Labour Day in Austria is a public holiday also known as Staatsfeiertag. It combines International Workers' Day, celebrating labour rights and social achievements, with Austria's State Holiday, marking national independence. The day features parades, political rallies, maypole festivities and family activities, with most workplaces and schools closed.

When is Labour Day?

Labour Day in Austria is celebrated every year on May 1.

The following is the list of Labour Day from 2020 to 2049.

The History of Labour Day?

Labour Day in Austria has its roots in the international workers' movement of the 1880s. Inspired by events in the United States, particularly the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago, European labour organizations adopted May 1st as a day of protest and demonstration for workers' rights, especially the demand for an eight-hour workday.

The first official Labour Day demonstrations in Austria took place on May 1, 1890. Organized mainly by the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria, workers across Vienna and other cities marched to demand better working conditions, social justice and suffrage rights. These demonstrations became an annual tradition.

During the First Austrian Republic (1918–1934), Labour Day was recognized as a key event for the workers' movement. However, in the 1930s under the authoritarian Austrofascist regime, the holiday was suppressed and rebranded as a national holiday with different political meaning.

After Austria's annexation by Nazi Germany, May 1st was declared a "Day of National Labour" by the regime, stripped of its socialist and workers' rights origins and used for propaganda purposes.

After World War II, May 1st was restored as Labour Day. In 1949, it was officially declared a public holiday in Austria. Since 1955, it has also been celebrated as Staatsfeiertag (State Holiday), marking Austria's regained independence and sovereignty after the State Treaty ended Allied occupation.