Autumn 1966 in Gnigl: a 14-year-old and four school friends make their first masks from fur and papier-mâché in his parents’ workshop, and the cow horns come from the butcher. That group became the Alt Gnigler Krampus Perchten Pass, which today organises the Gnigler Krampuslauf (the Gnigl Krampus run). Every year the group also comes to us at the Salzburg Christmas market at Mirabellplatz (Mirabell Square), in 2026 for the Krampus run with St. Nicholas on 3 December.
What is the Alt Gnigler Krampus Perchten Pass? A folk-tradition association from Gnigl, a district of the city of Salzburg, founded in 1966. In Advent its members go out as Krampus – a horned, fur-clad figure from Alpine folklore who accompanies St. Nicholas – together with St. Nicholas, and in the Rauhnächte, the “rough nights” of midwinter, as Schiachperchten (“ugly” Perchten – Perchten are fur-clad, masked figures from Alpine winter folklore). Since 2011 the association has organised the Gnigler Krampuslauf.
When the Alt Gnigler are at Mirabellplatz in 2026 is further down.
Gnigl: the Salzburg district of the Alt Gnigler Krampus
Gnigl lies in the north-east of the city of Salzburg, about three kilometres from the centre, between Kühberg and Heuberg. Until 1935 Gnigl was a municipality in its own right; then most of it was incorporated into the city. Today it’s a district with two old village centres, Obergnigl and Niedergnigl.
Gnigl is closely tied to the Krampus. The Gnigler Krampuslauf has taken place there since 1972, and according to the Alt Gnigler this has turned the district into a “true stronghold for Krampus figures”. Over time, more Passen formed in Gnigl – Pass (plural Passen) is the local word for a Krampus or Perchten group. That’s why the group around Hans Brugger later called itself “Alt Gnigler” (the old Gnigl group).
How it all began in 1966
In autumn 1966, Hans Brugger, then 14 and later a master upholsterer in Gnigl, and four of his school friends decided to found a Krampus and Perchten group. He’d had the idea since childhood: in the mid-1950s his parents took him to watch the Pongauer Perchtenlauf (the Pongau Perchten run) in St. Johann. Added to that were the stories told by his mother, who was born in Großarl.
Their equipment was modest. The boys made masks from fur and papier-mâché in the Brugger family’s workshop, and the cow horns came from the butcher. For fur suits they used, among other things, railway workers’ coats turned inside out, with scraps of fur glued or sewn on. With birch and willow switches, cowbells and rattling chains they ran through the streets of Gnigl. On the group’s website it sounds like this in dialect: “Masken bast’lt – g’schnitzt sogår, verziehrt mit Roß, Goas – Schafihaar.” That means masks made by hand, even carved, decorated with horse, goat and sheep hair.
From the Gnigler Krampuslauf to their own wooden masks
In 1972 Hans Brugger approached the Gnigler Wirtschaftsverein, the local business association, hoping for a Krampus run of the district’s own. The first Gnigler Krampuslauf took place that same year. Around this time the first carved wooden masks appeared too. Some of the Gnigl runners, and only those with wooden masks, were even invited to the Pongauer Perchtenlauf in Bischofshofen on Epiphany.
Since 2011 the Alt Gnigler Krampus Perchten Pass has itself been the organiser of the Gnigler Krampuslauf. In the same year it became the first Krampus and Perchten group in the city to join the Gauverband der Salzburger Heimatvereine, the regional federation of Salzburg’s folk-tradition associations. At the 50th Gnigler Krampuslauf on 29 November 2025, around 1,300 Krampus figures from more than 50 Passen took part, according to Salzburg24. Founder Hans Brugger is the father of today’s chairman, Hannes Brugger.
Masks, fur and horns of the Alt Gnigler
For a good 30 years, most of the masks have come from Wolfgang Gangl, a mask carver from the Pongau region. Every mask of the Alt Gnigler is a one-off, and together the members own more than 140 masks. The fur suits of goatskin and sheepskin come from a tannery in St. Johann im Pongau, and the group makes some of its bells itself.
For its 50th anniversary in October 2016, the Pass showed more than 140 of its members’ masks in the exhibition “Leidenschaft Maske” (“Passion for Masks”) in the wooden pavilion of the Zwergerlgarten (Dwarf Garden). In the same year it received a special award for regional commitment from the Salzburger Bezirksblätter newspapers. More about wood, horn and fur, and about Krampus mask carving, is in our article on Krampus masks and Perchten masks.
Krampus in Advent, Perchten in the Rauhnächte
The Alt Gnigler keep the two figures apart by the calendar. From the first Advent weekend until 8 December they’re out as a Krampus Pass, with St. Nicholas and the Körblträger (literally “basket carrier”). From 21 December until Epiphany they run as Schiachperchten, the “schiach” (wild, ugly) Perchten, with six horns: two pairs from billy goats and one pair from a ram. The association also includes witches.
According to the group’s website, the most important thing is that Krampus and Percht aren’t confused. How to tell the two apart is explained in our article on the difference between Krampus and Perchten. More about the nights between Christmas and Epiphany is in Rauhnächte in Salzburg.
House visits, schools and runs in town and country
The Pass has more than 50 members from four generations. They’re out in the city and in the countryside; in the 2025/26 season, for example, in Fürstenbrunn, St. Johann im Pongau, Wagrain, Goldegg and Saalfelden. Quite traditionally, on 5 and 6 December they visit families at home with St. Nicholas, on request. The association takes bookings for these house visits through its website, altgnigler.at.
According to the association’s website, the Alt Gnigler have also been visiting nurseries and schools for almost 30 years. There they explain who St. Nicholas, Krampus and the Perchten are, and help the children lose their fear of the masks. They’ve also appeared for the charity campaign “Licht ins Dunkel” and on the children’s cancer ward at the Landeskrankenhaus Salzburg (Salzburg’s state hospital).
The Alt Gnigler at Mirabellplatz
At our market at Mirabellplatz, the Alt Gnigler are a fixed part of the programme every year. In 2026 they come on one evening: on Thursday 3 December 2026, from 6 pm, for the Krampus run with St. Nicholas. The Krampus figures run, and St. Nicholas hands out sweets to the children – an evening for the whole family. In keeping with the group’s calendar, only Krampus figures run; the Perchten don’t come until the Rauhnächte. Everything about the run is in Krampus run at Mirabellplatz, and the other Krampus dates in the city are in Krampus in Salzburg 2026.
Christmas programme
The Alt Gnigler come to us on Thursday 3 December 2026, from 6 pm: a Krampus run with St. Nicholas, who hands out sweets to the children. All dates are in the programme.
Frequently asked questions
Since 1966. In the autumn of that year, Hans Brugger and four school friends founded a Krampus and Perchten group in Gnigl. Today his son Hannes Brugger leads the association as chairman.
Gnigl is a district in the north-east of the city of Salzburg, about three kilometres from the centre. Until 1935 it was a municipality in its own right.
A large Krampus run in Gnigl that has taken place since 1972. Since 2011 the Alt Gnigler have organised it themselves. According to Salzburg24, around 1,300 Krampus figures from more than 50 Passen came to the 50th run in November 2025.
On Thursday 3 December 2026, from 6 pm, for the Krampus run with St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas hands out sweets to the children. The date is in the programme.
Yes. On 5 and 6 December they visit families at home with St. Nicholas, on request. You send your request through the association’s website.
For a good 30 years, most of them have come from Wolfgang Gangl, a mask carver from the Pongau. Every mask is a one-off, and together the members have more than 140 masks.
Sources
Retrieved on 2 November 2026: Alt Gnigler Krampus Perchten Pass, website (home page, history, association, custom, dates, 50 years) · Salzburg24: From five home-made masks to a major event (24 November 2025) · Salzburg24: Around 1,300 Krampus figures at the 50th Gnigler Krampuslauf (30 November 2025) · Wikipedia: Gnigl · Christmas market at Mirabellplatz: programme 2026