Is today a public holiday in Austria?

Austrian Rest Periods Act (ARG § 7), Nationwide Feiertage vs. 9 Federal States (Landesfeiertage)

In Austria, statutory public holidays (gesetzliche Feiertage) are codified at the federal level under § 7 of the Rest Periods Act (Arbeitsruhegesetz – ARG, BGBl. Nr. 144/1983), as verified by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO) and the Chamber of Labour (Arbeiterkammer). A central requirement when interpreting the Austrian calendar is distinguishing the 13 nationwide statutory holidays—which grant mandatory paid rest to all employees—from the regional patron-saint days (Landesfeiertage) observed across Austria's nine federal states (Bundesländer).

Austria's 13 Nationwide Statutory Public Holidays (§ 7 ARG)

Every employee in Austria, regardless of federal state or sector, is covered by the 13 nationwide public holidays enumerated in § 7(2) ARG: New Year's Day (Neujahr, 1 January), Epiphany (Heilige Drei Könige, 6 January), Easter Monday (Ostermontag), National Labour Day (Staatsfeiertag, 1 May), Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt), Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag), Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam), Assumption Day (Mariä Himmelfahrt, 15 August), Austrian National Day (Nationalfeiertag, 26 October), All Saints' Day (Allerheiligen, 1 November), Immaculate Conception (Mariä Empfängnis, 8 December), Christmas Day (Christtag, 25 December), and St. Stephen's Day (Stefanitag, 26 December).

On these 13 dates, employees are entitled to an uninterrupted 24-hour rest period (Feiertagsruhe) with full continuation of regular pay (Feiertagsentgelt under § 9 ARG). If an employee is legally permitted to work on a weekday holiday, they receive their regular monthly pay plus an additional 100% hourly pay for every hour worked (Feiertagsarbeitsentgelt). Note that 8 December (Immaculate Conception) is a full statutory public holiday in Austria, though a special retail exemption permits shops to open if staff work on a voluntary basis with premium pay and compensatory time off.

Austrian National Day (26 October) & The Good Friday (Karfreitag) Reform

• Austrian National Day (Nationalfeiertag, 26 October): Commemorates the 1955 Constitutional Law on Permanent Neutrality (Neutralitätsgesetz). In 2026, 26 October lands on a Monday, creating an automatic 3-day weekend across all nine states; in 2027, it falls on a Tuesday, making Monday 25 October 2027 a prime 1-day Fenstertag bridge.
• Good Friday (Karfreitag) & The 'Persönlicher Feiertag' (§ 7a UrlG): Until 2019, Good Friday was a statutory holiday exclusively for Protestant, Old Catholic, and Methodist church members. Following the European Court of Justice ruling (C-193/17), Austria abolished the denomination-specific holiday and introduced § 7a of the Leave Act (Urlaubsgesetz): any employee may unilaterally declare one "personal holiday" (persönlicher Feiertag) per year (often used for Good Friday) by notifying their employer in writing at least three months in advance, which is deducted from their existing 25-day annual vacation entitlement.

Nationwide vs. Regional Observances Across Austria's 9 Federal States

Unlike Germany or Switzerland—where regional holidays are full statutory non-working days for all private-sector businesses in that state—Austria's regional patron-saint days (Landesfeiertage) are governed by provincial decrees and custom rather than § 7 ARG. Consequently, a Landesfeiertag is NOT a general private-sector statutory holiday: it closes state schools, kindergartens, and provincial government offices (Landesdienst), while commercial banks, retail stores, and private businesses remain open unless a specific collective agreement states otherwise. Use the Federal State (Bundesland) Selector below in the calendar table to filter dates by state:

Fenstertage (Window Days) & Austrian Annual Leave Strategy

In Austria, a single working weekday between a Thursday or Tuesday holiday and the weekend is called a Fenstertag ("window day") or Zwickeltag. Because Austrian law provides 25 working days (5 weeks) of paid annual leave (increasing to 30 working days after 25 years of service under the Urlaubsgesetz), strategic Fenstertag booking is a staple of Austrian workplace planning:

• 2026 Fenstertage Bridges: Book Friday, 15 May 2026 after Ascension Day (4 days off for 1 leave day); book Friday, 5 June 2026 after Corpus Christi (4 days off for 1 leave day); and book Monday, 7 December 2026 before Immaculate Conception on Tuesday 8 December (4 days off for 1 leave day). Additionally, Labour Day (Friday 1 May 2026), Easter Monday (6 April 2026), Whit Monday (25 May 2026), National Day (Monday 26 October 2026), and Christmas Day (Friday 25 December 2026) deliver five automatic 3-day weekends without spending a single vacation day.
• 2027 Fenstertage Bridges: Book Tuesday–Friday, 2–5 January 2027 between New Year's Day (Fri 1 Jan) and Epiphany (Wed 6 Jan) for a 6-day break; book Friday, 7 May 2027 after Ascension Day; book Friday, 28 May 2027 after Corpus Christi; and book Monday, 25 October 2027 before National Day (Tue 26 Oct).

Banking Rails (OeNB TARGET2) & Wiener Börse Trading Schedule

Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) settles euro interbank payments via TARGET2. Meanwhile, the Vienna Stock Exchange (Wiener Börse) closes on New Year's Day (1 Jan), Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day (1 May), Whit Monday, Austrian National Day (26 Oct), Christmas Eve (24 Dec), Christmas Day (25 Dec), St. Stephen's Day (26 Dec), and New Year's Eve (31 Dec). Notably, while 24 December and 31 December are not statutory holidays under § 7 ARG, Austrian banks, Wiener Börse, and most collective agreements close or finish at 12:00 noon on both eves.