MUSIC, CULTURE AND CUSTOMS IN SAALFELDEN LEOGANG IN SUMMER

Jazz everywhere, forest and lake concerts, open air at the foot of the Asitz mountain, bonfires and hiking art: This summer, the Saalfelden Leogang region will once again transform into a vibrant hub for music, culture, and adventure. The most contrast-rich environment in the Alps offers a music and cultural programme rich in variety: the Jazzfestival Saalfelden brings the perfect swing, while the ALM:KULTUR and TONspur concerts promise exceptional listening experiences. There are also numerous theatre and concert performances at the Kunsthaus Nexus. Also worth seeing are the mountain bonfires at the summer solstice and the Bauernherbst harvest festival. 

 

Music Summer: The Jazzfestival Saalfelden, "TONspuren am Asitz" and ALM:KULTUR
Saalfelden Leogang is in for a lively summer: the 45th Jazzfestival Saalfelden will take place from 21 to 24 August 2025. During this time, international and national jazz musicians will perform at over 60 concerts in town and in the mountains. Best of all, more than half of them are free of charge. There will also be musical hikes, concerts in the forest, on Alpine meadows, by the lake, and even impromptu flash mob performances. 
Every Friday between 11 July and 5 September 2025, hikers get to meet artists and other creatives at various mountain huts, where tradition meets modern life. This extraordinary event series called "ALM:KULTUR" includes free concerts and workshops of all kinds to join in. Registration is not necessary.
On five Thursdays between 26 June and 7 August 2025, bands and solo artists from various genres will be performing for the “TONspuren am Asitz” series. When the weather is good, you can enjoy the concerts with a picturesque sunset on the outdoor stage at the foot of the Asitz mountain. When the weather is sub-optimal, you are invited to the AsitzBräu restaurant. If you miss these concerts, you can also listen to the music later and in other places: at the five TONspur islands (listening stations) along the hiking trail to the Asitz summit where you can listen to live recordings of the TONspur concerts from the previous year.

 

Kunsthaus Nexus: concerts, cinema and theatre 
Once again, the Kunsthaus Nexus will put on a colourful cultural programme this year, making it a key component of the Pinzgau arts and cultural scene. The programme will feature plenty of concerts, a theatre for kids, an art-house cinema and numerous literary lectures and cabarets. 

 

Theatre for young and old
This autumn, the “Theater ecce” – an independent group of theatre professionals from Salzburg – will stage fantastic productions in Saalfelden Leogang. The detailed programme will follow in early summer. 

 

The FREIRAUM cultural association: a Hiking Trail of Arts with heavenly views and chamber music in the valley
The FREIRAUM cultural association and the Leoganger Bergbahnen cable car company support traditional and new culture in the area and give artists an opportunity to practise their art. One such project is the Hiking Trail of Arts on the Asitz, which is redesigned every year. The start of this beautiful forest trail to the Senses Park at the Asitzbahn middle station begins below the Asitzbahn mountain station. Every 30 to 40 metres there are works by the late artist Anton Thuswaldner. Artworks under the title "Weltbilder - Anton Thuswaldner in einer Retrospektive" will be on display from 1 June until mid-October. Another highlight of the FREIRAUM cultural association is the "Chamber Music in Hütten" at the Museum of Mining and Gothic Art in Leogang from 7 to 9 November 2025. 

 

Travel through time in museums: Museum of Mining and Gothic Art, Leogang show mine and Schloss Ritzen castle 
The Museum of Mining and Gothic Art in Leogang is a special destination worth a visit. The exhibition provides an insight into the heyday of mining in Leogang. The museum also houses sacred art, such as the "Beautiful Madonna," a Gothic statue of a saint from 1410. The museum offers unique special exhibitions every year. In 2025, one of these will be the international exhibition "Medieval Glass - The Stained Glass of St. Lorenzen ob Katsch." The exhibition presents medieval stained glass from the former archbishopric of Salzburg, in particular the 600-year-old panes from St. Lorenzen ob Katsch, which have been reunited for the first time in over a century. Loans from Krakow, Vienna, the Esterházy Collection and private collections demonstrate the high quality of craftsmanship. If you want to delve even deeper into the footsteps of the ancient miners, you should definitely visit the Leogang show mine. A guide will lead you through the narrow tunnels of an extensive mine. A mine railway that once carried both miners and mined treasures now offers younger visitors the opportunity to better get to know the mine by means of an artificial gallery. Guided tours of the show mine are offered from May to October. Sturdy footwear and warm clothing are required. Afterwards, you can enjoy some local specialties in the miners’ pub. 
The historic Schloss Ritzen castle in Saalfelden is another must-see museum, which houses Austria's largest and most important collection of nativity scenes and sacred treasures. In addition to the baroque church nativity scene, there is also a large oriental nativity scene and the Saalfelden nativity scene by the famous nativity scene builder Alexander "Xandi" Schläffer. To mark the 25th anniversary of the town, the Schloss Ritzen Museum is presenting a special exhibition that impressively reflects the development and milestones of the last 25 years in Saalfelden.
A hike to the Saalfelden hermitage should not be missed. It is one of the last inhabited hermitages in Europe and also offers a fabulous view over Saalfelden Leogang.

 

Summer solstice: A mystical Alpine spectacle featuring mountain fires
Mountain bonfires at the summer solstice in June are an ancient tradition dating back to the 12th century. The fires on the Pinzgau mountains on 21 June 2025 are believed to ward away evil spirits and bring growth and fertility to both fields and meadows. In the evening the contours of the Leoganger Steinberge mountain range and the Steinernes Meer plateau will be ignited to reveal impressive symbols and shapes on the mountain slopes. 

 

Suma Hoagascht Leogang
On three evenings in July and August, the music pavilion in Leogang transforms into a place of "coming together." Warm “Suma” evenings (summer evenings) invite you to a cosy “Hoagascht” with music and culinary delights. It’s a relaxed after-work gathering or a casual get-together, with free entry. 'Hoagaschtn' means, in Alpine dialect, to stay together and chat in an enjoyable way.

 

Delicious Bauernherbst harvest festival: ranging from traditional craftsmanship to stretch dirndls
This is the golden time of the year when Saalfelden Leogang celebrates its Bauernherbst harvest festival with various events. During this time, the focus is on tradition, customs, ancient crafts and delicious food. Guests have the opportunity to better get to know traditional rural life with handicraft demonstrations, hikes, cooking courses, harvest festivals, traditional cattle parades and traditional events. 
Keen to wear the right outfit for every traditional occasion? Then you should visit the small traditional costume workshop in Saalfelden. Dirndl traditional dresses are handmade here by Regina Wienerroither, a seamstress who has been working at the workshop for more than 30 years. She is also the inventor of the Stretch Dirndl, a unique dirndl made from fabrics with a stretchable component made from Loden felt, linen and printed cotton.

 

Saalfeldener Holzmusi: traditional music from wooden instruments shaped like animals and mythical creatures
The “Saalfeldener Holzmusi," which perform at traditional festivals and weddings, are a special musical experience. Here musical instruments exclusively made from wood are played, which represent mythical creatures and animals. The musicians perform, for example, with wooden instruments shaped like snakes or dragons. The performers are dressed in leather knee breeches with light blue socks, a red waistcoat and a black hat complete with red and white feathers. The artists play traditional folk music and do not need sheet music. 

 

Extraordinary Championship: European Beard Championship in Leogang
It’s going to be a hairy event: On 20th September 2025, the European Beard Championship will take place in Leogang. Winners will be crowned in the categories of moustaches, chin & cheek beards, and full beards. The artistic facial hairstyles can be admired in the gymnasium of MS Leogang.

 

Event highlights in summer 2025: 
1 June: Opening of the Hiking Trail of Arts at Asitz      
21 June: Mountain bonfires and Midsummer Festival at Ritzensee lake 
26 June to 7 August: Concert series: TONspuren am Asitz  
17 July, 9 and 28 August: Suma Hoagascht Leogang 
11 July to 5 September: ALM:KULTUR in Saalfelden Leogang
25-27 July: Town festival - 25 years Saalfelden 
21 to 24 August: 45th Jazzfestival Saalfelden
20 September: European Beard Championship
7-9 November: Chamber Music in Hütten