Kayak Festival
The Oetztal Kayak Festival will take place in Oetz from September 17–20, 2026, and serves as the setting for one of the year’s largest international kayaking gatherings. In addition to the OETZ TROPHY – Sprint Extreme Kayak World Championships, the festival offers a diverse supporting program featuring equipment tests, workshops, a kayak cross race, and parties.
FESTIVAL AREA
The festival area is located around the Whitewater Base near the slalom course on the Oetztaler Ache in Oetz. Here you can meet other paddlers, learn about the activities on offer, test equipment, and just hang out.
PARKING DURING THE EVENT
For day visitors, the paid parking lots of the Acherkogelbahn are available throughout the entire festival. Please note: Overnight stays are not permitted in these parking lots.
OVERNIGHT PARKING SPOTS
Not far from the festival grounds, there will be the option to spend the night in vehicles at designated parking spots. Since only about 80 spots are available in total, we will allocate them in advance and list them on this website. The option to reserve parking spots will be available starting August 1, 2026.
Schedule
Thursday
17 September
Arrival, festival opening, material testing, assigning race bibs, general race briefing.
Friday
18 September
Qualifying Rounds, Oetz Kayak Cross, Equipment Testing, Race Briefing for the 2026 OETZ TROPHY.
Saturday
19 September
OETZ TROPHY - 2026 Sprint Extreme Kayak World Championships, Awards Ceremony and Evening Program.
Sunday
20 September
Open paddling, group outings on the Ötztaler Ache. Final group paddle and departure.
Accommodation
The festival takes place in Oetz in the Ötztal Valley, Tyrol, Austria. To book accommodations, we recommend the Ötztal Tourism website.