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Meeting Creatives in Austria: Cities, Communities and Events

Austria has an established creative landscape shaped by its cities, cultural institutions, professional organizations, and recurring conferences and festivals, offering different ways for creatives to connect across disciplines.

Meeting creatives in Austria
Austria’s creative scene is strongly influenced by its cultural heritage, public funding structures, and a wide range of recurring cultural and creative events, creating many opportunities for creatives to connect.

Best Cities

These cities in Austria are home to creative communities and places where creatives regularly connect and collaborate.

Vienna

Vienna is a strong city for creatives due to its publicly funded cultural sector, affordable access to studios and education, and a stable environment for long-term creative work. The city supports a wide range of disciplines, from design and visual arts to music and media, making it easier for creatives to build sustainable careers.

Find out more about Vienna in our Creative City Guide for Vienna.

Graz

Graz is a strong city for creatives thanks to its universities, active design and architecture scene, and close ties between education, culture, and local initiatives. The city’s manageable size makes it easy for creatives to connect and collaborate across disciplines.

Linz

Linz is shaped by digital culture and media art, with a strong link between creativity and technology. Its cultural institutions and experimental projects contribute to a closely connected creative scene.

Communities & Networks

In this section you'll find communities and networks to meet other creatives in Austria.

Creative Region Linz & Upper Austria

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.
creativeregion.org

CCA - Creative Club Austria

CCA - Creative Club Austria is a leading platform for the Austrian creative industry, celebrating and promoting creative excellence through events, talks, and community gatherings.
creativclub.at

Illustration Ladies

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.
illustrationladies.com

Design Austria

Design Austria is Austria’s central hub for design and visual communication, supporting creatives with events, workshops, and initiatives that connect and inspire the local design community.
designaustria.at

Ladies, Wine & Design

Ladies, Wine & Design is a global community uplifting creative women and nonbinary folks with meetups, talks, and mentorship. Inclusive vibes, real talk, and chapters around the world.
ladieswinedesign.com

Conferences & Festivals

These conferences and festivals bring creatives in Austria together around culture, design, and the creative industries.

Forward Festival Vienna

1-2 Oct 2026 · Vienna, Austria

Forward Festival convenes 1,500+ creatives across industries for 25+ talks by established and emerging voices, sharing insights into creative processes, challenges, and breakthroughs. Interactive workshops and immersive formats invite hands-on experimentation and new ways of thinking.
forward-festival.com/vienna/overview

Poolbar

Poolbar is a laid back festival spot with a full program, passes, and lots to explore, come by and join the fun.
poolbar.at

VIENNA ART WEEK

Vienna Art Week is an annual celebration of the city’s contemporary art scene, featuring exhibitions, open studios, talks, and performances across museums, galleries, and independent spaces. It brings together artists, curators, and the public for a citywide program showcasing current artistic practices.
viennaartweek.at/de

Waves Vienna

An annual music festival and industry conference in Vienna, showcasing emerging artists alongside talks and networking events across multiple venues. It brings together international professionals and music fans to discover new sounds and foster collaboration.
wavesvienna.com

viennacontemporary

viennacontemporary is an annual international art fair in Vienna that brings together galleries, artists, collectors, and curators to showcase contemporary art, with a strong focus on Central and Eastern Europe. Its program includes curated presentations, talks, and special projects.
viennacontemporary.at/en

Viennale

Viennale is Vienna’s international film festival, lighting up the city each fall with premieres, filmmaker talks, and a curated mix of new discoveries and classics.
viennale.at

Designmonat Graz

Designmonat Graz is a citywide celebration of design packed with exhibitions, talks and workshops, mixing international perspectives with local talent. Recent editions explored “The New Real,” looking at creativity in the age of AI.
designmonat.at

donaufestival

Donaufestival packs a creative program with a welcoming vibe; snag early bird weekend passes and preview the mood in the 2025 gallery.
donaufestival.at/de

Wiener Festwochen

Wiener Festwochen stands for a bold mix of theatre, music, and performance with a lively, socially engaged vibe. Expect provocative projects, standout collaborations, and plenty to talk about.
festwochen.at/en/home

Ars Electronica Festival

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.
ars.electronica.art/festival/de

Institutions

These institutions, such as universities, museums, and cultural centers in Austria, contribute to the creative landscape.

Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

The Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien is a creative hub in Vienna where fine arts, architecture, conservation, and cultural studies meet through studios, labs, and public exhibitions. It’s a lively spot for bold ideas and hands-on making that keeps the city’s art scene moving.
akbild.ac.at/en

Kunstuni Linz

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.
kunstuni-linz.at

Ars Electronica Center

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.art/center/de

MuseumsQuartier Wien

MuseumsQuartier Wien is a cultural district in Vienna combining museums, contemporary art spaces, performance venues, and cafés across historic and modern architecture. It hosts exhibitions, festivals, and lively public courtyards year-round.
mqw.at

University of Applied Arts Vienna

A creative powerhouse in Vienna, Die Angewandte blends experimental art, design, and research, fueling a vibrant community of makers and thinkers.
dieangewandte.at

Organisations

Organisations in Austria that support creatives through programs, resources, and professional initiatives.

Creative Region Linz & Upper Austria

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.
creativeregion.org

mica – music austria

mica – music austria is the go-to for Austria’s music scene, mixing a vibrant magazine with free support for artists like practical guides, model contracts, events, and export help.
musicaustria.at

Design Austria

Design Austria is Austria’s central hub for design and visual communication, supporting creatives with events, workshops, and initiatives that connect and inspire the local design community.
designaustria.at

Austrian Fashion Association

An organization that supports and connects Austria’s fashion community by providing resources, networking, and programs that increase designers’ visibility at home and abroad. Austrian Fashion Association serves as a platform for collaboration and professional development across the industry.
austrianfashionassociation.at

IG Kultur Österreich

IG Kultur Österreich is a go-to hub for independent arts and culture in Austria, supporting the scene with advocacy, practical advice, and collaborative projects like Fair Pay, legal know-how, and sustainability resources.
igkultur.at

We hope this guide gives you a helpful overview of how creatives connect in Austria. Whether through professional networks, cultural institutions, or local initiatives, meeting other creatives often starts with being curious, engaged, and open to conversation.

If you are looking to put this into practice, Creative Lunch Club builds on these existing ways of connecting by bringing creatives together in small groups with a focus on meaningful conversations, making it easier to meet other creatives in a relaxed setting.

Join the Creative Lunch Club and meet other professional creatives for lunch.
Thanks to Creative Lunch Club and their beautiful concept I regularly get to meet new creative people in Vienna every month.
Jolly Schwarz

Photographer, Vienna

I moved to Brussels a year and a half ago, from a small town, to pursue more photography opportunities. The Creative Lunch Club has been instrumental in helping me connect with other creatives and discover the wonders of this city. Sharing lunch with like-minded creatives has opened up new ideas and perspectives for me. The passion and energy from these gatherings never fail to inspire and motivate me.
Whitley Isa

Photographer, Brussels

I am an East London girl with a busy life and have found it hard to meet like-minded creatives but after only using the creativelunchclub once, I met one of my soul mates. Not only are we doing some collaborating with her being a singer and myself working in fashion and modelling which has all been really useful but we have also become best friends. Loved my experience and would highly recommend it for anyone that wants to network in the creative ares and you never know, you might meet your bestie too.
Amber Smith

Model and print designer, London