8 May 2024 marks the 79th anniversary of the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht. On this day, the Mauthausen Committee Austria (MKÖ) is organising the Festival of Joy for the twelfth time in memory of the victims and the joy of liberation from the Nazi reign of terror.
We are delighted that Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, as the highest representative of the Republic of Austria, will be opening the Festival of Joy 2024.
The Festival of Joy 2024 will take place on May 8, 2024 at 7:30 pm at Heldenplatz in Vienna. This year's Festival of Joy will once again be streamed internationally and with English subtitles on the online platforms of the Mauthausen Committee Austria and broadcast throughout Austria by ORF. In 2024, the Festival of Joy will be dedicated to the thematic focus "Law and Justice in National Socialism".
The highlight of the Festival of Joy will be the speech by contemporary witness Rosa Schneeberger.
The Wiener Symphoniker will enrich the Festival of Joy 2024 with music. Actress Katharina Stemberger will once again accompany the Festival of Joy, which will come to a festive conclusion with Ludwig van Beethoven's "Ode to Joy".