with city pastor Dean Msgr. Mag. Ivan Olip on the Pötscher autodrome area.

The Wiesenmarkt begins after the church service on the market grounds, starting at 12:00 p.m. The end of the service will be announced by ringing bells. Serving food and drinks, operating amusement rides, and playing music is only permitted from this time onward.

discounted ride prices in the amusement park until 7 p.m.

The “NEW ONE” is here!
followed by: WIESEN BEER TAPPING

KIB & FF Bleiburg make it possible: Jazz in da Hittn lives on!

The Stefan Thaler Jazztet, the “House Band” of Stöckl-Hütte since 1999, is a “Band in Progress” that blossoms at the Wiesenmarkt in a new formation every year. Musically, it draws primarily from the stylistic diversity of the 1960s: Boogaloo, Latin, Jazzrock, or Funk is the motto. But not only that: reinterpreted standards as hip hop or original compositions in the pulse of the times can also be heard. The main thing is: The music has good vibes, and the musicians have free rein to interact and improvise. Arrangements often emerge spontaneously on stage. A certain “cool” is the theme and starting point of the jazz evening, which often develops into a high-energy “intensity” as the concert progresses.

More information and tickets available here »

For years, the Slovenian cultural association Edinost has been inviting senior groups from Slovenia, Carinthia, and Italy to the seniors’ meeting in Svaveja uta.

Accompanied by the ringing of bells, the ceremonial entrance of the Freyung takes place on the market grounds. The parade, flanked by thousands of visitors, leads from the Grenzlandheim via the Postgasse to the October 10 Square and from there to the market grounds.
The parade is led by the market representative, market master, and local fire, military, and police commanders, as well as the Jauntal traditional costume band from Loibach.

This is followed by a knight “on horseback,” leading the Freyung group, with “City Judge” Martin Dobnigg, carrying the Freyung, escorted by four halberdiers in historical landsknecht attire.

The honorary guests follow, including the Governor of Carinthia and numerous other political representatives from the federal, state, and municipal levels.
Next come the numerous traditional costume groups and brass bands as well as the floats of local associations and businesses.

On the lower main square, the historical lease payment (“The Red Velvet Bag”) is handed over by the municipality of Bleiburg to the owner of the market meadow, the parish of Bleiburg.

Mayor Stefan Visotschnig, escorted by halberdiers, reads the historic text of the market invocation from 1578: “Hear and listen! An honorable judge and council of the city of Pleyburg hereby wish to appoint the present Roman imperial majesty Freyung at this open free market…,” in front of the market hut on the market grounds.

The city judge then takes his “official seat” in the “Freyung hut.” The halberdiers mark out a rectangular area that no one may enter without paying a fine. The “offense” is often committed by numerous honorary guests, who can then immediately “buy their freedom” with a small donation to the city judge.

Following the welcome speech of the market representative, the greetings from representatives of the chamber of commerce, agriculture, and politics are delivered. Then, after honoring long-standing market participants, the official opening takes place with the traditional beer tapping.

For over six centuries, the Bleiburg Wiesenmarkt has been a significant economic factor in the region. It is historically documented that, until the end of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy at the beginning of the 20th century, traders from the entire Alpe-Adria region exhibited and sold their goods at the Bleiburg Wiesenmarkt.
In 1998, the municipality of Bleiburg revived this old tradition and organized the “Alpe-Adria Exhibition” within the framework of the Bleiburg Wiesenmarkt for the first time.

This year marks the 25th Alpe-Adria Exhibition (taking into account the two coronavirus interruptions).

In 1998, exhibitors and municipalities from Austria, Slovenia, and Italy presented their regional specialties for the first time in a shared tent. While there were seven exhibitors from three nations in 1998, this year, twenty exhibitors from Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and Austria will participate.

For the first time, under the title “Crossborder Experience,” the region covered by the Karawanken/Karavanke Geopark in Slovenia and Austria will be presented in the Alpe-Adria tent. This cross-border cooperation is co-financed by the EU through an Interreg project between Slovenia and Austria.

The Alpe-Adria Exhibition thus becomes a meeting place for the various regions of the Alpine-Adriatic area, presenting their delicacies to visitors of the Bleiburg Wiesenmarkt in the spirit of a new Europe, forging connections and friendships across borders.