“In good neighborhood” on May 23rd in Vienna. Together with other organizations and actors, the Wiener aid organization organizes a diverse and free program for young and old.
Wien, 12.5.2025 – Neighborhood picnics, open music lessons, health offers, punch theater, community cooking and much more: The neighborhood day 2025 becomes colorful, diverse and makes you want to do neighborly coexistence independently of origin, age or gender. The 1999 neighborhood day in Paris, with the aim of counteracting the increasing anonymity in large cities and focusing on neighborly coexistence. Also in Vienna since 2008, the neighborhood day of initially five participating initiatives for 200 campaigns and 50 participating initiatives have now grew. The neighborhood day in over 50 countries is celebrated by more than 30 million people worldwide.
“The relationship with our neighbors is the smallest common denominator for the functioning of a big city. Good neighborhood in the small one ensures a harmonious living together in the big one. Vienna is not an anonymous city – Vienna is the city of coexistence and social cohesion. People are not strange here. This makes Vienna so worth living,” confirms Mayor Michael Ludwig, who also takes over the honor protection of the neighborhood day.
“The neighborhood day impressively shows how lively, diverse and solidarity is and should be. Where social inclusion succeeds, more understanding and mutual respect arise, which makes living together more peaceful and conflict-free,” emphasizes Karin Praniess-Kastner, President of the Vienna Aid Agency.
Good neighborhood helps against stress and loneliness
According to numerous studies, social interactions in the direct living environment such as its own Grätzl strengthen the feeling of belonging, reducing loneliness and acting like an emotional protective shield against stress, fear and depression. People with a stable social network live healthier, become less often mentally ill and live on average even longer (see Sora study on psychosocial health in Vienna, 2023; study “The Impact of Loneliness on Biological Aging”-Deep Longevity, 2022). A good neighborhood and interpersonal exchange are particularly valuable in large cities where anonymity can increase.
This open stage of the interpersonal exchange is created on May 23rd throughout Vienna: Everyone is welcome to take part in one of the approximately 200 actions and inspire themselves and others. Meeting neighboring, getting to know new people from the Grätzl, chatting, learning from each other and from other generations – and all of this in the middle of the neighborhood.
Media representatives are cordially invited to the events on the neighborhood day.
Vienna neighborhood day 2025
If: Friday, May 23rd
Wo: All of Vienna
More information: +43 1 512 36 61 – 3650 or sigrid.karpf@wiener.hilfswerk.at
All events on the neighborhood day can be found here.