Flag days in Austria 2026 and 2027
Published Written by Flagpole Guides
This page is an English translation of the German original. Where the two versions differ, the German text is the original.
Austria has no statutory calendar of flag days. Neither the Federal Constitution nor the Coat of Arms Act states on which days flags are flown. In 2006 the Ministry of the Interior noted in its magazine Öffentliche Sicherheit that there are no rules or recommendations on when and on which occasions citizens may fly flags. For official buildings, however, there is an established practice, and the most detailed published version is in the flag order of the Austrian Armed Forces of 2018.
Flag days under the Armed Forces’ flag order
Annex 2 of the decree sets out when military sites and official buildings that are not permanently occupied fly flags. It lists:
| Occasion | Date | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Day | 1 May | all of Austria |
| Europe Day, with the European flag | 5 May | all of Austria |
| National Day | 26 October | all of Austria |
| State mourning | for the period ordered by the Federal Government | all of Austria |
| Restoration of Austria’s independence (27 April 1945) | 27 April, every five years | all of Austria |
| Signing of the State Treaty (15 May 1955) | 15 May, every five years | all of Austria |
| State holiday | depending on the federal state | in that state |
| Civil bereavement | on order, in agreement with the state government | in that state |
Local occasions such as swearing-in ceremonies and state visits come on top. According to the Ministry of the Interior, it is above all on 1 May and 26 October that public institutions of the federation and the states, but also private houses, fly flags. Federal offices generally fly the service flag, state institutions the national flag alone or together with the state flag.
All dates in 2026 and 2027
The table lists the yearly occasions of the flag order and the state holidays of the nine federal states. 27 April and 15 May only appear in anniversary years, most recently 2025 and next in 2030. Days of state mourning are ordered case by case and cannot be listed in advance.
National Day and 1 May
Under the Federal Act on the Austrian National Day, 26 October is National Day. On this day in 1955 the National Council passed the Neutrality Act. Afterwards the day was marked as the “Day of the Austrian Flag” (Tag der Fahne), on which the flag was to be hoisted every year and schools were to hold a ceremony. In 1965 it was renamed National Day, and two years later it became a day off work and school. 1 May is called the “State Holiday” (Staatsfeiertag) in the Rest Periods Act and, like 26 October, is a public holiday under section 7(2) of that act.
Europe Day: 5 or 9 May?
The Armed Forces’ flag order lists Europe Day on 5 May, the day the Council of Europe was founded in 1949. The European Union marks its Europe Day on 9 May, the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration of 1950, which the Federal Chancellery also refers to. On which of the two days a building shows the European flag depends on the body concerned.
State holidays
The state holidays are the feast days of the state patrons. They are not public holidays under the Rest Periods Act, but schools are closed, and state offices fly the state flag on these days. Lower Austria has written its state holiday into its constitution: under Article 7(6), St Leopold is the state patron and 15 November the state holiday.
| Federal state | State holiday |
|---|---|
| Burgenland | 11 November (St Martin) |
| Carinthia | 19 March (St Joseph) |
| Lower Austria | 15 November (St Leopold) |
| Upper Austria | 4 May (St Florian) |
| Salzburg | 24 September (St Rupert) |
| Styria | 19 March (St Joseph) |
| Tyrol | 19 March (St Joseph) |
| Vorarlberg | 19 March (St Joseph) |
| Vienna | 15 November (St Leopold) |
In Carinthia, 10 October, the anniversary of the 1920 plebiscite, is also a school holiday under the Carinthian School Act. The colours of the states are described in the guide to the flags of the federal states.
Church festivals
According to the Ministry of the Interior, church flags take the place of honour at religious processions and events. At Corpus Christi and processions, church flags are therefore seen in many places, often next to the state colours. These customs do not stem from state rules. More in the guide to flags on holidays.
Frequently asked questions
On which days are flags flown in Austria?
There is no statutory list. For official buildings, the Austrian Armed Forces’ flag order lists Labour Day on 1 May, Europe Day on 5 May with the European flag and National Day on 26 October every year, plus the state holiday in the respective federal state and the duration of any state mourning ordered by the Federal Government.
Is it compulsory to fly the flag on Austria’s National Day?
No. There is no duty to fly a flag in Austria. According to an article by the Ministry of the Interior, many private houses as well as public institutions fly flags on 1 May and 26 October, with the national flag alone or together with the flag of the federal state.
Which state holidays are there in Austria?
According to the Ministry of Education, the feast days of the state patrons are 19 March (St Joseph) in Carinthia, Styria, Tyrol and Vorarlberg, 4 May (St Florian) in Upper Austria, 24 September (St Rupert) in Salzburg, 11 November (St Martin) in Burgenland and 15 November (St Leopold) in Lower Austria and Vienna. They are school holidays, but not public holidays.
Why are 27 April and 15 May only flagged in some years?
The Austrian Armed Forces’ flag order provides for flags on the anniversary of the restoration of independence on 27 April 1945 and of the signing of the State Treaty on 15 May 1955 only every five years. The last time was 2025, the next is 2030.
Are flags flown on election days in Austria?
Election days are not among the occasions listed in the Austrian Armed Forces’ flag order. In this Austria differs from Germany, for example, where the election days for the Bundestag and the European Parliament are flag days.
Sources
This guide is based on the following sources, most of them in German:
- Fahnenordnung des Österreichischen Bundesheeres, VBl. I Nr. 63/2018, Beilage 2 – Bundesministerium für Landesverteidigung
- Die Symbole der Republik, Öffentliche Sicherheit 11-12/2006 – Bundesministerium für Inneres
- Arbeitsruhegesetz, § 7 Feiertagsruhe – Bundeskanzleramt, Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS)
- Bundesgesetz über den österreichischen Nationalfeiertag – Bundeskanzleramt, Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS)
- Gesetzliche Feiertage, Allerseelentag, Festtage der Landespatrone – Bundesministerium für Bildung
- NÖ Landesverfassung 1979, Art. 7 – Bundeskanzleramt, Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS)
- Europatag am 9. Mai 2026: Übersicht der Aktivitäten in Österreich – Bundeskanzleramt
- Tag der Fahne – Universität Wien, Themendossiers zur historisch-politischen Bildung
- Kärntner Schulgesetz, § 74 – Bundeskanzleramt, Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS)
Related guides
- Flag rulesWho may fly which flag in Austria, what the Coat of Arms Act prohibits, when the flag is taken down and which customs are usual when hoisting it.
- Flags on holidaysWhich of Austria’s 13 public holidays are flag days, why Christmas is not one of them and what applies on the state holidays of the federal states.
- Flags in mourningState mourning and mourning flags in Austria: half-mast, mourning ribbon and black flag, who orders them, how long they fly and the mourning flag on a coffin.
- Flags of the federal statesThe colours of Austria’s nine federal states under state law, who may use the state flag and coat of arms, and how the state flag hangs next to red-white-red.