Celebrate the Summer’s Longest Days with Sonnenwende

If you’re planning on visiting Austria at the end of June, you’ve got to check out the Sonnenwende (Summer Solstice) celebrations. Held each year around June 21 in the Wachau region of Lower Austria, the festival is a real feast for the senses. The UNESCO-listed Wachau Valley creates the perfect backdrop for the popular Austrian festival. During the celebrations, the evening is lit up with dramatic firework displays, huge bonfires, vineyards full of twinkling torches, and dancing lights that gracefully float down the river Danube. The atmosphere is so magical that you get a sense that anything can happen.

Because Sonnenwende is such a magnificent sight, numerous river cruise ships frequently dock nearby so passengers can take in the show while on board. Numerous communities in the Wachau Valley participate in the festivities by serving unique dishes paired with premium wines. The majority of menus include the seasonal, local, and fresh produce that is at its peak in the summer and pair each plate with a glass of wine that is also made in the area.