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All Saints' Day
1 November 2026
Public holiday
Grave blessings and lights
Check All Souls' Day
All Saints' Day is 1 November and a statutory public holiday across Austria. In practice, closed shops, cemetery traffic, flowers and grave lights, the school calendar around All Souls' Day and possible autumn-break bridge days matter most. Here you can find the most important information on holiday rest, All Souls' Day, customs and vacation planning.
All Saints' Day falls on Sunday, 1 November 2026 this year. Holiday rest, All Souls' Day, opening hours, school and cemetery visits come first.
Date
1 November
In 2026, All Saints' Day falls on Sunday, 1 November 2026.
Status
Nationwide public holiday
1 November is listed in section 7 of the Austrian Working Rest Act and applies across Austria.
All Souls' Day
2 November is not a work holiday
All Souls' Day is not a statutory work holiday, but it often matters for school calendars.
Vacation
No additional workday off
All Saints' Day falls on Sunday in 2026. For standard Monday-to-Friday jobs, this does not create an extra weekday off; All Souls' Day on 2 November can still matter for schools and childcare.
All Saints' Day is one of Austria's quietest but most logistically important public holidays. Families plan cemetery visits, grave blessings, flowers, candles, shared travel and often a gathering after the cemetery. At the same time, shopping, work, school and transport need a realistic check.
The most common mistake is mixing it up with All Souls' Day. 1 November is the statutory public holiday. 2 November is not a general work holiday, but it can be very relevant for school, childcare and family logistics.
Planning
02
Check vacation
How to use the holiday for a long weekend or the autumn break.
Falls on Sunday
No additional workday off
All Saints' Day falls on Sunday in 2026. For standard Monday-to-Friday jobs, this does not create an extra weekday off; All Souls' Day on 2 November can still matter for schools and childcare.
Recommendation
Check childcare
Block
no additional bridge day
All Saints' Day is fixed on 1 November every year, shortly after Austrian National Day. In some years it creates a useful autumn block with only a few vacation days. In other years, especially when it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the practical value is more about school, family visits and organising All Souls' Day.
People arriving here are often planning travel, a cemetery visit, family accommodation, a spa break after autumn holidays, rail connections, flowers or Striezel.
What to consider regarding shopping, traffic and schools.
In everyday life, All Saints' Day should be treated like a Sunday. Work, school, public administration and retail do not run normally. At the same time, cemeteries, flower sales, funeral services, public transport and family visits are much busier than on an ordinary Sunday.
Work
Holiday rest
For most employees, holiday rest applies on 1 November. Work is only possible in permitted sectors such as healthcare, care services, transport, hospitality, tourism, funeral services, security or essential supply.
Shopping
Mostly closed
Regular supermarkets, shopping centres, banks, public offices and many service providers stay closed. Exceptions mainly involve travel supplies, petrol stations, restaurants, emergency services and often flower sales near cemeteries.
Cemetery and transport
Busy
Around large cemeteries, access roads, parking, public transport and footpaths are often busier than usual. Anyone planning a grave blessing or family visit should leave earlier and check local notices.
School
Autumn break and All Souls' Day
Schools are closed on All Saints' Day. In the 2026/27 school year, the Education Ministry lists autumn break from 27 October to 31 October 2026; All Souls' Day on 2 November should be checked in the relevant school calendar.
Legal situation
04
Work law and school
Why 1 November is free and what applies to All Souls' Day.
Legally, 1 November is clear: All Saints' Day is listed in the Working Rest Act holiday list and is a nationwide statutory public holiday. For most employees, that means holiday rest.
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The grey area begins on 2 November. All Souls' Day is important in church and family life, but it is not a nationwide work holiday. For parents, that following day can be more difficult to organise than All Saints' Day itself because school and work do not necessarily align.
Statutory public holiday
Section 7 of the Austrian Working Rest Act explicitly lists 1 November as All Saints' Day. That gives the day nationwide legal weight beyond a purely church observance.
All Souls' Day is not an ARG holiday
2 November is not a nationwide statutory work holiday in Austria. For offices, retail and many businesses, All Souls' Day is generally a normal working day.
Check the school calendar separately
School and work do not line up perfectly here. All Souls' Day may be school-free without parents automatically having the day off. For families, the school-holiday calendar matters more than a general holiday assumption.
Weekend
When All Saints' Day falls on Sunday, as in 2026, standard Monday-to-Friday employees do not automatically receive a substitute holiday. In shift-based sectors, the roster is decisive.
FAQ
05
Häufig gestellte Fragen
Is All Saints' Day a public holiday in Austria?
Yes. All Saints' Day on 1 November is a nationwide statutory public holiday in Austria under section 7 of the Working Rest Act.
When is All Saints' Day 2026?
All Saints' Day falls on Sunday, 1 November 2026 in 2026. The holiday is fixed on 1 November every year.
Is All Souls' Day on 2 November also work-free?
No. All Souls' Day is not a nationwide statutory work holiday in Austria. For many businesses, 2 November is a normal working day, even though it can matter for schools.
Are shops and supermarkets open on All Saints' Day?
Regular shops and supermarkets are usually closed. Exceptions mainly include travel-supply locations, petrol stations, emergency services, restaurants and often flower sales near cemeteries.
Are schools closed on All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day?
Schools are closed on All Saints' Day. For All Souls' Day on 2 November, check the school-holiday calendar because school rules and labour law are not identical here.
What is the difference between All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day?
All Saints' Day on 1 November commemorates all saints. All Souls' Day on 2 November commemorates the dead. In Austrian practice, cemetery visits and grave blessings often take place on the work-free All Saints' Day.
What is an Allerheiligenstriezel?
An Allerheiligenstriezel is a braided sweet yeast loaf eaten in Austria around 1 November and, in some regions, given by godparents to godchildren.
Is All Saints' Day useful for vacation or bridge days?
All Saints' Day falls on Sunday in 2026. For standard Monday-to-Friday jobs, this does not create an extra weekday off; All Souls' Day on 2 November can still matter for schools and childcare.
Background and customs
The background explains All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, cemetery visits, grave lights and Striezel. Flowers, bakeries, cemetery traffic, autumn travel and the period up to Immaculate Conception also matter.
Solemnity
06
Meaning and All Souls' Day
Why 1 November is All Saints' Day in the church calendar and why many Austrian customs also sound like All Souls' Day.
All Saints' Day is the feast of all saints. It includes not only well-known saints with their own commemoration day, but also those who do not appear individually in the calendar. The day is therefore a collective feast of hope, not originally a memorial day for the dead in the narrower sense.
Liturgically, remembrance of the dead belongs more closely to All Souls' Day on 2 November. In Austria, cemetery visits, grave blessings and candles often happen already on 1 November because All Saints' Day is work-free and families can use the day together.
Linguistically, Halloween on 31 October is the eve of All Saints' Day. The contrast matters, but it is not the focus here: people searching for All Saints' Day need calm, reliable information about the public holiday, cemeteries, family and everyday logistics.
All saints
All Saints' Day is the feast of all saints, including those who do not have their own commemoration day. 1 November is firmly established in the Western Church.
All Souls' Day
All Souls' Day on 2 November focuses on the dead. In Austria, cemetery visits often move in practice to the work-free 1 November.
Separate 1 and 2 November
Many people confuse All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. The distinction matters: 1 November is a statutory public holiday; 2 November is not a work holiday.
Halloween is the eve
Halloween falls on 31 October, the eve of All Saints' Day. The contrast is worth explaining without turning the actual holiday into a spooky theme.
Tradition
07
Cemetery, lights and Striezel
Grave blessings, Allerheiligenstriezel and family visits.
The most visible Austrian custom on All Saints' Day is the cemetery visit. Graves are decorated, candles are lit, families meet, and many parishes hold grave blessings or devotions.
Preparation is mainly local: florists, garden centres, candles, grave arrangements, cemetery services, bakeries and regional restaurants. A calm, respectful tone is essential.
The Allerheiligenstriezel is the warm, domestic side of the holiday. The braided yeast loaf is eaten around 1 November and given as a gift in some regions. Anyone planning a family visit should check pre-orders, local bakeries and regional variants in good time.
Decorating graves
Preparation
Many families clean and decorate graves before All Saints' Day with arrangements, chrysanthemums, wreaths, brushwood or winter-hardy plants.
Lights and grave blessings
Cemetery
Grave lights, cemetery visits and grave blessings shape the day. The imagery should stay calm and respectful, not dramatic or Halloween-like.
Allerheiligenstriezel
Bakery
The braided sweet Striezel is a well-known Austrian custom. In some regions, godchildren receive it from their godmother or godfather.
Family visit
After the cemetery
After the cemetery and Mass, many families meet quietly for coffee, Striezel or a shared meal. This is where regional restaurants, coffee houses and bakeries fit naturally.
Season
08
Autumn and offers
Tips for thermal spas, family visits and short autumn breaks.
All Saints' Day sits at the transition from autumn break into November. For some, it is a quiet family holiday at the cemetery; for others, it is the final piece of an autumn trip. Both situations belong here without losing the commemorative character.
Anyone preparing the day should think practically: travel to the cemetery by train, pre-order flowers and candles, collect Striezel from a regional bakery or reserve a restaurant near the meeting point.
For family visits and autumn break, hotels, thermal spas, accessible routes, additional public-transport connections and bad-weather alternatives are also useful. The more local the guidance, the easier it is to plan 1 November calmly.
Next steps
09
Plan next
Useful tools for further holiday and leisure planning.
All Saints' Day mainly needs clear, calm answers: Is 1 November work-free? Is 2 November work-free? Are shops open? Is there school? What applies at the cemetery? Where can flowers, candles or Striezel be arranged in time?
Local information matters for preparation: cemetery opening hours, grave blessings by parish, additional public-transport connections, accessible routes, bakery pre-orders, florists, Striezel recipes and the school calendar for each federal state.
