Friesach in Carinthia, a walled town of the Archbishops of Salzburg with a water-filled moat and three castle ruins, hosts the Spectaculum on the last weekend of July. The 24th edition took place on 25–26 July 2026, opening on Saturday from 12:00 to midnight and on Sunday from 11:00 to 18:00. The festival began in 1999 as the opening act for the 2001 Carinthian state exhibition ‘Schauplatz Mittelalter Friesach’. Since the pandemic it has been held every two years (2022, 2024, 2026), so the next edition is expected in July 2028, not 2027.
The programme spreads through the old town: a prince and his retinue parade through the streets, craftspeople work at their stalls, monks, jesters and minstrels perform, and groups of re-enactors camp in period tents. Set pieces include sword fights, a children’s knights’ tournament, the storming of the town walls (Burgsturm) and a fire spectacle late on Saturday night. The 2024 edition commemorated the great tournament held at Friesach in 1224 and described by the poet-knight Ulrich von Liechtenstein. Modern elements are kept out of sight: the only currency accepted at stalls is the Friesacher Pfennig, a token named after the silver penny minted in Friesach from the 12th century that circulated across the eastern Alps, and visitors exchange euros at change booths.
Admission is charged per day (2024 prices: adults €18 on Saturday, €15 on Sunday, €25 for both days; ages 15–18 €16/€13/€21) and children up to 14 enter free. Tickets are sold through Ö-Ticket and at the gates. Friesach is on the Vienna–Villach railway line, and the station is a ten-minute walk from the old town.
