air festival, organized by the capital’s SPÖ, invites visitors to numerous concerts as well as sports and entertainment programs with free admission until Sunday.
Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) and his social democratic city government members, with the exception of climate councillor Jürgen Czernohorszky, visited the working world island at the very tip of the party grounds near the Reichsbrücke. They had brought federal party leader Andreas Babler with them as a guest. The mayor admitted to having attended all 41 editions of the open-air party so far. It was not the first time for Babler either. He wanted to “do many more kilometers” on the island.if(!apaResc)var apaResc=function(a){var e=window.addEventListener?”addEventListener”:”attachEvent”,t,n;(0,window[e])(“attachEvent”==e?”onmessage”:”message”,function(e){if(e.data[a]) for(var t=document.getElementsByClassName(a),n=0;n!=t.length;n++) t[n].style.height=e.data[a]+”px”},!1)}; apaResc(“apa-0809-24”);Blood sugar measurement and goulashDuring their tour, the two SPÖ grandees entered a container in which people could have their blood pressure and blood sugar measured. “I’m healthy,” said Ludwig happily, proudly presenting a treat that he was able to win. And because not only love, but also friendship, goes through the stomach, the red duo tasted goulash together before listening to the music of Der Nino aus Wien and Voodoo Jürgens.Austria’s European Championship match made for a quiet startEven though there were already a few people out and about, the number of people coming to the 4.5-kilometer-long festival grounds remained noticeably low as the afternoon progressed. Aside from the oppressive heat, the European Championship match between Austria and Poland was probably also a reason. Tip: There is also public viewing on the island!On Friday, the program on the main stage will include rap (Clueso, Juju) and German pop (Provinz). On the pop stage, Peter Kraus and Semino Rossi are waiting for their concerts. The culture tent is all about country and line dancing until late in the evening.Tip: Don’t forget your rain jacket!Despite the initial high summer weather, visitors should remember to bring a rain jacket for the evening hours – umbrellas are not allowed – because, according to forecasts, isolated rain showers or thunderstorms cannot be ruled out later in the day (see video above).Disruptive action as a “security risk”In addition, one should be prepared for one or two disruptive actions, as the “Last Generation” had announced a protest action for the Donauinselfest in advance.Mayor Ludwig commented: “I can’t imagine a worse place for this than the Donauinselfest.” This would represent a security risk.
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