Water Parties and Competition for the Municipalities
That water is much more than “dry” subject was shown by the water parties held all over the country, the kick-off event being the Federal Chancellery party held in May in Vienna providing information and entertainment around the subject of water. Water as a genuine elixir of life was the theme of the evening and was also the framework for a top event devised for decision-makers from politics, business, the media, NGOs and associations.
From May to September 2003, numerous large and small water parties were organized spontaneously in the municipalities of all Federal provinces. Furthermore, the Ministry of Life, the Association of Austrian Municipalities and the specialist journal Kommunal invited entries to a creative competition. All Austrian municipalities were called upon to enter the most creative ideas on the organization of a party held in the municipality. More than fifty municipalities contributed ideas to the competition on the subject of organizing a water party.In March 2003, an expert jury made up of six members unanimously chose Judenburg, Styria, as the winner. Rank two went to the municipality of Sittersdorf, Carinthia, the municipality of Haslach an der Mühl, Upper Austria, ranked third. Due to the high number of original project ideas, a honorable-mention award was conferred spontaneously on the town of Laa a.d. Thaya, Lower Austria.
Hand-in-glove with the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF, the "Willkommen Österreich Tour" was organized on the occasion of the 2003 Water Year, with stops in all nine provinces featuring water parties. The closing event took place on Rathausplatz in Vienna.
02.12.2005, Lebensministerium VII/1