Austria National Day 2026: what's open on 26 October
Austria's National Day (Nationalfeiertag) is on Monday 26 October 2026, a public holiday that makes a long weekend. Most shops are closed. In Vienna, though, it is one of the busiest days of the year: Parliament, the National Library's state hall and the MAK open for free, and the armed forces put on a show on Heldenplatz from Saturday to Monday.
Quick answers
| Shops and supermarkets | Closed |
|---|---|
| Open anyway | Shops at airports and railway stations, theatre and museum shops, petrol stations (limited goods), markets; restaurants and cafés are not covered by the shop rules |
| Free in Vienna | Parliament (10:00–16:00), the State Hall of the National Library, the Papyrus Museum and the House of Austrian History (10:00–18:00), the MAK (10:00–18:00) |
| Armed forces show | Heldenplatz and Burgtheater, Saturday 24 to Monday 26 October |
Are shops open?
No. Under the Opening Hours Act 2003, shops must stay closed on Sundays and public holidays, says Austria's economy ministry (BMWET). The exceptions it lists are certain kinds of shop, such as those at airports and railway stations, theatre and museum shops and airport duty-free shops. The law also does not cover vending machines, the limited sales allowed in restaurants, cafés and pastry shops, limited sales at petrol stations, or markets. Do your weekend shopping by Saturday 24 October: shops can open until 18:00 on Saturdays.
Free entry in Vienna on 26 October
- Parliament holds an open day from 10:00 to 16:00, last entry about 14:00. You can book a time slot for faster entry. Everyone aged 14 and over needs official photo ID, and there is a security check (Parliament).
- Austrian National Library: the State Hall (Prunksaal), the Papyrus Museum and the House of Austrian History are free from 10:00 to 18:00, with short tours and a children's programme (ÖNB).
- MAK (Museum of Applied Arts) on Stubenring is free from 10:00 to 18:00 for MAK Day 2026. Guided tours need a free ticket booked in advance (MAK).
The armed forces show on Heldenplatz
The Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer) show their equipment on Heldenplatz and by the Burgtheater for three days (Bundesheer):
| Time | What |
|---|---|
| Sat 24 and Sun 25 Oct, 11:00–16:00 | Smaller show ("Leistungsschau kompakt"); Guards Band concert on Sunday at 13:00 |
| Mon 26 Oct, 9:00–17:00 | Full show on National Day |
| 9:30 | Wreath-laying |
| 10:56 | Fly-past by military aircraft |
| 11:00–12:30 | Swearing-in of about 1,000 soldiers, followed by displays: tank "ballet", military dogs, music, a parachute jump and a combat demonstration |
| 16:00 | AW169 "Lion" helicopter takes off, then the tank column drives out |
| 17:00 | Military tattoo (Zapfenstreich) |
What the day marks
On 26 October 1955 Austria's Parliament declared the country permanently neutral, in a law that became part of the constitution. It came at the end of ten years of Allied occupation after the Second World War (Wikipedia). National Day marks that declaration.
