The Long Night of Shopping and Museums

The night life of Innsbruck is hopping, at least it was the first weekend in October! It was time again for Innsbruck to celebrate the ‘Long night of Shopping’ and ‘Long night of Museums’, which coincided making for a full weekend of fun! 

The weekend kicked off Friday for the ‘Long Night of Shopping’. Not only were shops open until 10.00 pm, but the center of Innsbruck was also transformed into a magical place. There were performers on stilts, steampunks in fantastical machines rolling around, and musical performances on almost every street! 

MUSIC FLOODS THE STREETS

The city was alive with music, with several duos, trios and bands all over, some wandering through the streets and some on temporary stages built for the event! I found myself hearing music in the distance and following my ears to find the source. 

The Kaufhaus Tyrol Shopping Center had a DJ playing traditional aprés-ski music outside, and live performers inside. They transformed the mall into a kind of ‘Oktoberfest’ …. a ‘shop-toberfest! ‘ It had all the vibes of a Bavarian festival. 

A LITTLE BIT OF CULTURE

After the long night of shopping, Saturday brought a little bit of culture. It was the ‘Long Night of Museums’ which takes place all over Austria. From 6.00 pm Saturday until 1.00 am on Sunday morning all participating museums, galleries, and cultural events opened their doors. The best part, you could enjoy all of it with only one ticket. For only 15€ you can gain entry everywhere! It also served as a bus ticket to get you from one museum to the next. 

SO MUCH TO SEE

I was astounded to see just how many museums and galleries there were in and around Innsbruck! Some I would have never thought to check out without this event. It is such a neat idea to give people the chance to see museums they might have never seen. Of course, the main staples are there too, for instance the Tirol Panorama, Court Church, Golden Roof museum, and many many more. 

Last year this event had to be cancelled, as so many things were, due to covid. But now we are back and ready to celebrate! Don’t worry, if you missed it this year, mark your calendar and check it out next time!