Rattenberg Advent
Rattenberger Advent47°26′ N 11°54′ ERattenbergfrom Nov 20Seasonal
Rattenberg Advent turns Austria's smallest town into a candlelit weekend market and suits couples and anyone tired of loud markets, though it opens only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and has few stalls. In 2026 it runs from 20 November to 20 December on those three days each week plus 8 December, with entry free, and Alpbachtal Tourismus has confirmed the dates.
Photo Dr Bob Hall from Birmingham, England · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Rattenberg Advent runs November 20, 2026 to December 20, 2026 · confirmed by the organizer (source)
Advent SundaysGaudete, 13 DecemberChristmas Eve
Dates and hours
- November 20, 2026 to December 20, 2026Confirmedsourcechecked Oct 10, 2026
Access and crowds
- Getting around
- The organizer publishes no access details. The Advent fills the lanes of a medieval town lit mostly by candles and torches, so carry a small light of your own if uneven ground in the dark gives you trouble.
- Busiest
- Saturday evenings, when the procession of light-bearers and the main stage show start at 17:00 in a town of narrow lanes.
- Quieter
- Fridays, and Tuesday 8 December, which the organizer runs as a quiet Advent with music in the shops and no stage programme.
Rattenberg does Advent by firelight. On market weekends the town turns down its electric lights and lets candlelight and open fires play on the old facades. There are only a handful of classic market stalls, and the town's own shops and glass studios do most of the selling.
Saturday carries the full programme. From 14:30 children can follow a fairy-tale trail or blow glass baubles at Kisslinger, and at 16:30 the Herbergsuche walks out from the Nagelschmiedhäuser. The main show starts at 17:00 with the light-bearers' procession and ends with an Ave Maria sung on the main stage around 18:00.
Fridays are gentler. A free guided Advent walk leaves the Nagelschmiedhäuser at 16:00, though you need to register with Alpbachtal Tourismus first, and wind players move through the town from 17:00 to 19:00. On Sundays the Anklöpfler take over between 15:00 and 18:00.
Order the Rattenberger Adventwein, which is flavoured with elderberry, and something regional to eat from the town's restaurants and stands. Rattenberg sits in the shadow of its mountain for much of the winter, so daylight goes early here.
Worth knowing
- Register in advance by email with Alpbachtal Tourismus for the free Friday Advent walk at 16:00.
- Come by train to Rattenberg-Kramsach station, which sits at the edge of the old town.
- Choose 8 December if you want the candlelit lanes with music in the shops and no stage show.
Quick answers about Rattenberg Advent
When is the Rattenberg Advent market in 2026?
The Rattenberg Advent runs from 20 November to 20 December 2026 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, plus Tuesday 8 December. Entry is free, and Alpbachtal Tourismus publishes the programme.
Is the Rattenberg Advent market open every day?
No. The Rattenberg Advent opens only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 20 November and 20 December 2026, with one extra day on Tuesday 8 December.
Why is the Rattenberg Advent lit by candles?
Rattenberg largely does without electric light on its Advent weekends, and candlelight and open fires light the medieval town. Alpbachtal Tourismus describes it as a deliberate choice for a calm, contemplative Advent.
In the journal and guides
