75 Years of Musikkapelle Reschen – Bezirksmusikfest

A band celebrating 75 years

The Musikkapelle Reschen, the local music band of Resia, celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2026 with a Bezirksmusikfest — the traditional district music festival of South Tyrolean bands. The event takes place on July 11th and 12th, 2026, in the village of Resia (Reschen), part of the municipality of Curon Venosta (Graun im Vinschgau), located at the northern end of the Val Venosta in the province of Bolzano.

Founded in 1951 with just a dozen musicians during a challenging era — when the construction of the Lake Resia dam disrupted the villages of Resia and Curon — the band is now one of the most deeply rooted cultural institutions in the Upper Val Venosta. The introduction of traditional costumes in the late 1950s, the opening of a new rehearsal hall in 2000, and the renewal of the historic Vinschgau uniform in 2002 have accompanied the growth of an association that surpassed fifty years of activity in 2005 with over fifty active musicians.

What is a Bezirksmusikfest?

The Bezirksmusikfest is a festival that brings together the music bands (Musikkapellen) of an entire district of the Verband Südtiroler Musikkapellen, the South Tyrolean band federation. Hosting it is an honor that rotates annually among the villages: the organizing band invites fellow ensembles from the Vinschgau and Upper Val Venosta for two days of music, costume parades, and conviviality. It is one of the most authentic expressions of South Tyrolean folk culture, where the German-speaking band tradition intertwines with the community life of mountain villages.

The festival atmosphere

In the festival tent (Festzelt) and on the square of Resia, guest bands take turns performing, playing classic marches, polkas, and concert pieces from the Alpine band repertoire. Not to be missed are the Sunday morning Frühschoppen — a musical aperitif in traditional costume — and the band parade (Festumzug) that winds through the village in traditional uniforms. There is no shortage of food stalls offering South Tyrolean specialties, from dumplings (canederli) to speck, local beer, and wines from the valley.

Where it takes place

Resia (Reschen) is located at an altitude of nearly 1,500 meters, just a stone's throw from the famous Lake Resia with its bell tower emerging from the water, a symbol of the Upper Val Venosta. The festival is an opportunity to discover this corner of South Tyrol on the border with Austria and Switzerland, set in a stunning Alpine landscape.