A unique festival was founded in Val Pusteria in 1998: It was intended to serve as a platform for choirs to introduce themselves to a broad audience, exchange ideas and demonstrate the great variety and repertoire of choirs. All this takes place in a non-competitive format. In the past 28 editions of the Alta Pusteria Choir Festival, over 1,400 choirs from 52 countries were represented, which is why it is now also called the "Festival of a Thousand Choirs".

Many people singing together is probably the simplest description of a choir. However, the Alta Pusteria International Choir Festival demonstrates every year in June just what is possible and how diverse and inspiring the repertoire can be. The festival programme spans five days and includes around 60 performances in the form of concerts, open-air revues and meeting days.

Each choir is free to present itself. The event is held in locations such as Monguelfo and San Candido, and the welcome party, the parade of choirs and the closing ceremony are all included in the programme. The festival expands in its 2026 edition to the South Tyrolean Valle Aurina and Val Badia, both side valleys of the Val Pusteria, as well as to the town of Brunico, the Comelico Valley in Veneto - accessible via the Passo di Monte Croce di Comélico - and Austrian East Tyrol.