Krampus runs & St Nicholas 2026
Public Krampus runs and St Nicholas events from 28 Nov to 8 Dec 2026, each checked on the town, tourism-board or organiser page. How to watch alone and which ones suit children.
Watching a run, alone
- Stand behind the barrier or at the edge of the crowd, near an exit. Runners swing sticks and bells, and masks come close.
- Never touch the masks or costumes, and ask before you photograph someone up close. Keep small children away from the front line.
- Dress warm, arrive 30 minutes early for a spot, tell someone where you are, and plan the way back before the crowd leaves.
Krampus runs
Dates are copied from the source linked under each event. Event details stay in English. Past events drop off the list. Check the source again before you travel: runs can be cancelled in bad weather.
Austria
- Sat 28 Nov · Time 17:00
Breitenfurt bei Wien – Breitenfurter Krampuslauf
Family-friendly: Yes. every child gets a bag from the Nikolaus; runs in any weather.
Going alone: Cash for mulled wine, and arrive by 16:30 - Kardinal Piffl-Platz is small and the barrier line fills up early.
Official source: www.krampuslauf.at
- Sat 28 Nov · Time 18:30
Rif / Hallein – Krampuslauf der Rifer Acheteifen
Family-friendly: Partly. a full traditional run, not a children's event; the organiser's own December programme is house visits by appointment.
Going alone: Easy solo: it is a village-square run, you can stand at the back and leave whenever you want. Cash only for drinks.
Official source: www.rifer-acheteifen.at
- Sat 28 Nov · Time 16:00
Mieders / Stubaital – Kindertuifllauf Medraz
Family-friendly: Yes. explicitly a children's and young-people's run; St Nicholas walks with his angels, so it is the gentlest option in this list.
Going alone: Starts 16:00 while it is still light - good for a solo first Krampuslauf. Small village setting, easy to watch from the side and leave at will.
Official source: www.stubaital.at
- Thu 3 Dec · Time 19:00
St. Leonhard – St. Leonharder Krampuslauf
Family-friendly: Partly. evening run starting 19:00, late for small children.
Going alone: Evening start means a long wait in the cold - thermos, and park near the run's end so you are not stuck in the crowd afterwards.
Official source: www.rifer-acheteifen.at
- Thu 3 Dec · Time 19:00
Flachau – Krampuslauf Flachau
Family-friendly: Yes. the organiser promotes Pongauer Krampusbrauchtum as a family tradition; it is an evening run in the Ortsmitte, so smaller children need an early spot at the barrier.
Going alone: Ortsmitte is compact - arrive by 18:30, stand at the barrier rather than following the run, and keep cash: registration and drinks are handled locally.
Official source: www.scenarios-pass.com
- Sun 6 Dec · Time 18:30
Grödig – Grödiger Krampuslauf
Family-friendly: Partly. St Nicholas evening run at 18:30, fine for older children.
Going alone: Fits as a second stop on 6 Dec if you are already in the Salzburg area - 20 min by car from the city.
Official source: www.rifer-acheteifen.at
Germany (Bavaria)
- Sat 28 Nov · Time 17:00
Sonthofen, Allgäu – Klausen und Krampussumzug zum 50-jährigen Bestehen
Family-friendly: Yes. Yes for the parade; the Klausenparty afterwards is an adult evening.
Going alone: Jubilee run - expect a bigger crowd than usual. Watch the parade, skip the party if you are alone, and keep cash for the market stalls.
Official source: www.alpsee-gruenten.de
Italy (South Tyrol)
- Sat 5 Dec · Time 18:00-20:00
Sterzing / Vipiteno – Tuifltog Sterzing
Family-friendly: Yes. town-centre parade with the Nikolaus; keep small children at the barrier line, the masks come close.
Going alone: Stand on the Stadtplatz side rather than in the Zwölferturm bottleneck - you can move at your own pace and still see the whole run.
Official source: www.sterzing.com
- Sat 5 Dec – Sun 6 Dec
Kronplatz / Bruneck area – Nikolaus & Krampusse am Kronplatz
Family-friendly: Yes. Nikolaus hands out gifts to children; it happens on the summit and pistes, so dress for altitude.
Going alone: Go up early and come down on the last lift - the summit gets cold fast and there is no crowd buffer up there.
Official source: www.kronplatzevents.com
Czechia
- Sat 5 Dec
Prague - Čertovka – Čerti na Čertovce
Family-friendly: Yes. St Nicholas, angels and devils by the water; the classic Czech Mikuláš experience.
Going alone: Čertovka is narrow and gets packed - stand on the Charles Bridge side for the view instead of pushing into the lane. Cash for the boats.
Official source: www.prazskebenatky.cz
Dates not published yet
We list these towns without dates until the organiser publishes 2026 dates. Check the town's own page.
- Bad Ischl – Austria
- Innsbruck – Austria
- Neustift im Stubaital – Austria
- Fulpmes / Stubaital – Austria
How it works
- Find a run on your travel dates in the list below.
- Open the official source and check the start time and any weather notice.
- Follow the safety habits above and pick a spot at the edge of the crowd.
- Afterwards, find an event in your own city to share the evening with others.
Questions
Where do the dates come from?
Every listed run has its own 2026 date quoted on the town, tourism-board or organiser page linked under it. Aggregator sites were used only to find towns. Where a source gave two different dates, or none, the town is left out of the dated list.
Get the Meet & Mint app
Events and people near you on one map. Every event has its own chat, so you can agree where to meet before you arrive, handy for a run you do not want to watch alone. Many of the events on our sites are also in the app.
meetmint.app →Questions
Where do the dates come from?
Moon phases from the US Naval Observatory, supermoons from NASA, meteor showers from the American Meteor Society calendar, and planets, Mercury and the solstice from the Royal Observatory Greenwich. The source is linked under every event. We left out anything we could not confirm.
Do I need a telescope?
No. Everything on this page is visible with the naked eye. Binoculars add detail but are optional.
Are the times in my time zone?
Event times are in UT (same as GMT). Sunset and dusk are shown in your chosen city's local time. Europe's clocks go back on 25 Oct and the US and Canada on 1 Nov.