When is Krampusnacht?

Why December 5

Krampus belongs to St. Nicholas. On the evening before the saint's feast day, St. Nicholas visits the children with his Krampuses: the good get nuts, fruit and sweets, the naughty get a look at the birch switch. That evening is Krampusnacht. In the Gastein valley, groups of St. Nicholas and his Krampuses still go from door to door on December 5 and 6, the town centres on the 5th and the countryside on the 6th.

Krampus runs happen on other nights too

Public Krampus runs, Krampusläufe, are spread from late November to mid-December so that the groups can visit several towns: Salzburg's season runs “from the end of November until the beginning of December”. That is why you will find a Krampus run on almost any weekend in the Alps in early December. Our Krampus events guide lists the 2026 dates, country by country.

Krampusnacht or a Perchten run?

The masked Perchten look a lot like Krampuses, but they belong to the dark “rough nights” between Christmas and Epiphany, January 6, and take their name from Frau Perchta. Krampus is early December; the Perchten are late December and early January (though many towns now hold Perchten runs all month).