Popfest has appointed Sofie Royer and Wolfgang Lehmann as curators for the 2026 edition which returns to Vienna’s Karlsplatz July 23–26, 2026 with free admission across multiple indoor and outdoor stages. It will be the festival’s 17th edition, continuing the tradition of a new curatorial duo each year.
Sofie Royer brings a broad toolkit—performances at past Popfests, a 2024 synth-pop album (Young-Girl Forever), experience at Stones Throw and Boiler Room, and even her own show “Sofie’s Tapes” on FM4. This year Royer is nominated for the coveted Music Moves Europe Awards, with the awards ceremony planned for January 2026 at ESNS in Groningen, NL.
Wolfgang Lehmann is a pillar of Austria’s alternative/indie scene (Melt Downer, Mile Me Deaf, Sex Jams), a producer for acts like Dives, CULK, Voodoo Jürgens and Naked Lunch, and delivered a widely praised Popfest Seebühne retrospective in 2024.
Both say they’re aiming for a complementary program that plays to their different strengths. Programming will be unveiled in spring 2026, but the curators hint at spotlighting Viennese “legends,” old and new, alongside fresh discoveries. Expect FM4 to broadcast from the site as usual, with stages spread around Karlsplatz (e.g., Seebühne, TU, Club U, Karlsgarten, and more).
Translated from the German original by Arianna Alfreds.