Event: Austria - Linz

Pflasterspektakel

When:	17 - 19 Jul 2008 (annual)
Where:	Linz
Costs:	Free, but performers request donations
Opening Hours:	2pm-12am

The streets of the Upper Austrian city of Linz, two hours up the Danube valley from Vienna, explode as 500 street artists from around Europe come together for the spectacular Pflasterspektakel festival of magic, mime, juggling and acrobatics.

Pflasterspektakel means "paving-stone spectacular" and for three days 38 performance areas laid out in three zones cover the streets of Linz city centre. Artists perform three times a day, so there are plenty of opportunities to catch as many acts as possible.

From informal beginnings in 1986, the festival has grown to attract around 170,000 visitors and become a fixture in the European street-art scene.

In addition to the street performances, a host of other activities fill out the programme. Several stages host musical and performing artists in the evenings, including late shows from 10pm-1am in a tent behind the Ursulinenhof. In the late afternoon pantomime and magic shows transform the Old City into a dream world, then each evening a fire show and samba parades light up the streets.

During the day, kids can romp and play at a giant haystack in the Landhaus Park, where several other children's activities are also staged. A farmhouse restaurant offers food.