Austria is a wonderful country to visit year-round, but summer is special in Austria. Here are some great Free concerts and events in Austria that are worth checking out:

Vienna Music Film Festival – July12-Sept. 7
Held in the square in front of city hall, this is a not-to-be-missed festival. The billing will range from opera and operetta to dance and concert films. A special focus of the event will be the 100th birthday of Herbert von Karajan, which will feature four performances by the maestro from 1959 to 1985 as well as the 100th anniversary concert in 2008.

Danube Island Festival in Vienna – Sept. 5-7
Some 3 million visitors make the Danube Island Festival held in June each year Europe’s largest youth party. For three days, a great line-up of stars will entertain more than 2 million party-goers on about 20 stages.

La Strada in Graz – Aug. 1-9
This street and puppet theater festival is a wonderful free event for families of all ages.

Aufsteirern in Graz – September 14
For one day, Graz turns into a Styrian village. Costumes, music and food specialties will make visitors feel a part of village life.

Jazz Summer in Graz – July10-Aug. 2
Major jazz stars will perform Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in July and August on the Schlossberg in Graz. Great music and culinary pleasures await visitors .

Seimens Festival Nights in Salzburg
These are free concerts offered during the world-renowned Salzburg Festival. Festival productions will be screened as open-air events on a large screen on Salzburg’s Kapitelplatz. Festival-goers can see some of this year’s productions along with older ones as part of the Siemens Festival Nights.  There will be opera highlights from the current season (Otello, Roméo et Juliette and Don Giovanni) under the stars, alongside venerable opera productions created during the past century under Maestro Herbert von Karajan.

83rd Bachfest Salzburg-Oct. 4-20
This year’s Bachfest will be held in Salzberg, a music-loving city if ever there was one! Although most of the concerts require tickets, there are some free concerts in this series.

Austria welcomes you in 2008 for a summer of fun and music!