Austrian Christmas (Christmas Day & St Stephen's Day)
About
December 25 and 26 are national public holidays in Austria. Gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve (Dec 24, a normal but early-closing day), with the two following days reserved for quiet family celebrations.
Highlights
- Gifts brought by the Christkind on the evening of Dec 24
- Two consecutive non-working days, Dec 25–26
- Salzburg's Silent Night heritage (Oberndorf, just north of the city)
Practical tips
- Almost everything closes from midday Dec 24 through Dec 26 — stock up beforehand
- Salzburg's Christmas market typically pauses on Dec 25–26
- Reserve any Christmas-Day restaurant well in advance
Sources
Other upcoming events
Salzburg Festival (Salzburger Festspiele)
The world's foremost festival of opera, drama and classical music takes over Salzburg's great houses and squares for around six weeks every summer, anchored by the open-air 'Jedermann' on Domplatz in front of the cathedral.
Assumption Day (Mariä Himmelfahrt) in Austria
August 15 is a national public holiday across Austria honouring the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, with herb-bundle blessings (Kräuterweihe) in churches and a quiet midsummer day off.
Almabtrieb at Gruberalm, Hintersee 2026 (Cattle Drive)
A classic SalzburgerLand autumn tradition: at the Gruberalm above Hintersee, herders decorate the cattle with ornate flower-and-mirror headdresses and drive them down from the alpine pasture to the valley, with music, schnapps and farm stalls marking the end of the mountain summer.