Harvest Festival
Customs – Cuisine – Craftsmanship
Harvest Festival, celebrated throughout Salzburger Land during harvest time, rests on three pillars: delicacies from Salzburg's natural cuisine, specialties from local agriculture, and regional customs and living folk culture. This celebration revives tradition, heritage, and ancient craftsmanship.
Join us for numerous autumn festivals and indulge in Harvest Festival delicacies prepared by our hosts. Highlights include Harvest Festival fairs, hut festivals, heritage evenings, and even cattle drives. Notably, autumn in Grossarltal, the Valley of Mountain Huts, offers the best hiking of the year with seemingly endless views.
For the 30th anniversary of the Salzburg Harvest Festival, everything revolves around the theme of music. Traditional and diverse music takes centre stage under the motto ‘G'sungen und G'spielt’. Music has always played an important role in festivities in SalzburgerLand, including the Harvest Festival. Music, song and dance frame every festival, every fair, every cattle drive and every mountain mass, because they are not only atmospheric, but also convey a feeling of solidarity and belonging. Look forward to a special sound experience in Grossarltal with numerous events that celebrate the deeply rooted musical tradition.
Tip: The official, nationwide opening of the Harvest Festival will take place on 23rd August 2025 in Dorfgastein. A parade, musical highlights, traditional crafts and regional delicacies await visitors. Find out more about the anniversary event here.
Almabtrieb
In Grossarltal, a cattle drive (“Almabtrieb”) is celebrated only if there's been no misfortune over the summer. This means no harm to animals or farmers' families. When this happens, flower wreaths, "Schnuraus" (a special shortbread pastry made only for this occasion), and schnapps are prepared.
On the big day, cows are adorned with the wreaths and special bells. Each farmer has their own unique, handmade headgear for the cows. The herdsmen then drive the cattle from the alpine pastures down to the farm, distributing "Schnuraus" and schnapps to passersby, symbolizing a bountiful Alpine Summer.
In Grossarltal, there's no single large cattle drive. Each farmer drives their cattle separately based upon the weather and their personal fortunes. If you're fortunate, you might get to witness a cattle drive in person.
Our events calendar lists all Harvest Festival highlights.
Harvest Festival Fairs
Annually, the Harvest Festival fairs in Grossarl (late September) and Hüttschlag (early October) are a grand celebration. A harvest crown made from various grains is lovingly crafted. Local harvest produce adorns the carts, pulled by Noriker horses and accompanied by local folk-heritage groups, processing to the Festival worship service. Weather permitting, there is then an outdoor mass, otherwise, it's held at the local parish church, followed by a ceremonial parade through the village.
