Train on top – diversity underneath: Bogenfest 2025

The Bogenmeile in Innsbruck stretches for 1700 meters. It is a "notorious" party district, but above all it is one thing: colorful. This refers to the viaduct arches in Innsbruck: trains run at the top, while the arches below are home to bars, workshops and stores. Under the fitting motto "Train above - diversity below", the fourth edition of the Bogenfest took place.
From 14:00 to (officially) 22:00 and with free admission (!), the program-rich street festival offered a varied mix for young and old: family-friendly adventure stations, dance, art, theater, culinary delights and live music across all genres - and much more. Practical: of course, you could not only celebrate together outdoors, but also indoors in the numerous bars and clubs of the legendary party mile.

I have experienced the Bogenfeste of the past two years myself and remember them as particularly fun, exuberant celebrations in beautiful summer weather - with thousands of people. The anticipation for the 2025 edition was correspondingly great! However, the April weather strayed into late May this year and the forecasts were gloomy. And then everything was half as bad: After continuous rain on Thursday and showers on Friday, Saturday was dry. And that's not all: the sun peeked out from time to time.
The crowds at Bogenfest were the same as every time: immense and impressive. On the way to the viaduct arches, long queues in front of every Bankomaten (Austrian for cash machine) both in the city center and near the train station were the first unmistakable sign of the popular event.

Slowly pushing your way through the crowd, you had to make your way from the Museumstraße to the fairground. Under half/three quarters of an hour? Not possible! But there was more than enough to see and hear along the way: various live acts on the four stages and other stations provided a variety of entertainment, including music, dance performances and fashion shows. Most of the time you met familiar faces somewhere or got to know new ones.

The street along the viaduct arches in Innsbruck bears the name Ingenieur-Etzel-Straße. It was named after Karl Etzela (how fitting!) German railroad engineer and architect from the 19th century. Anyone traveling from the east by train to Innsbruck from the east, you rush over these very arches, which are home to bars, clubs, theaters, workshops, snack bars, associations and much more. This last part of the train journey always gives me a special feeling: coming home.

This Bogenfest stretched from viaduct curve 1 to 87 and in 2025 made some „Schlenker“ to the left and right, which extended the radius a little for the first time, but significantly expanded the range. For example, the Dreiheiligenstraße to the Z6 Center for Youth Work, where workshops, an exhibition and a lecture were offered, and on to the Ferrarischule stop with information stands, a fashion show and a creative street.

The "Street of Children" led to the Zeughaus including its own stage. A large part of this path was painted with colorful sidewalk chalks in the early evening. Along the Zeughausgasse numerous hands-on stations for families to try out a wide variety of activities, and on the Zeughaus forecourt, visitors were able to experience acrobatics up close in the hands-on circus.

In the inner courtyard of the historic Zeughauses"Die Nachteule" hosted an art and flea market, and there was also street food. And short guided tours of the museum and the current exhibitions were free of charge on this special day. All in all, I think the extension was a great success, as it was much more relaxed around the Zeughaus compared to the intense hustle and bustle along the arches.

Further Schlenker (Austrian for small detour, "Detour") around the trade fair offered space for "Swing & More" (Messe Süd) and for the RAMBAZAMBA STAGE (outdoor area west). You could enjoy the music of the 1920s to 1940s together with Swingout Innsbruck to the music of the 1920s to 1940s. Or go wild to electronic music in front of the big stage on the open-air site ...

I was and am not particularly tech-savvy, by the way, but the location-sharing function on the smartphone definitely makes sense on the Bogenfest definitely makes sense to somehow manage to find each other. Tried it out successfully myself!

On the RAMBAZAMBA STAGE, PARKBÜHNE, ZEUGHAUSBÜHNE and RIFFRAUSCHBÜHNE offered pretty much everything you can imagine acoustically in terms of live music. Declared and (most likely) achieved goal of the organizers Innsbruck Marketing, Kulturverein Bögen Innsbruck and various partners was to hit the right note for everyone. The Line-up 2025 was impressive: DJ Navid and JOJO VICE, Daniel Stenger, Madmotormiquel, Marie Montexier, DJ Mell G, ÖBB-Musikkapelle, DJ Fu, Mambo Kurt, Sinem, Viech, Frittenbude, Lukas Funkateer, roachthepoet, Sandra Rejak, KÜSSEN, FAIRE LA PAIX, Mycelium, Heavy Kevy, Sage Darley & Band, Slicky Nerves, YMP.

My friends and I followed the atmosphere in front of the PARKBÜHNE throughout the evening. As the music directly in front of the stage was a bit too loud for us, our first choice was a stand in the Messepark with a view of the stage. The group Viech i had last seen them live over ten years ago and I was delighted to hear the familiar song „Steuermann.“ Beautiful! There was already a lot of dancing and singing along, but, as it turned out, that was just the warm-up for later: when Frittenbude the stage rocked, the place was packed and shaking. Collective energy: maximum! And during the song „Mindestens in 1000 Jahren:“ explosive! - The twilight and the mountains in the background did their bit to make this evening unforgettable.

Once around the corner we went to the RAMBAZAMBA STAGE at the outdoor area of the Innsbruck Trade Fair. The atmosphere was good here too, and despite the decent crowd, it was easy to dance to the electronic music. And exercise was recommended after sunset, as it got a bit chilly for those who didn't dance themselves warm.

I find the organization of such an event impressive. It must be a huge challenge to coordinate with the many arch restaurants and contributors. The deposit cup system alone is quite something. The most remarkable thing for me was (once again) the closing time: it started at 10 p.m., the bar was closed and the seating was moved inside. The street had to empty and make way for the first cleaning crews. It was not a matter of course that everything went off in a disciplined and peaceful manner, but it was feasible. Thanks to the professional and experienced organization by Innsbruck Marketing and the Kulturverein Bögen, the festival ran smoothly, at least that's how I perceived it.

My third Bogenfest was the coldest so far, but there is no such thing as bad weather ... (you know the rest). It was beautiful despite the temperature of only about 17° C! The flair and the atmosphere were (again) unique and great. According to media reports, up to 40,000 people celebrated the Bogenfest 2025(wow!).

I will always have positive memories of this event, even if I once had to queue for three portions of food Pommes frites had to queue for three portions. It was really worth it! Not just because of the fries, which were delicious, but because I went to the festival all by myself, but didn't feel lonely for a second from the moment I arrived. Not every event can do that, but the Bogenfest in Innsbruck can. A festival for everyone. It's not just about diversity, but also about community.
Thank you, Innsbruck, you unique city!

Bogenfest: www.bogenfest.at
Innsbruck Marketing: www.innsbruckmarketing.at, Colingasse 5a, 6020 Innsbruck, +43 512 561500, office@innsbruckmarketing.at
Kulturverein Bögen Innsbruck: www.instagram.com/boegen_ibk

Cover picture at the top: Snapshot Bogenfest 2025, Verena Abenthung