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Whether you’re living in Switzerland or just visiting, it’s important to note the dates of Switzerland’s public holidays (feiertagun/jour férié) and important dates. This is because on some of these dates, businesses and public institutions will close or have reduced hours.
To ensure you don’t miss out on anything important, here are all of Switzerland’s public holidays as well as the most important dates for your calendar.
- An overview of Switzerland’s public holidays
- Public holidays in Switzerland in 2024
- Regional holidays in Switzerland in 2024
- Important dates in Switzerland in 2024
- Public holidays in Switzerland in 2025
- Regional holidays in Switzerland in 2025
- Important dates in Switzerland in 2025
- Swiss National Day
- Carnival in Switzerland
- School holidays in Switzerland
An overview of Switzerland’s public holidays
While some Swiss vacations are observed across the nation, other festivities are only marked in specific regions around the country. Many of these are religious and are usually observed only in the cantons where Catholicism is the main religion. This means that not all cantons across Switzerland have the same public holidays.
The most important of all holidays in Switzerland is the Swiss National Day, which falls on 1 August every year and is technically the only official federal holiday. Some also coincide with Switzerland’s festivals, which is a great opportunity to travel and experience the country’s traditional culture.
If a Swiss national holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday, workers may take either the Monday or Friday off to create a long weekend. What’s more, some cantons and organizations may allocate a weekday off if the Swiss public holiday falls on a weekend.
Public holidays in Switzerland in 2024
Switzerland celebrates these holidays throughout the nation:
| Date | Public holiday |
| 1 January (Monday) | New Year’s Day (Neujahrstag/Jour de l’an) |
| 1 April (Monday) | Easter Monday (Ostermontag/Lundi de Pâques) – celebrated to different degrees, but this depends on the canton and region |
| 9 May (Thursday) | Ascension Day (Auffahrt/Ascension – 40 days after Easter) |
| 1 August (Thursday) | Swiss National Day (Bundesfeier/Fête nationale Suisse) |
| 25 December (Wednesday) | Christmas Day (Weihnachten/Noël) |
Regional holidays in Switzerland in 2024
On the other hand, these holidays are only observed in certain Swiss cantons.
| Dates | Regional holiday | Canton observing holiday |
| 2 January (Tuesday) | Berchtold’s Day (Berchtoldstag) | Aargau, Bern, Fribourg, Glarus, Jura, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Solothurn, Thurgau, Vaud, Zug, Zurich |
| 6 January (Saturday) | Epiphany (Heilige Drei Konige) | Graubünden, Lucerne, Schwyz, Ticino, Uri |
| 1 March (Friday) | Republic Day – commemorates the declaration of the Republic in 1848 | Neuchâtel |
| 19 March (Tuesday) | St Joseph’s Day (Josefstag) | Graubünden, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Schwyz, Solothurn, Ticino, Uri, Valais |
| 29 March (Friday) | Good Friday (Karfreitag) | All cantons except Ticino and Valais |
| 4 April (Thursday) | Näfelser Fahrt | Glarus |
| 15 April (Monday) | Sechseläuten (afternoon only) | Zurich |
| 1 May (Wednesday) | Labor Day/May Day (Tag der Arbeit) | Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Fribourg, Jura, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Schaffhausen, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Zurich |
| 20 May (Monday) | Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday (Pfingstmontag) | Celebrated to varying degrees depending on the canton and region |
| 30 May (Thursday) | Corpus Christi | Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Fribourg, Grisons, Jura, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schwyz, Solothurn, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Zug |
| 23 June (Sunday) | Jura Independence Day (Fête d’Indépendance) | Jura |
| 29 June (Saturday) | Saint Peter and Saint Paul’s Day | Graubünden, Lucerne, Ticino |
| 15 August (Thursday) | Assumption Day | Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Fribourg, Jura, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schwyz, Solothurn, St Gallen, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Zug |
Regional holidays in winter 2024
Here are the holidays to look out for in the winter season:
| Date | Regional holiday | Observing canton |
| 5 September (Thursday) | Jeûne genevois | Geneva |
| 9 September (Monday) | Knabenschiessen | Zurich |
| 15 September (Sunday) | Swiss Federal Fast (Eidgenössischer Dank-, Buss- und Bettag) | Observed in most of the country, with regional differences including Geneva (celebrates Jeûne genevois on 6 September); stores in Bern, Neuchâtel, and Vaud generally close for Bettagsmontag on September 16 |
| 25 September (Wednesday) | St. Niklaus von Flüe | Obwalden |
| 1 November (Friday) | All Saints’ Day (Allerheiligen) | Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Fribourg, Glarus, Jura, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schwyz, Solothurn, St Gallen, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Zug |
| 8 December (Sunday) | Immaculate Conception (Maria Empfängnis) | Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Fribourg, Graubünden, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schwyz, Solothurn, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Zug |
| 26 December (Thursday) | St. Stephen’s Day (Stephanstag) | Celebrated in most cantons, but generally considered a normal working day in Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais, Vaud |
| 31 December (Tuesday) | Restoration Day | Geneva |
Important dates in Switzerland in 2024
Alongside official holidays, it’s a good idea to mark these handy dates in your calendar, given that they are observed across Switzerland:
| Date(s) | Special occassion |
| 16–18 February (Friday–Sunday) | Carnival |
| 1 April (Sunday) | Daylight Saving Time (DST) starts; clocks go forward one hour |
| 12 May (Sunday) | Mother’s Day |
| 2 June (Sunday) | Father’s Day |
| 27 October (Sunday) | Daylight Saving time (DST) ends; clocks go back one hour |
Public holidays in Switzerland in 2025
These holidays are celebrated nationally throughout Switzerland.
| Date | Public holiday |
| 1 January (Tuesday) | New Year’s Day (Neujahrstag/Jour de l’an) |
| 21 April (Monday) | Easter Monday (Ostermontag/Lundi de Pâques) – celebrated to different degrees, but this depends on the canton and region |
| 29 May (Thursday) | Ascension Day (Auffahrt/Ascension – 40 days after Easter) |
| 1 August (Friday) | Swiss National Day (Bundesfeier/Fête nationale Suisse) |
| 25 December (Thursday) | Christmas Day (Weihnachten/Noël) |
Regional holidays in Switzerland in 2025
These holidays are only observed in certain Swiss cantons.
| Dates | Regional holiday | Canton observing holiday |
| 2 January (Thursday) | Berchtold’s Day (Berchtoldstag) | Aargau, Bern, Fribourg, Glarus, Jura, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Solothurn, Thurgau, Vaud, Zug, Zurich |
| 6 January (Monday) | Epiphany (Heilige Drei Konige) | Graubünden, Lucerne, Schwyz, Ticino, Uri |
| 1 March (Saturday) | Republic Day – commemorates the declaration of the Republic in 1848 | Neuchâtel |
| 19 March (Wednesdsy) | St Joseph’s Day (Josefstag) | Graubünden, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Schwyz, Solothurn, Ticino, Uri, Valais |
| 19 April (Friday) | Good Friday (Karfreitag) | All cantons except Ticino and Valais |
| 3 April (Thursday) | Näfelser Fahrt | Glarus |
| 28 April (Monday) | Sechseläuten (afternoon only) | Zurich |
| 1 May (Thursday) | Labor Day/May Day (Tag der Arbeit) | Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Fribourg, Jura, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Schaffhausen, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Zurich |
| 9 June (Monday) | Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday (Pfingstmontag) | Celebrated to varying degrees depending on the canton and region |
| 19 June (Thursday) | Corpus Christi | Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Fribourg, Grisons, Jura, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schwyz, Solothurn, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Zug |
| 23 June (Monday) | Jura Independence Day (Fête d’Indépendance) | Jura |
| 29 June (Sunday) | Saint Peter and Saint Paul’s Day | Graubünden, Lucerne, Ticino |
| 15 August (Friday) | Assumption Day | Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Fribourg, Jura, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schwyz, Solothurn, St Gallen, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Zug |
Regional holidays in winter 2025
| Date | Regional holiday | Observing canton |
| 4 September (Thursday) | Jeûne genevois | Geneva |
| 8 September (Monday) | Knabenschiessen | Zurich |
| 21 September (Sunday) | Swiss Federal Fast (Eidgenössischer Dank-, Buss- und Bettag) | Observed in most of the country, with regional differences including Geneva (celebrates Jeûne genevois on 6 September); stores in Bern, Neuchâtel, and Vaud generally close for Bettagsmontag on September 16 |
| 25 September (Thursday) | St. Niklaus von Flüe | Obwalden |
| 1 November (Saturday) | All Saints’ Day (Allerheiligen) | Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Fribourg, Glarus, Jura, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schwyz, Solothurn, St Gallen, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Zug |
| 8 December (Monday) | Immaculate Conception (Maria Empfängnis) | Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Fribourg, Graubünden, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schwyz, Solothurn, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Zug |
| 26 December (Friday) | St. Stephen’s Day (Stephanstag) | Celebrated in most cantons, but generally considered a normal working day in Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais, Vaud |
| 31 December (Wednesday) | Restoration Day | Geneva |
Important dates in Switzerland in 2025
| Date(s) | Special occassion |
| 10–12 March (Monday–Wednesday) | Carnival |
| 30 March (Sunday) | Daylight Saving Time (DST) starts; clocks go forward one hour |
| 11 May (Sunday) | Mother’s Day |
| 1 June (Sunday) | Father’s Day |
| 26 October (Sunday) | Daylight Saving time (DST) ends; clocks go back one hour |
Swiss National Day
Every year on 1 August, Switzerland celebrates the founding of the Swiss Confederation in 1291. This is one of the most important holidays in the country. Each commune marks the occassion with firework displays, concerts, and public speeches.
Thousands of people attend festivities in the largest cities, most notably Zurich, Basel, Geneva, Bern, and Lugano. The main celebrations, however, take place at the Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen and the Ruetli Meadows alongside Lake Lucerne.
Carnival in Switzerland
Carnival time is an unwritten license for all those in the country to let their hair down. Parades and events take place across the country, while some areas host massive parties. You can also read more about the celebrations in carnival in Switzerland.
School holidays in Switzerland
Many of the Swiss school holidays also align with the country’s public holidays. It’s also a great opportunity to explore Switzerland’s culture and landscape with your little ones.
To find out when they are, read about school holidays in Switzerland.
