Aufsteirern Festival: A celebration of all things Styrian

Aufsteirern is the name of a festival that celebrates Styria – the sunny south-eastern part of Austria. It took place this past weeked, September 18-20. The Styrian people shared with me their pride and joy about their way of life and their folklore. All of which expressed itself vividly in dialect, music, dance, and style. 

The first night started off with a fashion show in which the participants were dressed in traditional lederhosen and dirndl. A large stage was set up in the city center and little stands were set up all around serving big foamy mugs of Austrian beer and sweet pink Sturm. Sturm was a huge highlight of the festival, it is actually semi-fermented grape juice from the first grape harvest of the season. It's low in alcohol and very sweet, and it marks the official start of autumn for many locals. It comes in red or white and acts as a perfect accompaniment to the traditional sausage-heavy, carb-packed meals; all of which I had plenty.