When are the Krampus runs in Austria in 2026?

Austria's Krampus and Perchten runs in 2026 start on Saturday 21 November in Mariazell and end with the Perchten on the Salzburg Domplatz on Monday 21 December, and most of the dates in between bunch up around St Nicholas's Eve on 5 December. Innsbruck holds four runs between 29 November and 7 December, and Salzburg has three Krampus runs plus its Perchten night.

We list every run in our events files, which cover Salzburg, Innsbruck and Mariazell in Austria and two runs just over the border in Munich and Český Krumlov. We read each organizer's page on 10 October 2026. A confirmed date comes from the organizer's own page, and an announced date comes from a tourism board. The Salzburg Christkindlmarkt marks its two evening start times as provisional, and the table says so.

Date (2026)	Run	Where	Start	Status
Sat 21 Nov	Mariazell Krampus run	Hauptplatz, Mariazell	19:00	Confirmed; the organizer says the programme can change
Sun 29 Nov	Stefani-Perchten Krampus parade	Burghof, Hohensalzburg Fortress, Salzburg	15:00	Announced by the Salzburg tourist board
Sun 29 Nov	Igls Krampus run	Igls village centre, Innsbruck	St Nicholas 17:00, Krampus 17:45	Confirmed
Thu 3 Dec	Old Town Krampus run	Altstadt, Innsbruck	18:30	Confirmed
Fri 4 Dec	Hellbrunn Krampus run	Courtyard of Schloss Hellbrunn, Salzburg	18:00	Confirmed
Fri 4 Dec	Krampuslauf at Port 1560	Port 1560 courtyard, Český Krumlov (Czechia)	18:00–22:00	Confirmed by the town programme
Sat 5 Dec	Salzburg Krampus run	Big stage on the Domplatz, Salzburg	About 19:00	Date confirmed; the organizer calls the time provisional
Sun 6 Dec	Hungerburg Krampus run	Hungerburg market, Innsbruck	From 17:00, with St Nicholas	Confirmed
Mon 7 Dec	Perchten run	Maria-Theresien-Straße market, Innsbruck	18:00	Confirmed
Sun 13 Dec	Munich Krampus run	Augustinerstraße to the Old Town Hall, Munich	15:00–17:00	Confirmed
Sun 13 Dec	Tag der Krampusse	Schloss Hellbrunn, Salzburg	Not published	Date confirmed; no time yet
Mon 21 Dec	Perchtenlauf	Big stage on the Domplatz, Salzburg	About 19:00	Date confirmed; the organizer calls the time provisional

Hellbrunn is the only run in the table with a published charge. Its Advent market costs €8 to enter until 19:00, with one hot drink included (2026 price, published by the market), and the other organizers list no fee.

What happens at a Krampus run?

Krampus is the horned, fur-clad figure who walks with St Nicholas in Alpine custom, and on a run his groups move through a square or down a street in full mask and costume. In Mariazell the groups wear cowbells with their hand-carved masks, and in Český Krumlov the runners may swat with switches. The Munich organizers say a mask can weigh up to about 10 kg. Innsbruck's organizer says the figures are meant to frighten, and they rattle loudly and pull faces at the crowd as they pass.

Perchten belong to a separate winter custom. The Salzburg market's organizer ties them to the Rauhnächte, which are the long nights between the solstice and Epiphany, and Innsbruck's organizer traces them back to pre-Christian times. Salzburg's organizer counts 21 December as the first of those nights and holds its Perchtenlauf then, on the same stage as the Krampus run.

Local and regional groups walk in these runs. In Salzburg you will see the Stefani-Perchten at the fortress and the Grossgmain group at Hellbrunn. Munich's own Sparifankerl-Pass group has organized its run with the city since the first one on 12 December 2004. That run usually brings about 25 groups with more than 300 figures from Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, South Tyrol, the Allgäu and Carinthia.

How do you watch a Krampus run without being touched?

Stand behind the front row. Runners come right up to the crowd, and some will touch or crowd the people nearest the route. Nobody in the crowd has to accept that, and stepping back behind the first row is how you say no; the runners move on. Tell children beforehand what they are going to see, and leave as soon as anyone in your group gets frightened.

Keep your hands off the masks and costumes. In Munich the organizers ask you to check with a figure before you touch a costume or take a close photograph, and they describe the figures snatching a hat and handing it back. Runs draw tight crowds after dark, so keep phones and bags close. The Old Town run in Innsbruck on 3 December goes through the narrow lanes around the Golden Roof, where there is little room to step aside.

The City of Munich says children are welcome at the front of its run. Up to 50,000 people line that route, so keep small or nervous children further back. In Český Krumlov the town's own listing describes a procession of devilish figures, and runners there can be rough, so leave very young children at home.

Which Salzburg Krampus run suits which visitor?

Families with small children should start at the fortress on Sunday 29 November. The Stefani-Perchten bring their Krampus figures into the Burghof of Hohensalzburg at 15:00 on the first Sunday of the fortress Advent market, and the tourist board bills it as a run for families. Brass bands play in the courtyard from 15:30. You walk up the Festungsgasse for free or pay for the Festungsbahn funicular.

The run at Schloss Hellbrunn on Friday 4 December starts at 18:00, which is an hour before the city run. The Grossgmain Krampus group performs a pole dance in the palace courtyard, and the Hellbrunn market suggests standing in front of the stairs for the view. Nervous children do better at the Tag der Krampusse on 13 December, when members of the Anif group come out without their masks. They explain how a Krampus differs from a Percht and let visitors try a mask on.

The big night is Saturday 5 December on the Domplatz stage at the Salzburg Christkindlmarkt, from about 19:00. It is loud and crowded. On the afternoon of 6 December St Nicholas visits the same market with a gentler children's Krampus group at 15:30, and younger children cope with that better. The Christkind follows at 16:00. The Perchten take the same stage on Monday 21 December at about 19:00, and the organizer marks both evening times as provisional, so check christkindlmarkt.co.at on the day.

When are Innsbruck's Krampus and Perchten runs?

Innsbruck's Bergweihnacht organizer lists four runs for 2026, and all four are confirmed. Igls is the gentlest place to start on Sunday 29 November, because St Nicholas arrives at 17:00 and the Krampus run follows at 17:45. Krampus groups from East Tyrol take over the Old Town at 18:30 on Thursday 3 December.

St Nicholas comes to the Hungerburg market from 17:00 on Sunday 6 December with a Krampus run alongside him, so children who scare easily should see him at Wilten or St. Nikolaus that evening instead. The Perchten close the series at the Maria-Theresien-Straße market at 18:00 on Monday 7 December. For small children the St Nicholas procession leaves the parish church of St. Nikolaus at 17:00 on Friday 4 December with angels and a band of musicians.

Where else can you see a Krampus run in 2026?

Mariazell holds Austria's earliest run in our listing. Regional Krampus groups cross the Hauptplatz at 19:00 on Saturday 21 November 2026, which falls on the opening weekend of the Mariazell Advent, and the organizer singles out their hand-carved masks. Check the programme nearer the day, because the organizer warns that it can change.

Munich's run takes place on Sunday 13 December 2026 from 15:00 to about 17:00, and it ends at the Old Town Hall by the Munich Christkindlmarkt. Find a spot on Sendlinger Straße or Rindermarkt before 15:00, since the organizer says the route changed slightly for 2026.

In Český Krumlov the Krampuslauf fills the Port 1560 courtyard from 18:00 to 22:00 on Friday 4 December. The next day at 17:00 Mikuláš visits náměstí Svornosti with an angel and a devil, and children say a verse or sing for a small treat. Hallstatt's regional tourist board lists a children's Krampus run on the Marktplatz without a date, so we can't put it in the table.

Quick answers

When is the Salzburg Krampus run in 2026?

The Salzburg Krampus run takes place on Saturday 5 December 2026 at about 19:00 on the Domplatz stage. The Christkindlmarkt organizer has confirmed the date and marks the time as provisional.

When are the Krampus runs in Innsbruck in 2026?

Innsbruck has four confirmed runs in 2026: Igls on 29 November from 17:45, the Old Town on 3 December at 18:30, Hungerburg on 6 December from 17:00 and Maria-Theresien-Straße on 7 December at 18:00.

Is there a family-friendly Krampus run in Austria?

Yes. The Stefani-Perchten parade at Hohensalzburg Fortress starts at 15:00 on Sunday 29 November 2026, and the Salzburg tourist board bills it as family-friendly.

When is the Salzburg Perchtenlauf in 2026?

The Salzburg Perchtenlauf takes place on Monday 21 December 2026 at about 19:00 on the Domplatz. The date is confirmed and the time is provisional.

Do you have to let a Krampus touch you?

No. Nobody watching a Krampus run has to accept being touched. Stand behind the front row, and the runners move on.

When is the Munich Krampus run in 2026?

The Munich Krampus run takes place on Sunday 13 December 2026 from 15:00 to about 17:00 and runs from Augustinerstraße to the Old Town Hall. The organizer has confirmed the date.