ESCToday in collaboration with Vienna Tourist Board (Wien.info) will be bringing you a series of articles leading up to the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest in order to showcase and introduce the 2015 Eurovision host city Vienna to our readers. Today we will have a look at Vienna’s gay scene along with some of its hotttest clubs and parties.
Not too many European cities have such a rich gay history as the Austrian capital. Gay emperors, generals or composers of days gone by and all the gays and lesbians of today convert Vienna into a unique travel destination.
Parties and Clubs
Long live Heaven Vienna! Miss Candy, Austria’s well-known drag queen and initiator of diverse party institutions, brings you the latest in house music, disco sounds and garage beats for a sweltering atmosphere among party-goers. www.heaven.at
Heaven parties- Vienna
The Why Not opens its doors each Friday and Saturday. The relatively small downtown gay club has been around for many years. It still busts out of its seams each weekend. Expect a hot night on the dance floor where all the popular house and dance hits are playing. www.why-not.at
Since 2010, the Up! Club has been at the start: Twice a month (always on Fridays), lutz – der club is given over to a theme. House music is played. www.upclub.at
Occident meets Orient and Poland is there too, is how organiser, Sabrina Andersrum, sums up her monthly Balkan clubbing BallCanCan. The criss-cross mixture of guests dance to Balkan-Pop and Turbo-Folk.
www.ballcancan.com
Vienna has its first Bear & Butch club in the form of the Pitbull. Since its opening in 2009, the Pitbull team has provided sweat-producing beats for that pure testosterone rush. www.pitbull-clubbing.at
G.Spot. The party that is held on a monthly basis is aimed at lesbians as well as gays and offers changing musical emphases, such as Electronic, House, Tribal, Techno and others; a welcome alternative to the gay and lesbian disco routine. www.gspot.at
queer:beat. Gays, lesbians and friends can dance away to indie rock, electronic and chart music here. Several DJs play for the young, dance-crazy crowd. www.queerbeat.at
The Circus is a huge gay spectacle that is held at irregular intervals (twice to four times per year) in the Arena Wien. International top DJs and spectacular shows attract the party animals.
www.thecircus.at
At irregular intervals on the programme, there is also the FSK in the Pratersauna, one of the hottest locations in the city. House and Techno music are dominant. A dedicated Trash Floor supplies the party animals with evergreens and old hits. www.pratersauna.tv
Unfortunately, the Kibbutz Klub is only held infrequently at Club U on Karlsplatz: organized by the QueerHebrews, everyone is welcome here – whether lesbian, gay, transsexual, hetero, hipster, Jewish, non-Jewish, local or immigrant. Guests dance to Israeli music and Eurotrash. www.facebook.com/KibbutzKlub
The Wiener Freiheit has been established in the fifth district for more than 25 years: the bar in 1980s style is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 9.00 pm to 4.00 am. The disco starts at 10.00 pm. www.wienerfreiheit.at
More party tips and clubs in the Vienna Gay & Lesbian Guide
You can even find out more information on the gay and lesbian scene and events on Gayfriendly Vienna’s official Facebook page.
For more information on Vienna you can visit Wien.info and for the latest news on ESC 2015 in Vienna ORF’s Eurovision website in German.
You can follow our forthcoming series of Discover Vienna articles with photographs and videos on ESCToday.com and on our official Esctoday Instagram and ESCToday Facebook pages.
