Kitzbühel, Austria – Sound | Escape isn’t your typical electronic music festival. There’s no wristband, no VIP section, no artificial exclusivity, and perhaps most remarkably of all, no entrance fee.
From March 28 to 30, 2025, this free festival unfolds across Kitzbühel’s historic old town and the surrounding mountains, pairing some of electronic music’s most respected names with an alpine setting that’s hard to match.
At the centre of it all is Sven Väth, a figure whose impact on techno stretches back more than three decades. From Frankfurt’s Omen club to Cocoon’s Ibiza residencies, Väth has shaped the contours of dance music culture. Here, he’s joined by Matthias Tanzmann, Tom Novy, Tube & Berger, Kilimanjaro, Lunnas, Marvin Aloys, and Wolfram, plus a lineup that spans house, techno, and a rare push for drum and bass – still an outlier in Austria’s club scene.
Sound | Escape is the brainchild of Marvin Aloys, whose aim to to move away from Austria’s image for traditional music and make it a new hub for electronic music in Europe. “Austria’s got this deep musical history, but electronic music has its own roots, its own culture, and it belongs here just as much” says Aloys. “Sound Escape is about breaking away from the usual, from the big-ticket, VIP-heavy festival scene, and giving something back to the people. A free festival, in a setting that’s honestly unreal – mountains, historic streets, fresh air – it’s the kind of backdrop that makes it extra special.”
At a time when access to live music often comes with a price tag and the historic centres of electronic music culture facing ever-increasing challenges, Sound | Escape provides a positive alternative: quality, free and open to anyone and everyone.
For more info, head to https://www.kitzbuehel.com/en/events/sound-escape/
