When the evening air above southern Burgenland fills with music in August and Tabor Castle glows in warm light, one of those seasons begins in which culture is not only experienced but felt. Nestled in the gentle landscape near Neuhaus am Klausenbach, the Tabor Castle Festival has long established itself as a fixture in the European cultural summer—a place where opera and operetta unfold their very own magic in the countryside. 2026 will be all about waltz bliss, mistaken identities, and Viennese temperament – Johann Strauss' world-famous operetta "Wiener Blut" will be performed.
When dusk falls over Tabor Castle in August and the first waltz notes drift through the castle courtyard, it quickly becomes clear: Viennese blood reigns supreme here. With Johann Strauss' operetta of the same name, the 2026 festival will stage a work that combines charm, irony, and musical joie de vivre like no other – while at the same time painting a captivating portrait of human weaknesses.
Wiener Blut is set at the time of the Congress of Vienna and unfolds its comedic fireworks around Count Balduin Zedlau. He has married according to his rank – but his young wife Gabriele, a true Viennese, finds her husband unpleasantly boring. What she doesn't suspect is that Count Zedlau shows a completely different side of himself in Vienna. Here, he enjoys life to the fullest and cultivates several amorous relationships, including one with the fun-loving dancer Franziska Cagliari. When Gabriele unexpectedly follows her husband to the capital, a sophisticated game of mistaken identities, masquerades, and false identities begins.
Tabor Castle, one of the most beautiful places in southern Burgenland © Tabor Castle Festival
The count's attempts to cover up his escapades entangle him ever deeper in a web of misunderstandings. Added to this is an overwhelmed, naive, honorable prime minister who wants to restore order—and ends up achieving exactly the opposite. Between balls, soirées, and nocturnal rendezvous, morality, marriage, and social conventions are thrown into turmoil. But as befits a classic operetta, everything is resolved in the end to the beat of a waltz: deceptions are exposed, couples are reunited, and music triumphs over all confusion.
Musically, Wiener Blut is a celebration of recognition. Adolf Müller Jr. compiled a dazzling pastiche from over thirty compositions by Johann Strauss, including world-famous waltzes, polkas, and ensemble scenes. The music carries the plot with springy elegance, sometimes enthusiastic, sometimes mocking, always with that unmistakable mixture of melancholy and exuberance that characterizes the Viennese waltz.
This operetta unfolds to its full effect in the unique open-air setting of Tabor Castle. Without electronic amplification, in direct contact with the orchestra, singing, music, and summer evenings merge into an experience that creates intimacy and conveys lightness. Wiener Blut proves to be not only a nostalgic operetta classic, but also a clever, humorous social comedy about desire, appearances, and self-promotion—timeless, playful, and full of musical energy.
August 5 to 16, 2026
Global Kryner © Astrid Bartl
But summer at Schloss Tabor is more than just operetta. On July 7,Global Kryner will be performing "2nd Love," a musical journey that crosses the boundaries between Oberkrainer sound, jazz, and pop. Following their celebrated comeback, the band will be presenting new "Verkrynerungen" and specially composed songs—playful, virtuosic, and full of humor.
From August 27 to September 6, 2026, the Uhudlerlandestheater will take over the stage and present "Orpheus – Wo geht's denn hier zur Unterwelt?" (Orpheus – Where is the underworld?), an irreverent, fast-paced version of the ancient myth. Between Olympus and the underworld, old order and new public opinion, a turbulent musical theater emerges that ends with irony, wit, and the legendary Hell's Can-Can. In the summer of 2026, Schloss Tabor will once again become a meeting place for cultural enjoyment under the open sky: a place where great melodies, timeless stories, and Burgenland summer nights merge into an unforgettable experience.
