{"id":905,"date":"2015-12-14T10:22:05","date_gmt":"2015-12-14T09:22:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=905"},"modified":"2026-01-06T14:20:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T13:20:38","slug":"winter-at-the-mq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/events\/winter-at-the-mq\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter im MQ"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wintermqsmall.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wintermqsmall.jpg\" alt=\"Blurry lights\" class=\"wp-image-77927\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wintermqsmall.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wintermqsmall-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Should the thought of another soft-lit wooden hut selling Christmas baubles have you reaching for the vodka, consider an alternative to the traditional <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/christmas-markets\/\">Christmas market<\/a>. Try the Winter im MQ event at the MuseumsQuartier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open-air caf\u00e9s, restaurants, and artistic ambience<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Music, curling, remote-controlled cars &amp; more<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8230;but took reduced form in 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2026 dates: TBA<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/concerts-opera-vienna-tickets-l206741\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_Xmas\" rel=\"sponsored\">concert experience<\/a>* for your Vienna trip<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nearby:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/palais-eschenbach\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"70392\">Palais Eschenbach concerts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/khm\/overview\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1446\">Kunsthistorisches<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/natural-history-museum\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"252\">Naturhistorisches<\/a> museums<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/christmas-in-vienna\/\">Christmas in Vienna<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s Winter im MQ?<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"317\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wintermq2024a.jpg\" alt=\"Lights and stalls in the MuseumsQuartier courtyard\" class=\"wp-image-77924\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wintermq2024a.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wintermq2024a-300x190.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The event occupies much of the main courtyard; press photo courtesy of the MQ)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/vienna-museums\/mq\/\">Museumsquartier<\/a> (MQ) forms the heartland of contemporary culture in Vienna, with its modern art, innovative architecture and never-ending catalogue of performances, exhibitions, workshops, and the like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the MQ has its own &#8220;Christmas&#8221; event, primarily on the main courtyard sandwiched between the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/leopold-museum\/\">Leopold<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/mumok\/\">MUMOK<\/a> museums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I put &#8220;Christmas&#8221; in quotation marks deliberately, and not just because the proper title is <em>Winter im MQ<\/em>. Consider the event a more paganistic alternative to tinsel and santa hats.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wintermq2024b.jpg\" alt=\"People at an open-air concert\" class=\"wp-image-77925\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wintermq2024b.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wintermq2024b-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Musical entertainment normally includes weekly live performances; press photo courtesy of the MQ)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, you can buy punch and snacks. And yes, it has strings of lights. But that&#8217;s where the similarities to a traditional Christmas market end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The various MQ caf\u00e9s and restaurants open up outdoor areas and\/or booths selling food and drink. But you only find crafts and souvenirs in the MQ shop with all its interesting items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And this being the MuseumsQuartier, a contemporary vibe runs like a red thread through the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><em>Ad:<\/em><br><\/div><div data-tiqets-widget=\"discovery\" data-cards-layout=\"horizontal\" data-slug-ids=\"pro1119393,pro1029872\" data-partner=\"visitingvienna\" data-tq-campaign=\"DA_ChristmasNew\"><\/div><script defer src=\"https:\/\/widgets.tiqets.com\/loader.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Music and more<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, live gigs, DJ sets and daily &#8220;winter sounds&#8221; courtesy of local radio typically enhance the dare-I-say youthful atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And sport usually plays a role each year, too, which might sound incongruous until you learn more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the last full event, for example, curling lanes fit the winter theme nicely. Oh, and car racing: in the afternoons on weekends and public holidays you could try your hand on a &#8220;winter&#8221; course with remote-controlled cars.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wintermq2024c.jpg\" alt=\"Open-air curling lanes\" class=\"wp-image-77926\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wintermq2024c.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/wintermq2024c-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Try a bit of curling; press photo courtesy of the MQ)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All-in-all, the mix of artistic ambience, music and wintry refreshment offers a spirited alternative to the more usual yuletide charms of the rest of Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is where the younger elves might come to wind down once Santa&#8217;s left the toy factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want a more traditional Christmas market, then simply walk out of the main MQ entrance and cross the road to the large <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/christmasmarkets\/weihnachstdorf-maria-theresien-platz\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"860\">market on Maria-Theresien-Platz<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2026 dates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t have details for 2026 just yet. The last full Winter im MQ began on November 14th and ran through to December 23rd. Formal opening hours were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Monday to Friday: 4pm to 11pm<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Weekends and public holidays: 2pm to 11pm<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2025, work necessary as part of the lovely regreening programme at the MQ location meant the event took a reduced form: just curling, the winter race, and gl\u00fchwein \/ Christmas punch in selected outdoor areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to the event<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The MQ is at the bottom of Vienna&#8217;s main shopping street (Mariahilfer Stra\u00dfe), so well located for some relief from credit card stress and just off the edge of the old town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Subway: take the U2 or U3 lines to Volkstheater or the U2 to Museumsquartier. The two stations are at either end of the MQ complex<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tram: line 49 stops at Volkstheater. You can also catch lines 1, 2, D, 71, 46 and 49 to Ring\/Volkstheater and walk up to the MQ<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bus: take the 48A to Volkstheater or the 57A to Museumsquartier<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mqw.at\/winter-im-mq\">Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1i9IZX6LeUKth_5sm2EOO-SqQl8s\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Should the thought of another soft-lit wooden hut selling Christmas baubles have you reaching for the vodka, consider an alternative to the traditional Christmas market. Try the Winter im MQ event at the MuseumsQuartier. What&#8217;s Winter im MQ? (The event occupies much of the main courtyard; press photo courtesy of the MQ) The Museumsquartier (MQ) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":77927,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-905","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-events","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=905"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87932,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905\/revisions\/87932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}