Winterfest
An annual rendezvous with the circus
Since 2001, the Winter Festival has celebrated the unique art form of contemporary circus every year around Christmas time. For several weeks, Salzburg’s Volksgarten is transformed into a magical setting for the highest art of circus and invites internationally renowned, hand-picked companies into its tents. With them, visitors are immersed in a colourful world of captivating acrobatics, poetry and bizarre humour.
More than 20 years ago, while cycling through the snow-covered Volksgarten, Winterfest founder Georg Daxner had the vision of reviving this place of conviviality and encounter with the Winterfest. To this day, we carry on his vision year after year.
»Art is only tenable if it deeply moves you: if it makes you feel joy, sadness or despair. For all we are left with is art.«
Georg Daxner
Winterfest ́23 in review
Winterfest timeline
Winterfest 2023
Cirkus Cirkör / Cirque La Compagnie / The 7 Fingers / Circo Zoé / CiRCUS ViSiON mit Cie Gaïus, Robin Witt, Momomento, Christiane Hapt & Sebastian Berger, Anna Sandreuter, Aurelia Eidenberger
Winterfest 2022
Zirkus FahrAwaY / Michael Zandl, David Eisele, Kolja Huneck / Circus Ronaldo / Jamie Adkins / Le P’tit Cirk / Kaleidoskop / MOTA
Winterfest 2021
Gravity & Other Myths / Wakouwa Teatro / Cirque Barcode / Circoncentrique / Jos Houben
Winterfest 2020 – Abgesagt
Cirque Barcode / Wakouwa Teatro / Jos Houben / Circoncentrique / Viktor Antonov
Winterfest 2019
Cirque Alfonse / Cie Akoreacro / Thom Monckton / Circa / still hungry / Maja Karolina Franke & Ralph Öllinger / Darragh McLoughlin / Paul-
Emmanuel Chevalley
Winterfest 2018
Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger / Circa Tsuica / Post Uit Hessdalen / Machine de Cirque / Stefan Sing / Sebastian Berger / Arne Mannott / Elina Lautamäki
Winterfest 2017
Flip FabriQue / Cie XY / Claudio Stellato / Compagnia Baccalà / in_tensegrity / Ralph Öllinger / Ariane &
Roxana / MOTA
Winterfest 2016
Cirque Alfonse / Gravity & Other Myths / Cie Sacékripa / Young Artists / MOTA
Winterfest 2015
Cirque Le Roux / Magmanus / Les Rois Vagabonds / Bêtes de
Foire / MOTA & Spiegelzelt
Winterfest 2014
Cie Akoreacro / Cirque Trottola & Petit Théâtre Baraque / ymedioteatro / Cirque Aïtal
Winterfest 2013
The 7 Fingers / David Dimitri / Forman Brothers
Winterfest 2012
Cie Le Cubitus du Manchot / Cirque inextrémiste / Théâtre
d‘un jour / Cie Circ’ombelico
Winterfest 2011
The 7 Fingers / Cirque Rasposo / L’Atelier Lefeuvre & André / Le Boustrophédon
Winterfest 2010
The Tiger Lillies Freakshow / National Circus School Montréal / Cie Akoreacro / Cirque Aïtal / Escarlata Circus
Winterfest 2009
Compagnie Hors Pistes / Cirque Trottola & SAWAZI
Winterfest 2008
Cirque XY / Cirque Rasposo
Winterfest 2007
La Famiglia Dimitri
Winterfest 2006
Compagnie Zanzibar / Cirque Ici
Winterfest 2005
Le Cirque Désaccordé / Le Jardin & Der kleine Prinz
Winterfest 2004
Cirque Lili / Le Jardin
Winterfest 2003
Das Lächeln am Fuße der Leiter
Winterfest 2002
Le Cirque Invisible / The Tiger Lillies und Salzburg Comedian Harmonists
Winterfest 2001
Le Cirque Invisible
Winterfest Parade
The Winterfest Circus Parade, which kicks off the festival season every year, has become a tradition. The Salzburg circus scene parades through the city with upbeat live music from MMC – mobile music club and spreads an exuberant atmosphere as well as a foretaste of the circus winter. We are already looking forward to the next Circus Parade in October 2025!
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What is contemporary circus?
Cirque Nouveau (“New Circus”) is a genre founded in France around 1970 that combines vaudeville, acrobatics, live music, performing arts and dance. The focus is on the aesthetics and artistic quality of the pieces, which usually follow a narrative thread. Unlike traditional circus, Cirque Nouveau only features animals on stage in very few exceptional cases.
Team & contact
The Winterfest organisation team:
Management & Artistic Director
Robert Seguin
r.seguin@winterfest.at
Production Manager
Angelika Kulterer
a.kulterer@winterfest.at
produktion@winterfest.at
Production Manager, Sponsoring, HR, Ticketing
Theresa Angerer
t.angerer@winterfest.at
produktion@winterfest.at
Officemanagement
Seraphim Schuchter
s.schuchter@winterfest.at
Marketing Manager
Stefanie Tschernuth
s.tschernuth@winterfest.at
marketing@winterfest.at
Marketing Assistant & Social Media
Johanna Lehmert
j.lehmert@winterfest.at
Public Relations
Julia Lepka-Fleischer
julia.lepka@hinterland.cc
Office Management, Corporate Celebrations
info@winterfest.at
Technical Director
Nathanael Antu Jenny
technik@winterfest.at
Tent master
Slawomir Dobrzyniecki
Contact Office
office@winterfest.at
+43 662 88 75 80
Jobs
Our team for this years’ edition is already complete!
We are always happy to receive unsolicited applications for the next edition of Winterfest at any time:
Merchandise
You want to take a piece of Winterfest home with you? Our new merch is waiting for you! You can get the latest designs on bags, chocolates, postcards and more at the Winterfest booth in Europark and from the beginning of the festival at the cloakroom in Volksgarten.
Green Event
By organising the Winterfest as a Green Event, we are taking measures that contribute to the protection of the environment and the long-term protection of our climate.
Since 2017, the tents have been heated with district heating with the support of the province of Salzburg and Salzburg AG in line with the SALZBURG 2050 climate and energy strategy. This allows local air pollutant emissions to be reduced and several tonnes of CO2 to be saved. Numerous measures are already integrated during the planning stage to protect the environment and thus make the Winter Festival a green event.
Our actions
- Promotion of climate-friendly mobility
- Seasonal, regional and preferably organic foods
- Distribution of reusable crockery, glasses, cups and cutlery
- Purchase of beverages in bulk and/or reusable containers
- Use of bulk packs instead of portion packs
- Sensible and appropriate waste separation and collection
- Avoiding disposable decoration and disposable giveaways
- Economical use of resources and renewable energies
- Accessibility
