The FIS Alpine World Cup Night Slalom held each January on Planai is one of the signature events in alpine skiing — a men's slalom race run under floodlights with 40,000–50,000 spectators filling the slope and the Stadtplatz below. The atmosphere is unlike a normal race: the crowd is loud, close to the course, and deeply partisan.
The race is held on a Tuesday evening in January, typically with the first run early in the evening and the second run later that night. Schladming fills completely for this event; accommodation must be booked months in advance. The combination of the illuminated mountain, the visible town below, and the extraordinary crowd noise makes it worth attending even for people who have no particular interest in ski racing. The tradition dates to 1973, making it one of the longest-running events on the circuit.