Linz punches well above its weight when it comes to creativity. For a city its size, the density of artists, designers, tech people and musicians is genuinely surprising, and a lot of that comes down to institutions like Ars Electronica that have been pulling international talent here for decades. If you know where to look, connecting with the local creative community is very doable.
Whether you're a designer, illustrator, filmmaker, or working in any creative field, this guide will help you find your people in the city. From casual meetups to vibrant community events,
Linz
offers countless opportunities to connect, collaborate, and get inspired.
Creative Lunch Club is a global community for people working in the creative industries. Whether you are a graphic designer, a photographer, a marketer, or a filmmaker, the Creative Lunch Club gives you the chance to regularly meet other creatives in your city for lunch.
Illustration Ladies is an international community for female and non-binary illustrators, creating space for connection, support, and visibility through meetups, drawing sessions, and workshops. It’s a space to share ideas, grow creatively, and support each other in an often isolating industry.
Kunstuniversität Linz brings art, design, architecture and media together with hands-on studios, forward-thinking research and plenty of exhibitions. A creative hub in the heart of Linz, it’s all about experimenting, collaborating and showing work.
At the Ars Electronica Center you can watch AI think, program robots, try 3D printing, and dive into Deep Space 8K for a fun, hands-on look at tomorrow's tech and big ideas.
Ars Electronica Festival is a playful mix of digital art, future tech, and big ideas in Linz, with exhibitions, performances, and talks that spark curiosity.
Creative Region Linz & Upper Austria brings creatives and companies together to learn, get coached, and team up through events, workshops, mentoring, and a vibrant membership network. It also boosts visibility for the scene in Upper Austria and runs a handy jobs hub.
The best way to meet other creatives in
Linz
is to show up consistently somewhere rather than hoping a one-off networking event leads somewhere.
Creative Lunch Clubis a good starting point and a great way to meet other creatives: you get matched with a small group of creatives for lunch, which is a much more natural way to actually get to know people.
Linz
has a growing number of communities for creatives, from global networks like
Creative Lunch Clubto local meetup groups and coworking communities. The best place to start is joining a community that meets regularly, so you build real relationships over time rather than just collecting contacts at one-off events.
Linz
has a range of events throughout the year where creatives meet, from industry conferences to informal gatherings. That said, traditional networking events can feel forced. Many creatives prefer more relaxed formats like
Creative Lunch Club, where you meet people over lunch rather than awkward small talk with a name badge.
A good starting point is
Creative Lunch Club, which runs regular meetups for designers and other creatives in
Linz
. Beyond that, keep an eye on local design communities, Instagram, and event platforms for one-off gatherings tied to conferences or design weeks.
Designers tend to gravitate toward independent cafés, creative coworking spaces, and community events. Online, local design groups and communities like
Creative Lunch Club, are where a lot of the conversation happens and where lunches and meetups get organized.
Show up consistently. The creative scene in
Linz
is more accessible than it looks, most people are open to meeting others, especially in a low-pressure setting. Joining a community like
Creative Lunch Clubis one of the easiest ways in, since you're introduced to a small group of people rather than thrown into a room of strangers.
Freelancers make up a big part of Creative Lunch Club's members in
Linz
. It's a natural fit since freelancing can be isolating and lunch is an easy, low-commitment way to meet people. Coworking spaces are another good bet.
There are plenty of events for creatives in
Linz
, ranging from design conferences and film festivals to photography exhibitions and music events. For regular, ongoing connection rather than one-off events, Creative Lunch Club runs monthly meetups in
Linz
year round.
I love Creative Lunch Club because it harnesses the most human way of connecting, sharing a meal. It's an effortless way for creatives to build diverse connections and friendships across various fields and meet people they wouldn't otherwise.
Creative Lunch Club is a great way to get off your ass, meet random creatives, and share a meal. Perfect for getting inspiration, energy, and a different angle on things.
Everything about Creative Lunch Club makes me happy - the concept, the people and the vibe. It is such a fun way of getting to meet like-minded people and make new friends in your city!
