On the evening of 5 December, a crowd stands shoulder to shoulder in a narrow Alpine street, waiting for something that sounds like a freight train made of cowbells. Then the first figures come round the corner: black fur, carved wooden faces with real horns, a birch switch in one hand. A big mask can weigh around ten kilos. They don't walk, they stomp and lunge, and the front row steps back as one. This is a Krampus run, and in parts of Austria and Bavaria it's as much a part of December as the Christmas market. Here's what it actually is, where it comes from, and where to see one in 2026.
What a Krampus Run Is
Krampus is a horned, hairy figure from the Alpine tradition who goes around with St. Nicholas. The saint rewards the good children; Krampus deals with the rest. The two are supposed to turn up on the evening of 5 December, called Krampusnacht or Krampustag, the eve of St. Nicholas Day on 6 December. In the old version of the story, the bad children got a birch rod, or a trip in his sack.
A Krampuslauf (Krampus run) is the public version. Instead of one Krampus visiting one living room, a whole group, called a Pass, marches through town in costume: sheepskin or goatskin, a carved mask called a Larve, a bundle of bells strapped to the back, and a switch or a cow tail. A costume can cost between 1,800 and 2,500 euros, according to the city of Munich, so these are serious hobby clubs. A run is loud, and in most towns it's over within an hour or two.
It's not one night, either. In Salzburg's Gnigl, the 2026 run is already on 28 November, and runs keep going through early December, with the peak around 5 December. That's why you can plan a trip around it even if your dates don't match Krampusnacht exactly.
Where the Custom Comes From
You'll often read that Krampus is a pagan god older than Christianity. Treat that as a theory, not a fact. Folklorists have proposed a pre-Christian origin, but historians generally find it unlikely, because the figure is not documented before the 16th century. The German article on Krampus says the same: no sources before the end of the 1500s. What is documented is a mix of ingredients. Devils with animal masks were a favorite of medieval church plays. Boys dressed as bishops on St. Nicholas Day. And by the mid-17th century, in Catholic regions, the saint had picked up a frightening helper, which solved an awkward problem: a saint can't very well be the one who punishes children.
The custom hasn't had an easy ride. It was banned at times, and in the 1950s the Austrian government handed out a pamphlet called "Krampus Is an Evil Man", worried about children's nerves. A revival in the late 20th century brought it back, bigger than before. You can also see the old tradition on Krampuskarten, the "Greetings from Krampus" postcards that people have sent since the 19th century. Over time the devil on the card got cuter, which says something about how the custom has changed.
Krampus, Perchten, Buttnmandl: Who Is Who
People mix up three kinds of wild characters, and the town websites don't always help. The short version:
- St. Nicholas is the bishop with the staff, on 5 and 6 December. He gives gifts and doesn't scare anyone.
- Krampus (Kramperl, Bartl in some regions) is the devil in fur who goes with him, mostly around 5 December, and usually in a group.
- Perchten belong to a different season. The Perchtenlauf is tied to the Twelve Days of Christmas, between the solstice and 6 January, and the figures are meant to drive out winter. The name comes from Perchta, a figure of Alpine folklore. In practice, many December runs mix Krampusse and Perchten, and the masks overlap.
- Buttnmandl are something else again: figures wrapped from head to toe in straw, from the Berchtesgaden area, who walk with Kramperl and St. Nicholas.
The Austrian UNESCO commission keeps a national inventory of intangible cultural heritage. It doesn't list Krampus runs as a whole, but it does list related customs: the Gasteiner Perchten (a run held once every four years around New Year), the Öblarner Krampusspiel in Styria, and the Windischgarstner Niglo-Umzug in Upper Austria, a St. Nicholas procession on 5 December.
Where to See a Krampus Run in Austria
Austria has far more runs than one trip can cover, so the question is really how big and how wild you want it. Dates below are for 2026 and come from tourist boards and Salzburg's regional news list, which was updated on 28 October. Times and routes get adjusted, so check the organizer's page before you go.
Salzburg and the Salzburg region
The city is the easiest base, and the whole region is dense with runs. On 5 December there are several runs in the old town: one at the Christkindlmarkt at 1 p.m., one in the Linzer Gasse at 5 p.m. and one in the Getreidegasse at 5:30 p.m. The Gnigler Krampuslauf in the suburb of Gnigl, its 51st edition, is on 28 November at 6:30 p.m. Out in the Pongau, Bischofshofen has its run on 4 December at 7 p.m., and St. Johann im Pongau holds one on 6 December at 7 p.m. For a quieter, older version, Bad Gastein has traditional house visits on 5 and 6 December from 4:30 p.m. The full list is on Salzburg24, and our 5 days in Salzburg guide covers the rest of the city.
Tyrol
Innsbruck holds its Krampus and St. Nicholas events on 3 and 4 December, with figures parading through the old town and the Christmas markets, according to the Tyrol tourist board. East Tyrol is where the custom gets rough. In Lienz, the Krampustage run from 3 to 6 December, with barriers and stewards keeping the crowd safe, and the region is known for its Krampuswurf, a voluntary wrestling bout between a brave spectator and a Krampus. Our 5 days in Innsbruck guide has the city side.
Styria and Carinthia have their own strong scenes (the Styrian village of Öblarn has its own Krampus play), but I haven't found an official 2026 date for a specific run there, so look at the local tourist office pages in late November.
Where to See It in Bavaria
Munich is the one run in Germany that works like a proper event. The Krampuslauf on the Christmas market happens on Sunday, 13 December 2026, from 3 to 5 p.m. It starts at Frauenplatz and ends at the Old Town Hall, with around 25 groups and more than 300 Krampusse, Perchten and Klausen, many from Austria and South Tyrol. Watching is free. The city says it began on 12 December 2004 with about 100 figures, and the groups now run three times that. The Christmas market is open until 8 p.m. on Sundays, so you can follow it with a mulled wine. More on the city in our 5 days in Munich guide.
The Berchtesgaden area is the real Bavarian heartland of the custom, and here the Buttnmandl come in. They're the straw-wrapped figures, with fur-clad Kramperl as company. Be warned that, according to the Berchtesgaden tourist office, most of this is not a show but private house visits: Loipl on the first Sunday of Advent, Winkl on the second, many villages after dark on St. Nicholas Day and Maria Gern on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. The public exception is the St. Nicholas procession of the mountain infantry, held since 1962 on 5 December: St. Nicholas sets out from the barracks in Strub/Bischofswiesen with his Buttnmandl and Kramperl and walks to Berchtesgaden. Exact 2026 times weren't on the tourist office page, so ask there. If you're after the Buttnmandl, go there, and stay respectful.
How to Watch Without Getting Hurt
A Krampus run is safe if you follow the rules, and the rules are simple. Krampus groups usually have a code too. The "Krampus-Knigge" published by Salzburg's Anifer Krampusse and reported by Salzburg24 says runners should wear a hand-carved wooden mask, stay sober before and during the run, and know that the people under the masks mean no harm. It also tells spectators to expect light swats from switches and cow tails, to stay back if they're afraid, and to talk to the person behind the mask if it gets too much.
Some of it is common sense. Stand behind the barrier if there is one. Don't grab horns, masks or fur. The Salzburg Knigge says never to grab a Krampus by the horns, because it can injure the neck, and it adds that the runner's view and movement are limited under the mask. Injuries do happen: after the 2013 East Tyrol runs, eight people, mostly with broken bones, were taken to the Lienz hospital, and spectators attacking Krampusse is part of the story too. That's one reason the Knigge insists runners stay sober.
Practical tips:
- Arrive 45 minutes early. In Munich, tens of thousands come, and the front row goes fast.
- Dress warm and wear gloves. You'll stand still on cold stone for an hour or more.
- Keep small children toward the back. The city of Munich calls the figures harmless but loud, and for very small children the noise can be too much.
- Leave anything breakable at the hotel, and keep your phone in a pocket you can zip when the Krampusse come close.
Pairing It With a Trip
The runs fit neatly into a December trip. Salzburg, Innsbruck and Munich all have Christmas markets running during the Krampus dates, so you can do a market by day and a run by night. Our best Christmas markets in Europe post helps you choose. If you want snow too, some Austrian resorts open around then, and the ski resorts in Austria guide shows where. For planning the rest of the trip, see our pages on Austria and Germany.
My honest verdict: go to one run in a real village if you can, not only to the big city show. The city events are well organized, but a village run, where the Pass is made up of neighbors, is closer to the custom itself. Just check the date on the town's own page a few days before, because small-town schedules change.
