Event highlights for winter 2026/27

26th Folk and Echo Brass Band Festival

3 October 2026, from 10.30 am | Lake Leopoldsteinersee, Eisenerz

At the 26th Folk and Echo Brass Band Festival, Lake Leopoldsteinersee will provide the backdrop for traditional brass band music. The programme begins at 10.30 am with a morning pint organised by the Innerberger Böhmischen at the lake’s outlet. This will be followed by a concert by Pacher Musik, traditional brass music played around the lake and a musical tandem flight from the Seemauer rock face. At 3.00 pm, the programme features brass music by the lake and on the boat, before the day draws to a close at 4.00 pm with the closing brass performance. Admission: 5 euros.

188th Gösser Kirtag

8 October 2026, from 9 am | Leoben

On 8 October, Leoben will once again be taken over by the Gösser Kirtag. For the 188th time, the main square and Gösser Straße in Styria’s second largest city Leoben will be transformed into one of Austria’s longest streets lined with market stalls. Market stalls, regional specialities, music and traditional customs characterise the day’s events, which bring together people from Leoben and far beyond the town every year. This traditional Kirtag has been part of the town’s social life for generations. Admission is free.

Myth of Ore - Visions of Vordernberg

Saturdays until 24 October 2026, from 2 pm | Radwerk IV, Vordernberg

How can a place whose history has been shaped by ore and iron processing over the centuries be developed further? The international art project “Mythos Erz Vision Vordernberg” (Myth of Ore - Visions of Vordernberg) explores this question. Artists from several European countries are working at Radwerk IV alongside local people on new artworks, performances and projects. The focus is on iron, mining and the future of Vordernberg. The history and present of this historic industrial site thus become the starting point for new perspectives.

Concert evening: ‘The Power of the Elements’

24 November 2026, 7.30 pm | Archduke Johann Auditorium, Leoben

The Leoben-Seegraben Miners’ Band is dedicating its concert evening at the Archduke Johann Auditorium of the Montanuniversität Leoben to ‘The Power of the Elements’. This long-established orchestra has been an integral part of cultural life in Erzberg-Leoben for many years, combining its mining heritage with thematically structured concert programmes. The concert in November continues this tradition, interpreting the theme of the elements through a variety of musical soundscapes.

Leoben Christmas Market

27 November to 23 December 2026 | Leoben Main Square

From late November until just before Christmas, Leoben’s Main Square becomes a popular meeting place during Advent. Market stalls, whose designs draw inspiration from Leoben’s landmarks, regional cuisine and a programme of accompanying events characterise the Christmas market. For children, there is an amusement park with a Ferris wheel and other rides. The market thus combines a visit to the town centre during Advent with socialising, dining and activities for families.

Mettenschicht (last shift worked before Christmas)

2 December 2026, from 6 pm | Leoben Municipal Theatre

The Mettenschicht is closely linked to the history of mining and forms part of the miners’ traditions surrounding St Barbara’s Day. On 2 December, it will take place at the Leoben Municipal Theatre and forms part of the programme of miners’ customs during Advent. This event revives a tradition that continues to hold special significance to this day in a region shaped by ore mining and metallurgy. Further details regarding the programme will be announced in due course.

Miners’ Torchlight Procession

3 December 2026, from 5 pm | KulturQuartier Leoben

The miners’ torchlight procession brings Leoben’s mining history to life during a guided walk through the town. The starting point is the KulturQuartier on Leopoldine-Pohl-Platz. The tour, which focuses on mining history, will be accompanied by the Traditional Costume Society and the Steirerherzen Seegraben Miners’ Guild, as well as the Leoben-Seegraben Miners’ Band. The torchlight procession links historic sites with the traditions that are still upheld today by societies and miners’ guilds and passed on to future generations.

St Barbara’s Festival in Eisenerz

4 and 5 December 2026 | Innerberger Gewerkschaftshaus, Eisenerz

Around 4 December, St Barbara, the patron saint of miners, takes centre stage in Eisenerz. The St Barbara’s Festival at the Innerberger Gewerkschaftshaus brings mining traditions to life over two days. On Friday evening, the traditional St Barbara’s Dance takes place, which is an integral part of the festivities. On Saturday, the St Barbara’s Festival continues with its time-honoured customs. The event highlights the significance that the mining tradition still holds today for social and cultural life in Eisenerz.

St Barbara’s Festival in Leoben

4 December 2026, from 9 am | Leoben and Leoben-Seegraben

In Leoben, too, the mining tradition is upheld on St Barbara’s Day. The festive service begins at 9 am in the parish church of St Xaver. This is followed by a prayer service at the St Barbara Chapel in Leoben-Seegraben, for which a free shuttle bus service is provided. Traditional societies, including the folk costume society and the ‘Steirerherzen Seegraben’ miners’ guild, will be taking part in the celebrations. The day will conclude with the St Barbara celebrations at the clubhouse on Veitsbergweg.

Grand Night Watchman’s Tour

20 December 2026, 5.00 pm | Meeting point: Bergmannplatz, Eisenerz

On the Grand Night Watchman’s Tour, night watchman Gerhard Niederhofer guides visitors through the historic old town of Eisenerz. During the tour, he will talk about old town houses and craftsmen’s workshops, the former wheelworks, the ‘Fluter’ and the notable figures who helped shape the rise of what was once known as Innerberg. The tour will also cover the everyday life of the local population and the danger posed by town fires. Musical interludes will accompany the tour, linking the town’s history, its mining heritage and the Advent season in Eisenerz.

Operetta ‘Countess Mariza’

30 December 2026, 7.30 pm and 31 December 2026, 6 pm | City theater Leoben

To round off the year, Emmerich Kálmán’s operetta ‘Countess Mariza’ is on the programme at the Leoben Municipal Theatre. The plot, centring on the wealthy Countess Mariza, a fictional fiancé and the impoverished Count Tassilo, weaves together a series of mix-ups and misunderstandings with Kálmán’s music. Alexander M. Helmer is directing this new production, with László Gyüker as musical director and set design by Manfred Waba.

Rubey and Schwarz: Love

15 January 2027, 7.30 pm | Leoben

In their second joint stage show, actor-comedians Simon Schwarz and Manuel Rubey explore love in times of crisis. With sharp humour, music and intense emotions, they explore how we can once again come to see love as a verb and, despite everyday and societal challenges, consciously choose it time and again. Wild melodies clash with life’s minor and major catastrophes.

Bartolomey Bittmann and Ursula Strauss: ‘Everything is Love‘

29 January 2027, 7.30 pm | Live Congress Leoben

In ‘Everything is Love‘ (Alles Liebe), music and literature come together to explore the different facets of a profound emotion. Actress Ursula Strauss, as singer and narrator, guides the audience through the evening, whilst Matthias Bartolomey on the cello and Klemens Bittmann on the violin and mandola provide the musical accompaniment. The programme ranges from Christine Nöstlinger’s dialect texts and love poems, through 1930s schlager and pop song arrangements, to original compositions by Bartolomey Bittmann.