In addition to the Bolzano Film Festival Bozen, the town of Bolzano also hosts a Bolzano music festival featuring renowned soloists and conductors. This event is part of the Bolzano Cultural Summer, which also includes the famous Tanz Bozen - Bolzano Danza dance festival, held the month prior to the music festival. The Bolzano Festival Bozen has taken place every summer since 2004 - from early August to early September - presenting one highlight after another.

The inner courtyards of historic townhouses and other venues such as the Bolzano Fair, the Semirurali Park, the Dominican Cloister and the Parkhotel Laurin transform into open-air stages, creating an international atmosphere on balmy summer evenings. Bolzano is filled with music. The programme includes Early Music, high-calibre chamber music and outstanding piano recitals.

As part of the Bolzano Festival Bozen, the town's two resident orchestras, the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra (GMJO), invite audiences to concerts. The festival also presents the winner of the F. Busoni International Piano Competition and organises Antiqua, a festival dedicated to Medieval, Baroque and Renaissance music. The Ferruccio Busoni - Gustav Mahler Foundation coordinates the Bolzano Festival Bozen.