Jazz festival draws more than 60,000 to Salzburg old town

More than 60,000 people attended or strolled around Salzburg’s four-day Jazz and the City festival, organisers said, with ORF reporting a positive assessment of this year’s event.

The festival featured 140 artists at 20 venues, with free admission. Despite light rain on Saturday evening, the main night of the festival, the venues and public squares were full, said Roland Aigner, managing director of the Salzburg Old Town Association. He estimated that 25,000 people attended performances, while another 30,000 to 40,000 people wandered around the festival and its surroundings.

Aigner said businesses had chosen to fund the festival as a cultural contribution to Salzburg and its visitors. They cover about 80 percent of the budget, he said, with tourism funding and sponsorships making up the rest.

Bandleader Ernst Molden and the Neue Wiener Concert Schrammeln were scheduled to close the festival on Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. at the Domquartier.