Franz Josef 177

The upcoming August 18 is the 177^th birthday of HLIRM Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary.

Celebrations take place in Bad Ischl on August 16 (I've heard there's a mass on August 18 there as well), Cormons and Giassico August 17 through 19, and – supposedly – Millstatt.

The Austria Imperial Festival's web site is not updated from last year's event. This is not a good sign. The festival is not connected directly to Franz Josef's birthday. It takes place in the "monarchist nest" of Innsbruck. I had the pleasure of going to the festival in August of 2004, after which I wrote this. The year after I attended they cut the ball and they split the rest in two, having only the concert in August, and the rest in October, more specifically in connection with Emperor Karl's Feast Day. Sadly, this makes it less interesting for people travelling from afar.