Sport meets party: the Innsbruck Beach Event 2025

Sport is always great! No matter what you do - the main thing is exercise. But there are some sports that are just particularly cool. Beach volleyball, for example. Even as a child, I was impressed by the boys and girls in the swimming pool who met up to play beach volleyball. Unfortunately, I was never one of them - and at 1.66 m tall, I probably wasn't a professional volleyball player. But it doesn't matter, because luckily it's not just players who are needed, but also fans. And since Innsbruck Beachevent, which took place in the middle of the city from May 29 to June 1, I've become one. Sun, beats, good vibes - and a sport that is simply captivating. The event was more than just a tournament - it was a really cool party. And I'm very happy to tell you a bit about it.

Beach flair in the middle of the city

The weather in May was rather moody - but just in time for the Innsbruck Beachevent it finally turned summery! The sun shone brightly and the market square was transformed into a real center court for the fourth time. The tournament, which was held as part of the win2day Beach Volleyball Tour PRO offered everything a successful summer event needs: exciting matches, a beach party atmosphere and pure summer feeling. From young to old, from families to students to pensioners - everyone was there. They celebrated, cheered and cheered on - in the middle of the city, with a view of the Nordkette and accompanied by really good music. It couldn't have been better!

Clearly regulated. Played hard.

I just like it simple! What do I mean by that? Let's take American Football - a really cool sport. But to be honest: I don't understand the rules. And that's exactly why I find it kind of uninteresting. Beach volleyball is different - the sport is simple. In other words: easy to understand. Two teams of two players play against each other on a sandy surface divided by a net. The aim is to play the ball over the net so that it touches the ground in the opponent's court - this scores a point. If the ball lands outside the court, the other team gets the point. Each team is allowed a maximum of three touches of the ball.

Full physical effort at Innsbruck Beachevent!

What I saw live for the first time at the Innsbruck beach event - and thought was pretty cool: The ball can be played with any part of the body. Even with your foot! The game is played in "best-of-three" mode: two winning sets up to 21 points, a possible third set up to 15 points. Each set must be won by at least two points. So far so clear! And even if you have no idea about the rules - the energy on the court is simply overflowing. Every serve, every block, every jump is action.

Mega audience - mega atmosphere

Why do beach volleyball players always look so damn cool? I admit, I get a little envious and would love to be on the court myself. Until I remember that I'm firstly too small, secondly too old and thirdly clearly not heat-resistant enough for a career in beach volleyball. Oh yes, and I don't think I'd want to do all that training either. I'd rather stay a spectator. That's something too. And the atmosphere in the stands is mega anyway. The team of presenters and the DJs got the party vibes going. There was singing, cheering - and the wave regularly went through the audience.

Pizza, beer and games - what more could you want?

No culinary wish was left unfulfilled either - nobody really had to starve or die of thirst here. I held back on the beer this time, but when it came to the delicious pizza from Moesingers Mad Pizza i simply couldn't resist. Really, really tasty - an absolute recommendation! In the evening, you could round off the Beachday with the beach pros until 22:00 - and if you still hadn't had enough, you could go to the Sixty Twenty weiterfeiern.

Red-white-red triumph

Speaking of celebrations: the winners of the Innsbruck beach event were certainly celebrating too. On Sunday, the Austrian teams made the most of their home advantage and won both the women's and the men's MEVZA Innsbruck Beachevent as part of the win2day Beach Volleyball Tour PRO. Lia Berger and Lilli Hohenauer, the 2024 national and U18 European champions, beat their Hungarian opponents in the women's final. In the men's final, Laurenc Grössig and Maximilian Trummer triumphed over the team from Slovakia in a thrilling final. Last year, the pair had won silver in Innsbruck - this time they managed the big time. The sensational Austrian result was rounded off by third place for Florian Schnetzer and Felix Friedl.

With heart, sand and team spirit

In a nutshell: The Innsbruck beach event was a complete success again this year - even under difficult conditions. Organizer Simon Varges sums it up: "It was the year of records. We had the smallest budget ever, but all the more visitors." An event like this can only be organized with a lot of passion, idealism and expertise. That's exactly what the team around Simon Varges managed to do - and we can already look forward to next year!