by InTrieste
Trieste will once again celebrate its Austro-Hungarian heritage with the eighth edition of Kaiserfest, scheduled from October 25 through November 2, 2025. The event will take place in Piazza Ponterosso and surrounding areas and will feature guided tours, historical reenactments, musical performances, and a market exhibition.
The festival, organized by Altamarea Eventi in collaboration with the City of Trieste and supported by several local associations, aims to highlight the city’s historical and cultural ties to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Partners include Mittelnet Travel Agency, Associazione Trieste Ottocento APS, Associazione “Serenissime danze…800,” and the Museo Postale e Telegrafico della Mitteleuropa. Media partners include Radio Punto Zero and Trieste Cafe.
“Kaiserfest has become a well-established and anticipated event,” said Serena Tonel, Trieste’s Deputy Mayor and Economic Policy Councilor. “It offers both cultural and commercial elements, reflecting the city’s rich history while providing entertainment for residents and visitors alike.”
Silvio Pozenu, president of Altamarea Eventi, noted that the festival originated in 2016 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph I’s death. “Trieste was the third city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the late 19th century, after Vienna and Prague, due to its strategic port,” Pozenu said. “The festival celebrates this period of extraordinary growth through guided tours, historical exhibits, and period-style performances.”
Highlights of the nine-day program include guided visits to the Sant’Anna Catholic Cemetery on its bicentennial, the Casa d’Artista and Piccolo Museo FVG Psacaropoulo, public gardens in the city, and the historic Porto Vecchio-Porto Vivo area, including the Centrale Idrodinamica. There will also be a parade and period-style dance in Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia, accompanied by music reminiscent of late 19th-century Vienna, including Schrammelmusik.
The festival will also feature a guided tour to Monfalcone, exploring its medieval castle and local museum, and a repeat of the popular visit to the Museo Postale e Telegrafico della Mitteleuropa. Housed in a wing of Trieste’s historic Palazzo delle Poste, the museum chronicles the evolution of postal services from the mid-19th century, with particular focus on the Austro-Hungarian administration. Exhibits include period postal equipment, telegraph apparatus, postal maps, and a reconstructed 19th-century post office.
The market exhibition in Piazza Ponterosso will showcase local vendors daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., complementing the cultural and historical activities. On November 2, the festival will culminate with the traditional costumed parade and dance in Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia, followed by a musical afternoon titled Kaiserwalzer: dal Danubio al mare, performed by pianist Luca Sacher at the Casa della Musica.
The festival’s organizers emphasized that Kaiserfest not only celebrates Trieste’s past but also encourages tourism and community engagement in the present.
The opening ceremony will take place on Saturday, October 25, at 11 a.m. in Piazza Ponterosso, with local authorities and representatives of participating organizations in attendance.
For more information and reservations for guided tours, visitors can contact Mittelnet Agenzia Viaggi at info@mittelnet.com or by phone at +39 040 9896112.
