Open on 8 December 2026? How to promote the shopping holiday in Vienna

In short: 8 December 2026 is a Tuesday. Because the Feast of the Immaculate Conception falls on a working day, shops in Austria may open. Your staff, however, may refuse to work that day without giving a reason, as set out in § 13a of the Austrian Rest Periods Act (Arbeitsruhegesetz). If you open, say so loudly: one day on the screen at Mariahilfer Straße 125 costs €12.57 including advertising tax, plus VAT.

It happens every year: shortly before the holiday, half of Vienna searches for "open on 8 December". The lists in the media name supermarket chains, furniture stores and shopping malls. Your shop is not on them. This article is for the other side: for you, if you open and want people to notice.

Can my shop open on 8 December 2026?

Yes, if you run a retail shop and 8 December falls on a working day. In 2026 it does, because the holiday is a Tuesday.

The rule is in § 13a Arbeitsruhegesetz. It allows shops to employ staff on 8 December if the day is a working day and the shop may open under the Austrian Opening Hours Act. Three points you need to know:

• Voluntary for your team. Employees may refuse to work on 8 December without giving a reason. Nobody may be disadvantaged for refusing.
• Hours and pay supplements. Which hours you may open and what you pay for holiday work are set by opening-hours law and the collective agreement. Ask your trade group at the Austrian Economic Chamber before you put a time on an ad.
• Retail only. Restaurants, hotels and other sectors have their own rules. This article is about shops.

In short: opening is allowed. Whether you can open depends on your team.

What do you need to sort out before booking ads?

Team first, then hours, then advertising. An ad saying "Tue 8 Dec open" is a promise. If nobody unlocks the door that day, someone stands outside for nothing.

Work through it in this order:

1. Ask your team. Ask early and in writing who wants to work on 8 December. Saying no is allowed, so plan with the commitments, not the rota.
2. Set the hours. Four reliable hours beat eight that you have to cut the day before.
3. Give a reason. Why should someone come to you on the holiday instead of the mall? Advice, a gift service, a product only you have.
4. Then book. Only once steps 1 to 3 are settled do you pick screens and days.

When should you advertise for 8 December?

On the holiday itself and on the three days before. Advertising after 8 December is useless for this occasion, and advertising four weeks earlier is forgotten by then.

The Saturday before is the most important lead-in day. Anyone who walks past your screen then can come back on Tuesday. On 8 December itself you reach the people who are already out.

adyoutiser has no minimum run. You can book exactly these four days, or just one of them.

Which Vienna locations fit the shopping holiday?

The ones where people shop that day and that are close to your shop. In our network, that means three shopping streets above all: Mariahilfer Straße in the 6th district, the area between Graben and Neuer Markt in the 1st, and Josefstädter Straße in the 8th.

Prices from our booking system as of 28 September 2026. You see the current price in the booking step before you pay.

Two honest differences:

• Operator screens are run by the site operator through their own system. You get one of 12 slots in their loop and the date on which they confirm the upload. Contacts there are estimated, not counted.
• Player screens run on our player. You buy a share of airtime, for example 10 %, which is 6 seconds per minute. Every play is counted and shown in the dashboard. The Danube pier is quieter in December than between April and October, so factor that in.

All screens with photo and address are on the map. For an overview of Vienna, see DOOH in Vienna.

What does one day of advertising on 8 December cost?

One slot on the Mariahilfer Straße screen costs €12.57 for 8 December including advertising tax, plus VAT. The smallest possible order is €2, because that is the order minimum, and one day is enough.

Calculated as in checkout: daily price times days, an automatic 3 % volume discount from €100 net, then 5 % Austrian advertising tax. VAT is added at the end.

Example 1: Just the holiday, one screen

• 8 Dec 2026, 1 day
• 1 slot on Mariahilfer Straße 125, €11.97 net
• plus 5 % advertising tax €0.60
• Total: €12.57, plus VAT

Example 2: Just the holiday, three shopping streets

• 8 Dec 2026, 1 day
• 1 slot each on Mariahilfer Straße 125, Plankengasse 1 and Josefstädter Straße 99
• €11.97 + €11.97 + €9.00 = €32.94 net
• plus 5 % advertising tax €1.65
• Total: €34.59, plus VAT

Example 3: Saturday to the holiday, three shopping streets

• 5 to 8 Dec 2026, 4 days
• the same three slots, €32.94 per day combined
• 4 × €32.94 = €131.76
• minus 3 % volume discount €3.95 = €127.81 net
• plus 5 % advertising tax €6.39
• Total: €134.20, plus VAT

Example 4: The smallest test

• 8 Dec 2026, 1 day
• Motto am Fluss at Franz-Josefs-Kai, 10 % share, €2.16 net
• plus 5 % advertising tax €0.11
• Total: €2.27, plus VAT
• Mathematically 864 plays with a 10-second ad, each one counted.

Cent rounding in checkout may differ slightly. More worked examples are on DOOH advertising: costs.

What belongs on the ad?

Three things: the date, your opening hours and where you are. Plus a reason to come on exactly that day.

People walk past and look for two or three seconds. One message is enough, in four short lines:

• Line 1: Tue 8 Dec open
• Line 2: your hours, for example 11 am to 5 pm
• Line 3: your street and number
• Line 4: a reason, such as "We wrap your gifts"

Three traps:

• Strike-through prices. If you advertise a discount on the holiday, the rule on the lowest price of the last 30 days applies. Details in the article on the Black Friday price rule.
• Too much text. What you would have to read on a phone, nobody reads on a screen.
• No way to measure. A code like "8DEC" at the till or a QR code with its own link shows you who came because of the screen. How to set it up: QR and UTM links for screens.

If you also sell vouchers during Advent, read Selling Christmas gift vouchers.

When do you need to book by?

Book by Friday, 4 December. That leaves time for the ad review and the lead time of operator screens before Saturday starts.

• Player screens start the same day once your ad is approved.
• Operator screens need lead time because the operator uploads your file themselves. You see the lead time when booking.
• Every ad is reviewed before it starts, by an AI and, where needed, by a person. So don't upload it the evening before.
• Slots are limited. On an operator screen we have 4 slots per loop. Once they are sold for 8 December, the screen is full that day.

You can lock in the date now and upload the ad later. For the whole of Advent, see Advertising for Christmas shopping 2026 in Vienna.

Frequently asked questions

Is 8 December 2026 a shopping day in Austria?

Yes. 8 December 2026 is a Tuesday, so a working day. Retail shops may open, and staff work that day voluntarily.

Do my employees have to work on 8 December?

No. Under § 13a Arbeitsruhegesetz they may refuse without giving a reason, and nobody may be disadvantaged for it. Plan opening around the commitments you actually have.

How much does advertising for 8 December in Vienna cost?

One slot on the screen at Mariahilfer Straße 125 costs €12.57 for the day including advertising tax, plus VAT. The order minimum is €2, and one day is enough.

Can I book just the holiday?

Yes. There is no minimum run. You can book only 8 December, or the days from 5 to 8 December.

How late can I still book?

Player screens run the same day once the ad is approved. Operator screens need lead time. You are safe if you book by Friday, 4 December.

If your team is set for 8 December, book the day now at /book.