Nationwide public holiday. Falls on Friday this year. 1 May is listed as the State Holiday in section 7 of the Austrian Rest Period Act. [1]
- Author
- Urlaubskalender.at editorial team
- Last checked
- Source basis
- official sources and editorial review
2026
Labour Day: Austria's 1 May public holiday
1 May is a statutory public holiday across Austria, combining public-holiday rest with labour history and regional customs.
- Date
- Falls on Friday this year.
- Status
- Nationwide public holiday
- 1 May is listed as the State Holiday in section 7 of the Austrian Rest Period Act.
- Meaning
- International Workers' Day
- The international day of the labour movement has been visible in Austria since 1890.
- Bridge days
- 3 free days
- The planner shows the best free blocks later in the year.
Practical
1 May in practice
Organisation depends on holiday status, location and published opening hours.
Work
Holiday restOn Labour Day, public-holiday rest generally applies. Work on 1 May is only possible in legally permitted sectors or under the relevant employment-law consequences.
Shopping
Mostly closedRegular supermarkets, shopping centres, banks and many public-office tasks pause. Typical exceptions are travel-supply locations, petrol stations, emergency services, restaurants and tourism businesses.
Events
Political & regionalIn cities, rallies and May Day celebrations often shape the morning. In many municipalities, maypoles, music, fire brigades, associations and village festivals are the focus.
Outings
Spring day1 May is a classic excursion day. Inns, spas, museums, mountain lifts and leisure destinations may be open, but often with public-holiday hours.
Legal position
Public-holiday rest and employment law
Read legal status, school rules and workplace arrangements separately.
Section 7 ARG
The Austrian Rest Period Act explicitly names 1 May as the State Holiday. That makes it a nationwide statutory public holiday.
National Day is different
Austria's National Day is 26 October. Legally, 1 May is called the State Holiday and historically is mainly connected with International Workers' Day.
Public-holiday work
Anyone working in permitted sectors on the public holiday should check working time, pay, compensatory rest and supplements in the collective agreement or duty roster.
Austria locally
Labour Day and maypoles
Local organisers publish the relevant dates, religious forms and regional customs.
1890
1 May was first marked in Austria as a day of action for the labour movement. Working hours, rights and social security were central themes.
1919
In the young republic, 1 May became a statutory day of rest and celebration. A political day of action was thus also anchored in law.
May customs
Alongside its political meaning, 1 May lives on as a spring and village festival: maypoles, music, associations and regional food shape many places.
Quellen & Weiterführendes
- RIS - Austrian Rest Period Act § 7 : nationwide public-holiday list; 1 May is listed as the State Holiday.
- oesterreich.gv.at - Sunday and public-holiday work : general guidance on work on Sundays and public holidays and possible exceptions.
- Austrian Trade Union Federation - 1 May, International Workers' Day : historical context for 1890, 1919 and today's meaning for workers' rights.
- Lower Austrian folk culture - May customs : maypoles, Walpurgis Night and regional customs around 1 May.
- Lower Austrian folk culture - maypoles : design, erection and current maypole practice.
- Austrian National Day : 26 October and the distinction from the State Holiday.
- Annual leave planner Austria : compare bridge days and long weekends in May.