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Almabtrieb, the Incredible Alpine Cattle Festival: 1000+ Vibrant Revelry

Almabtrieb cow festival in alpine region in Austria Germany Switzerland . In the picture two cowgirls leading their cows

Almabtrieb, when the Cows Come Home!

Schedule of Almabtrieb in Tyrol Region of Austria, 2023 Saturday 23 September 2023: Almabtrieb Alpine Cattle Festival in Brixen im Thale, Kirchberg & Westendorf

It was the beginning of Autumn and the leaves were already changing colors. Upper reaches of Alps had already received sporadic snowfall. The village of Westendorf in Austria, where we were staying, was hiding behind one of the gentle hills, in the valley. We had reached Westendorf to witness the annual celebration of the Almabtrieb, Alpine Cow Festival. During the beginning of summer, all the cattle and sheep are taken to the higher slopes to graze on alpine pastures in a procession. When it starts getting cold at the end of Summer or beginning of Autumn, the village celebrates when the cows are brought back home.

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Maybe a village but Westendorf is very well developed, Tirol, Austria

Arriving at a small Alpine village

We congratulated ourselves, as we got off from the train at Westendorf, Tyrol, Austria, for the meticulous planning done 6 months earlier. We were on the last leg of our European Journey spanning over 100 days. Literally the last country before we were to head back to India. There were ups and there were downs, as is normal in such long trips. However, it did not matter anymore for we were here on the appointed date! Now only nature could play the spoilsport by snowing.

westendorf village austria

Quaint village of Westendorf, Tirol, Austria, one of the venues for Almabtrieb in autumn every year

It was early afternoon but there was a nip in the air, which reminded us that summer too was in its last leg in this Alpine region. The Westendorf station was very small and clean and the few people who got off with us had already disappeared, presumably they were all residents of this region and none of them were travellers like us. As we waited for our ride to our hotel, several thoughts pass through our minds, one the most important was, “were we even at the right place?”, considering there were no tourists. A small voice in my head says emphatically, that we were at the right place.

Presently, Clive, the owner of the Inn, beckoned to us and we were off towards his inn in the Village Westendorf.

Village Westendorf

Alps in Autumn Westendorf, Tirol, Austria

Westendorf is a small village in the Tyrolean district of Kitzbühel. The village is located on a plateau in the Brixen valley, surrounded by the Alps. Clive chattily said that Westendorf was one of the best Ski spots in the region. One glance at the emerald green gentle slopes only corroborated his claims. He was happy because, after a busy summer, the ski tourist season was about to start, making it a 365 days destination.

As we got closer, we could discern strains of popular music. The music grew louder as we took the final left turn and entered the village. The festivities had already begun!

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Almabtrieb festival mood at Westendorf, Tirol, Austria

It looked as if the entire populace had descended on to the streets to mingle with the tourists. Our curiosity and excitement was already kindled to a point where we just dumped our luggage in the room and rushed back to the happening street.

Every inch of the busy place was occupied by street shops or the people, which to an untrained eye, seemed to be randomly walking here and there but we were actually hopping from one food stalls to another and then for their dose of alimentation then to one or more of the many drinks stall to wash it all down.

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Street Market at Westendorf, Tirol, Austria, Almabtrieb alpine cow festival festival

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The ladies busy with their knitting while gossipping and selling their hand made products, Almabtrieb, Westendorf, Tirol, Austria

Scattered in between were shops selling local handicrafts, woolens and clothes by old women. Their lined faces cracking into a smile when we showed interest in their wares, made our day. For a minute, we thought if it was already Christmas Season?

The sun had already set but the festivities continued into the night. There were bands playing and people dancing. The next morning was the day of Almabtrieb, the day for which we had planned and were now here. After shaking a couple of the mandatory legs, we called it a day.

Almabtrieb, Festival of Cows Coming Home

Those who have been to the Alps in Summer can become voluble when describing the beauty of the rolling high altitude meadows dotted with cows and sheep and the odd cowherd. These Alpine pastures are an integral part of the lives of farmers living in the towns and villages.

Almabtrieb beer and schnapps

Austrian Schnapps and Beer, Almabtrieb cattle procession festival, Westendorf, Tirol, Austria

Clive walked us to a small clearing, a bit away from the village, with a stage, on which young singers were yodeling, and lot of stalls selling Schnapps, Schnitzels, Beer, Potato fries and so on. It was very clear from the setting, what was expected of the visitors! We got ourselves a few shots of Schnapps (white brandy with a fruity taste) and bowl of potato fries. Added to that was a bright sunny morning implying that there was not going to be a change in the schedule.

Some of the delicacies that you must taste. It is quite a coincidence that all of them start with the letter “K”…

  • KASPRESSKNÖDEL – A type of dumpling with cheese topping made in Tyrolean Region
  • KÄSESPÄTZLE – It is a kind of egg noodle with cheese. This may or may not have meat.Every family has their own recipe of this wonderful dish. It is made in Tyrol and some parts of Switzerland and Germany.
  • KAISERSCHMARRN – It is a sweet airy pancake shredded into smaller pieces and served as dessert. It is said that Emperor (Kaiser) Franz Joseph I and his wife Empress Sissi had a hand in its creation.
  • KIACHL – Sweet doughnut-like filled sometimes with raisins and served with cranberry jam or cheese.
  • KIRCHTAGSKRAPFEN – Another dessert with sweet fillings between two thin layers of dough.

He had earlier explained the festival of Almabtrieb to us, in his inimitable humorous style, over our breakfast. Almabtrieb is basically the end of a long spring and summer vacation for the cows, sheep and horses, when they eat the best food, drink crystal clear water and sleep when they like. This is marked with festivities so that they do not feel too bad that the party was over. Weren’t we envious?

He said, that from time immemorial, herds of cattle were taken to high altitude pastures during Summer and left there for grazing with very few herders to tend to them. Come Autumn, they were all brought back, in a cattle procession or Almabtrieb, to lowlands pastures for the rest of the year. To celebrate coming back home, the herders extensively decorate their cattle with bells, ribbons, photos, mirrors and colorful flowers. Almabtrieb in English, means, “come down from the mountain pastures”.

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First of the cowboys(!). He looked right out of the fairy tale. Cattle procession, Westendorf, Tirol, Austria

It is said the milk of cows that have fed on the high pastures, makes better cheese. There is another reason. When most of the cattle have gone for the summer, the lowland pastures gets recharged and gets ready for winter grazing, during this time. This transhumance is practiced in all the Alpine countries, like Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy. Out of them, Austria holds the record for the most number of cattle-heads. More than half-a-million herded by about 70,000 farmers!

We, in our minds, had started imagining 500,000 heads of cattle passing through Westendorf, when Clive said there were hundreds of villages where this happened and Westendorf would probably have about a few thousand heads in this year’s cattle drive. That was a good number for us too.

The Cow Parade or the Cattle Procession

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All the cowboys wearing the traditional lederhosen, Almabtrieb, Westendorf, Tirol, Austria

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…and the girls and women wearing Dirndl!, “Not this girl though” Almabtrieb, the alpine cow festival, Westendorf, Tirol, Austria

Clive left us to fend for ourselves and we took our positions along the street, armed with our cameras. Soon the street filled up with visitors and villagers. Most of them dressed in the traditional Austrian alpine attire, the Dirndl by the girls and the women and Lederhosen by the boys and the men.
Dirndl is a very loose skirt made of traditional material, falling below the knee and held by shoulder straps. The blouse is frilly and often puffed at the shoulder. At the waist is a traditional apron, which in some cases are stitched to skirt itself. A scarf or a flower-wreath on the head completes the attire.

Lederhosen, actually means leather pants. It could be of varying length but mostly ending at the knee. It is often paired with checked or plain shirt. While there are many styles available; 1 knife pocket, two side pockets, 1 hip pocket and a drop-front flap is mandatory. A lederhosen is often held by a pair of braces. Sometimes a hat, decorated with flowers is also worn.

Voila, soon there was a faint clanging of cow-bells! In the distance we could make out tiny images of cows and cowherds, gradually growing larger as they neared us. On a normal day it would have been a high-decibel cacophony, but we were so enthralled by the sight that we hardly noticed. To us it was almost musical when people were applauding to the rhythm of clanging bells and shouting out cheers. Some of them, presumably family members or friends, even called out to the cowherds by name.

Like every year, this year too one cow was selected to lead the cow-parade. The Head-cow or Kranzrind, as it is called, had the biggest of the bell and looked like large kettlebells and the most elaborate and beautiful Fuikl (headgear or crown). The practice of tying bells around the neck has been passed down from pre-christian era. The reason is to protect them from evil demons or wild animals that might, otherwise, attack the herd.

Soon a few hundred more cows and herders passed, most of them colorfully decorated, some of them even better than the cow in the lead and all of them had the bells. There were even children doing their bit by herding small goats and sheep. Someone in the crowd said, “Hold on there’s more coming in batches”, so we stood our ground at our prime spot.

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A view from the village Westendorf, Tirol, Austria during our trip to witness Almabtrieb

A few of the cows also had a photo attached to the crown. While many of them were of Jesus and Mary, some of them were of holy St Leonhard, the healer of the working animals. This is to thank them for an accident free summer.

All this while the stage at the clearing was busy with music and dancing. Just then a group of men danced the Schuhplattler. It is a rhythmic clapping, stomping, striking the soles of the shoes in time with accompaniment played on an accordion.

Life in the Alpine Pastures

The Alpine pastures make one-quarter of the total grazing land in Austria and most of them are in the Tyrol region. There are permanent alpine stone huts or lodges which are empty during the winter but come summer, the owner or the caretaker occupies that.
The pastures may be owned by a company or by a few farmers. In the case of company, it is the employees who come to take care of the cattle which come there for some payment from the farmers. All in all, it is teamwork to keep the tradition running.

In the morning the cattle are left to graze and in the evening they are brought back for milking. The question is, what do they do with the milk?

Some of the farmers, manufacture butter milk and cheese. There are many who take their milk to a nearby milk pipeline so that it could be sent to a processing facility. Some of the best cheese is produced from alpine milk.

One of the farmers we met told us, that life could be pretty lonely with very few people up there and there is a lot of hard work of grazing, rounding up the cattle, milking them and processing or selling the milk and so on.

What else to do in Westendorf

Once all the libations & gastronomic indulgences were over and after generally enjoying the warm lazy morning, we felt the need to burn the excess calories.
We had already noticed quite a few people doing hang gliding and landing at another clearing close by. We were not going to try that, but it gave us an idea to get to the place where they jump off.

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Paragliding in Westendorf, Tirol, Austria

Westendorf, also being a ski resort, had cables cars going to the higher ski slopes. The two stage cable car took us so high behind a couple of hills that Westendorf was no longer visible. During the journey we saw that the leaves were already changing colors and a few of them had started shedding too, announcing the arrival of Autumn.

At the top we saw that there had already been snowfall. It looked quite fresh. We just threw a couple of customary snowballs at each other and went off to explore the peak and locate the jumping off point for the hang gliders. Soon we noticed that these flying humans were originating from another mountain. There were many of them, probably to make most of the last few sunny days.

In the summer, one could hike up to the alpine pastures and see for oneself how the cattle and people live. Unfortunately we had not planned on Alpine hikes for want of time. However we found even walking for 30 minutes in the crisp morning on the tracks near the village, was rejuvenating.

The aficionados of gastronomy are spoilt for choices and one can find any European cuisine here. Turkish too if one is keen. And that is saying a lot for a small village.

Useful Information

When is the festival

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Wow!, look at the size of the cowbell at Almabtrieb Alpine cow festival in Westendorf, Tirol Region

Almabtrieb is generally held, before Autumn, during the weekends of end of September and beginning of October. The dates maybe advanced if there are untimely snowfall at the pastures. However the practices vary according to the regions and villages.

Saturday 23 September 2023: Almabtrieb Alpine Cattle Festival in Brixen im Thale, Kirchberg & Westendorf, Tyrol Region, Austria

For the last several decades, the tourism department is actively involved in scheduling the festival and promoting it, to make it attractive for the tourists.

One of the old timers said, “Even 20 years back, the farmers would come with their cattle at day break but now because of tourists, the event is at a more comfortable time”.

It is always a good idea to use the internet and find out the exact dates for the region one wants to visit.
So this is the time to head to the Alps!

Where to Stay in or around Westendorf, Tyril, Austria

There are various options to suit different preferences and budgets. If you want to be close to the shops, restaurants and where the cattle drice takes place, then Westendorf is the place. There are several accommodations to suit all budget. In Summer you can try to book a mountain lodge closer to the nature and cattle pastures. During Ski season there are Ski hotels near the slopes .

Please click here for accommodation options in Westendorf and nearby places

We stayed at Pension Appartments Christoph.

Snippets

  • Almabtrieb is variously called Almabtrieb ( Bavarian ), Alpabfahrt ( Alemannic ), Alpabzug ( Switzerland ), Viehscheid ( Allgäu ) or Kiekemma ( South Tyrol )
  • Click on the link for Almabtrieb pronunciation.
  • Traditional Alpine Attire
    Dirndl is a very loose skirt made of traditional material, falling below the knee and held by shoulder straps. It looks much like a pinafore. The blouse is frilly and often puffed at the shoulder. At the waist is a traditional apron, which in some cases are stitched to skirt itself. A scarf or a flower-wreath on the head completes the attire.
    Lederhosen, actually means leather pants. It could be of varying length but mostly ending at the knee. It is often paired with checked or plain shirt. While there are many styles available, 1 knife pocket, two side pockets, 1 hip pocket and a drop-front flap is mandatory. A lederhosen is often held by a pair of braces. Sometimes a hat, decorated with flowers is also worn.
  • The Alps comes from the word Alp (plural – Alpen) which means mountain pastures.
  • Almabtrieb comes from the word Alm which also means mountain pastures.
  • There are nearly 2000 alpine stone huts in Tyrol for use by herders during summer.
  • Transhumance is a seasonal full scale migration of livestock owing to the weather. Typically, they are moved to highlands in summer for the fresh and healthy pastures and to lowlands in the winter for protection from low temperature.
  • The idiom, Till the cows come home, may as well have originated here.

FAQ about Almabtrieb in Westendorf, Tyrol, Austria

What is the meaning of Almabtrieb?

Almabtrieb meaning in English: Almabtrieb is a German word that translates to “driving the cattle down from the mountain pasture”. Almen means “alpine pastures” and Antrieb means “drive” . It is a traditional event celebrated in the Alpine regions of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other parts of Europe.

Meaning of Almabtrieb in Hindi. मवेशियों का घर वापसी

How is Almabtrieb celebrated?

Almabtrieb, a traditional Alpine cattle drive, is a vibrant and enchanting celebration that captures the essence of rural life and cultural heritage. With its colorful parades, beautifully adorned cows, and lively festivities, it offers a unique experience that will transport you to a world of tradition, community, and natural beauty. Don’t miss the opportunity to witness this captivating spectacle that showcases the deep-rooted connection between humans, animals, and the breathtaking Alpine landscapes.

Where does Almabtrieb take place?

Almabtrieb, a captivating cultural event, takes place in the picturesque Alpine regions of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and other neighboring countries.

Can visitors participate in Almabtrieb?

Yes, of course! Visitors are usually welcome to witness and take part in Almabtrieb festivities. It’s a great opportunity to experience the local traditions, enjoy the vibrant atmosphere, and witness the beauty of the decorated animals and their accompanying parade. However, it’s advisable to check the specific event details and any regulations or guidelines set by the local organizers.

Is it Free?

Yes of course the spectacle is free to watch. However you may spend on food and drinks at the stalls that line the street.

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29 thoughts on “Almabtrieb, the Incredible Alpine Cattle Festival: 1000+ Vibrant Revelry”

  1. That festival sounds amazing! I’ve never heard of a cow parade before. This has to be one of the best in the world. I love the ornamentation on the cows. I believe it when you say alpine fed cows make the best cheese! And with all those cows I’m sure they make a lot. I sure hope this is where the phrase “til the cows come home” comes from! Thanks for sharing.

  2. An Alpine Cow Festival sounds so cool! Tyrol is one of the prettiest regions in Austria and the little villages there are amazing, To be able to attend such a nice, cultural festival there must have been a fantastic experience, lucky you!

  3. I have seen a similar festival in Switzerland and its amazing to see loads of cowes being walked down the mountainside and into the warmth for the winter months. Its just an amazing sight to see. Love your colourful photos. The only thing I didnt do was to drink beer when the cowes were walking down, it was too early in the day for me to start drinking. 😀

  4. Wow there is a cow festival too?!!! Really cool. I like the festival celebrated to mark their homecoming. Did you get any cheese for yourself from there? Loved the scenic views. It will be fun to combine paragliding with this tour.

  5. Now those are some fancy cows! I’m tentatively considering Austria this Autumn and love festivals. This looks like a gorgeous spot and I’m a huge fan of Schnapps and Schnitzels

  6. What a fun festival to celebrate when the cows come back from the fields at the end of summer. I could not believe your pictures with how many people come out for this event. I loved the look at all the local handicrafts that we’re for sale. I would have loved to see all the variety of decorations used on the cows. It looks so colourful and beautiful. Good to know that the 500,000 head of cattle don’t all come down to one village. What a fun event. Thanks for sharing.

  7. I’ve seen alpine cow festivals in Switzerland, and they are wonderful events. Filled with music, flowers and cows of course. This Westendorf festival seems equally festive and fun. That cow parade is marvellous!

  8. OMG That sounds like such a fun festival. celebrating the homecoming of cows, so cool. I wish I could experience this 🙂

  9. An entire festival for cows? That’s fantastic. My daughter loves cows and will want to go here immediately when I tell her it exists. It’s so cute that they celebrate them coming back from the mountain slopes.

  10. I remember when I first saw an Almabtrieb as a child. It was one of the most joyous experiences for me at that age since it combined two of my favourite things: animals and flowers It´s like a cow fashion show <3

  11. Austria is the great country. Once I was there and the experience that I have over there is just amazing. I was there but never ever be the part of this great festival, after reading your article i am seriously thinking about to go back and explore one more time again. Thanks mate for this amazing info.

  12. This post somehow gave me a good laugh! Those cows are so pretty!! Reminds me of the colorful cows in India but this is more glam. It’s great to have celebrations like these to make people come out of their homes and actually interact with nature.

  13. Hmmm, I just returned from a trip to the Austrian Alps and I’m really surprised that I haven’t heard about the Alpine Cow Festival. It’s probably because we went there in spring and the festival takes place in fall. I’ve seen something very similar in Budapest: the Gray Cow Festival.

  14. I like this interesting festival based on the tradition of moving the cows to pastures based on seasons. The pageantry is grand compared to NZ “gypsy day” where sharemilkers load their cows onto trucks and shift to new farms.

  15. I absolutely love festivals! especially the ones that seem culturally different because we’d learn something and even gain new perspectives in life. Almabtrieb certainly seems a wonderful festival! I would definitely stop by if I’m in the right place and time. There are other festivals that I’ve been to and love, like the Golden Eagle festival. Other festivals that I really would love to go to is Kukur Tihar, a festival where they celebrate dogs in Nepal. La Tomatina Festival in Spain too! I’d always find it beautiful to step aside and embrace the scenery of the festivals.

  16. Wow! Those are some very fancy cows! What a fun thing to experience. You really timed it perfectly. What a great adventure you had traveling for 100 days. I would really love to do that. Maybe someday I will. About how long did you spend in each place?

  17. It might be a traditional thing I understand, I do not really want to offend saying this, but I wish cows would be having a better life if humans let them be how they are. It is pathetic to see the innocent animals with so much weight on their head or some heavy bells hanging from their neck. I feel sorry for them.

  18. This sounds like an interesting if a little strange, festival. Some of the festivals and events different countries have never fail to amaze me! This would be an interesting one to check out. Thanks for sharing!

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