Bad Zell showcases Upper Austria folk culture at Fest.Zaumhaltn
Saturday 19th September 2026 on 14:15 in
Austria
Bad Zell, a municipality in the Freistadt district, has become a stage for Upper Austria’s folk culture this weekend, ORF reports. Thousands of visitors attended the second day of the festival on Saturday, with music, dance, crafts, dialect, traditional dress, regional culture and folk art on the programme through Sunday evening.
The festival brings together traditions from across the province, from amateur theatre and youth folk dancers to experienced Prangerschützen. Bad Zell is hosting the event while also marking 50 years as a spa resort.
Under the motto Fest.Zaumhaltn, the entire town has been transformed into a festival venue. For the first time, the event is offering programmes on several stages at the same time. It is also being organised as a Green Event for the first time.
The Upper Austrian Forum for Folk Culture brings together 25 provincial associations, whose 120,000 members work voluntarily in the field. The umbrella organisation has staged the festival every two years since 1995, with different municipalities taking turns as hosts.
Highlights include the opening ceremony, a celebration marking 50 years as a spa resort in Bad Zell, an evening of dialect and an evening of folk music. ORF Radio Upper Austria will broadcast the folk music programme in its G’sungen und g’spielt show. The weekend also includes large music and dance events, a parade followed by a service and an ORF Radio Upper Austria morning social.
The motto Fest.Zaumhaltn refers both to the solidarity that has shaped folk culture for generations and to the way the festival was created. Numerous clubs, associations, volunteers and regional businesses worked together for months to develop the programme. A human chain at Friday evening’s opening symbolised that shared effort.
The forum’s 25 member associations are presenting their work through interactive workshops, exhibitions and stage programmes. Visitors can learn about amateur theatre in Upper Austria, the Austrian Association of Photographers, traditional gold bonnet, headscarf and hat groups, the Upper Austrian Folk Song Archive, the Stelzhamer Association, local history and traditional costume clubs from the Salzkammergut, Prangerschützen, the Association of Upper Austrian Museums and many other organisations.
The exhibitions are complemented by live workshops, handicrafts, historical craft techniques and regional literature.