Immaculate Conception (Mariä Empfängnis) in Austria
About
December 8 is a national public holiday in Austria. Despite being a day off, shops in city centres are permitted to open, making it one of the busiest Christmas-shopping days of the year, with the Salzburg Advent markets in full swing.
Highlights
- Marian feast day and a national public holiday
- Shops may open — a peak Christmas-shopping day
- Salzburg Advent markets are at their busiest
Practical tips
- Unlike most holidays, central shops and markets usually open
- Expect crowds in the Old Town and at the Christkindlmarkt
- Great day for festive shopping and Glühwein
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.