Why more and more Christmas markets are closing

The Editors, 05.11.2025

Rising safety requirements, higher electricity costs, and ongoing staff shortages — all while budgets grow tighter and tighter. Across Austria, several smaller Christmas markets are obliged to skip this year or shut down entirely. Advent, it seems, is about to become a quieter season than normally.

In Styria, Austria, the main square in Thal, Arnold Schwarzenegger's home town, will remain quiet this year. The small Christmas market there has been canceled for cost reasons, reports the Kleine Zeitung, the second-largest daily newspaper in Austria. The municipality could no longer keep up with soaring costs.

Falstaff.com asks for your consent to use your personal data:

Personalised advertising and content

Storing and accessing information

Why more and more Christmas markets are closing