Celebrating Festivals
From tradition to ethnic and exotic. The Southern Tyrolean winter offers a wide selection of festivals and events. Here you will find a selection of the most exiting events.
- 14th December:
Christmas concert by the Kastelruther Spatzen (“The Kastelruther Sparrows”): Kastelruth – the most famous folk music group in the Southern Tyrol are giving a Christmas concert in their home town for the first time.
- January
Horse-drawn sleigh race and Ski-Jöring: La Villa (Alta Badia) For the skiing instructors, it’s a matter of honour whenever they line up at the start with a Haflinger and the winner of this exiting race is proclaimed. The dates are 5th, 10th and 31st January, as well as 21st February.
- 11th to 13th January
16th International Snow-Sculpture Festival: Innichen – Approximately 30 artists from all over the world create artistic works out of ice, which are particularly impressive in the evening with appropriate illumination. Sadly, they won’t survive the winter.
- 21st to 28th January
Southern Tyrolean Spitzbuam (“Young Rascals”) Week: Pfelders – This meeting of musicians in wildly romantic Pfelders in the Passier Valley lasts one week. With live music and après-ski as well as night walks with lodge evenings.
- 21st January/3rd March
Hay-Sledge Racing: Kolfuschg – Not skiers and snowboarders, but daring racers with old-fashioned hay sledges, lining up at the start of the Colfosco Descent. For the delectation of spectators, there is mulled wine for fortification.
- 22nd February
Ski-Jöring at Night: Gröden – at 9 o’clock in the evening, in the quiet Langen Valley, outside of Wolkenstein, 16 carts with horses and skiers line up at the start. The winner over the 350m long stretch is established using a KO system. There is a bus transfer for guests.
- 28th February
Mongolian Festival: Sulden – Things get really exotic on Shrove Tuesday in Sulden at the great Mongolian Festival in a self-constructed igloo village. There is a stage of ice and snow, music and bars and a children’s programme too.
- Middle March
Snow festival in the Speikboden: Ahrn Valley – Party time in the popular skiing area at the mouth of the Ahrn Valley. Lots of live music and atmosphere and a big firework display as a finale.
- 26th March
Rosskopf Mudpool: Rosskopf near Sterzing – Not as big, but just as entertaining as the famous Locknfescht (“splash-fest”). Imaginative craft piloted by daredevils, set out from the Sternhütte Lodge and usually end up spectacularly in the water.
- 22nd and 23rd April
Ötzi Alpine Marathon: Schnals Valley – From the blossom to the glacier is the motto of this unusual race. From Naturns it’s off up to Unsere Frau (“Our Lady”) in Schnals, then steadily up to the end of the valley in Kurzras. For the last, and certainly most difficult, stage at an altitude of over 1200 meters up to the glacier, the participants use tour skis.
- 23rd April
Locknfescht: Kronplatz – Here we go again. Every two years, this legendary festival takes place on the peak of the Kronplatz. From snowboarders in bathing costumes to the most spectacular home-built vehicles such as spaceships, bathtubs or racing cars, daredevils race down the slope and try to get across the lake of melted snow. A whole lot of fun and party spirit is a part of proceedings.
