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Bad Gastein is renowned as a centre for incredible Austrian skiing - as well as being a beautiful valley full of age-old healing springs - but did you know it also holds the biggest art festival in the Alps, too? From the January 29 to February 4, 2022, Bad Gastein’s famed ski areas and picturesque town centres will come alive to the sound of ice being expertly chiselled. Snow and ice are the most important ingredients for Art on Snow. Many different artistic hands and grand ideas are the tools. The result is the biggest art festival in the Alps: Art on Snow Gastein. Experience how artists transform blocks of ice into artworks, both down in the valley as well as next to the lift stations in the mountains. The heaps of snow will be turned - much to the astonishment of children and their parents - into walk-able, experiential works of art. In the evening, when cast in the appropriate light, the objects take on a whole new dimension.
British artist Simon Beck, equipped only with a pair of snowshoes, a sketch and a compass, manages to conjure up gigantic pictures in the snow. However, if you would prefer to stay inside where it's nice and warm, you might want to take part in a painting workshop, giving free rein to your own artistic expression, or perhaps attend a multimedia show at the Kraftwerk Café.
Without a doubt, the Art on Snow Gastein festival is a wonderful twist to add to your Bad Gastein skiing holiday, and to continue these vibes of relaxed glamour, cool and chill, we would be doing a disservice if we didn’t recommend the sophisticated bolthole that is Miramonte, or the stylish boutique retreat that is Haus Hirt Hotel & Aveda Spa. Ice, ice, baby, we just can’t wait.
The Aficionados seeks out the best events, festivals, hotels, spas and hideaways; only for the in-crowd, for those in the know.
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