Staatsfeiertag in Austria

A fixed date and a statutory holiday

Austria’s Feiertagsruhegesetz lists 1 May as Staatsfeiertag and separately names 26 October as Nationalfeiertag. The distinction is useful: Staatsfeiertag is the May holiday, while Austria’s National Day is in October.[1]

Under the Arbeitsruhegesetz, employees are entitled to at least 24 consecutive hours of holiday rest, beginning between midnight and 6 a.m. The law also preserves pay for work missed because of the holiday. Some work may be permitted under exceptions, and employees who work during holiday rest are generally entitled to their normal holiday pay plus payment for the work, unless time off is agreed instead.[2]

The date remains 1 May each year. If the holiday falls on a Sunday, the law applies the rules for weekly rest; it does not set a general substitute holiday on the following Monday.[2]

How the holiday took shape in Austria

The holiday’s Austrian legal history reaches back to 1919. A proposal to declare 12 November and 1 May general days of rest and celebration was considered by the Constituent National Assembly, and the proposal passed its third reading on 25 April 1919.[3] The current holiday law uses the name Staatsfeiertag for 1 May.[1]

The Austrian Foreign Ministry describes 1 May as Tag der Arbeit and connects it with labour movement marches dating from 1890. In Vienna, the ministry says the march tradition has continued mainly along the Ringstrasse to the Rathaus, giving the day a civic and political character as well as its status as a holiday.[4]

May Day customs and local events

Maypole traditions also form part of 1 May in Austria. The Foreign Ministry identifies the date as a traditional time to raise a Maibaum; in some places, maypole events include a public ceremony, speeches, climbing the pole or a ribbon dance. It describes such customs in Scheibbs and Laxenburg in Lower Austria, among other local traditions.[4]

These customs are not uniform across the country. The ministry notes both labour movement marches and maypole celebrations, so local programmes can differ by town and community.[4] There is no single nationwide ceremony or menu.

Planning for the day

For workers covered by the Arbeitsruhegesetz, the holiday generally means a protected period of rest, subject to legal exceptions. Since a statutory holiday can affect business and service schedules, check directly with the shop, office, bank, museum or transport provider you plan to use.[1][2]