Summer is the time for kids to have fun and enjoy outdoor activities with other children. This is why for the past 40 years, Vienna has been hosting the “Ferienspiel” or “Holiday Games” – the largest holiday programme in Europe designed for children to participate in various entertaining and at the same time education activities in the city. When it first started in 1972, the summer event attracted over 15,000 children between six and thirteen years.
Today, the number has grown to over 200,000 participants and has been replicated in other parts of Austria and Europe including Germany and the Netherlands. This year, the Ferienspiel takes place from June 29th to September 2nd. With over 200 activities to choose from, kids don’t have an excuse to be bored! What’s great about it is even children who are just in the city for a visit can also participate in the fun. All they have to do is get their age-specific Ferienspiel passes – there’s one for six to ten year-olds and another for 10 to 13-year-olds – and they can choose from the different activities on the schedule.
Some of the activities include museum visits and city tours, adventure climbing, baking courses, film production for beginners, media and game workshops and many more. As this is the 40th year anniversary of the Holiday Games, there are more exciting additions to the programme such as the Sports Festival on August 25th, the introduction of the new mascot Holli-Knolli which will also be featured in a new website complete with interactive games and blogs for kids to follow online and a party for 10 to 13 year olds on August 31st at the City Hall where there will be a DJ, a styling zone for girls and a disco.
