Upcoming Holidays and Festivals in Switzerland
- Before planning a trip around a festival, verify the festival dates on the festival's website or with a local tourist information office. Weather-dependent events such as outdoor alpine festivals are often rescheduled on short notice when the forecast looks iffy; in most cases the events are then postponed exactly one week. For more information about these and other events, visit the official tourism site for Switzerland.
- This list includes major festivals in major cities, plus national holidays observed throughout Switzerland. Many sights and banks close down on national holidays — keep it in mind when planning your itinerary. Note that this isn't a complete list; holidays can strike without warning.
- See upcoming holidays and festivals across Europe
2021
March 19: St. Joseph's Day (Josefstag; closures in some areas)
Mid-March–mid-May (iffy for 2021): International Jazz Festival Bern
April 1–May 9: Tulip Festival, Morges (Lake Geneva)
April 2: Good Friday (Karfreitag / Vendredi saint; closures in most areas)
April 4–5: Easter Sunday and Monday (Oster / Pâques and Ostermontag / Lundi de Pâques; closures in most of country)
April 25: Appenzell Landsgemeinde (open-air parliament with public selection of delegates)
May 1: Labor Day (Tag der Arbeit / Fête du Travail; closures in many areas)
May 2: Gruyères Cheese Festival
May 8–23 (iffy/limited in 2021): Interlaken Classic Music Festival
May 13: Ascension (Christi Himmelfahrt / l'Ascension; processions, closures)
May/June/July: Alpine cattle ascent (Alp- or Almaufzug, Alp- or Almauffahrt / Estive; cow processions through alpine villages; especially big in Engstligenalp and Appenzell; dates vary by year and location)
May 23–24: Pentecost (Pfingsten / Pentecôte) and Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag / Lundi de Pentecôte; closures in most of country)
June 3: Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam / Fête-Dieu; closures in most areas)
June 18–20: Fête de la Musique, Geneva (wide range of music performances in streets and squares)
June 21: Fête de la Musique, Lausanne (wide range of music performances in streets and squares)
June 25–27: National Yodel Festival (Eidgenössisches Jodlerfest), Basel
June 29: Sts. Peter and Paul's Day (closures in Graubünden and Ticino)
July 2–4: Rosenfest, Weggis (fireworks, music, parades; Lake Lucerne)
July 2–17: Montreux Jazz Festival
July 6–11: Lausanne City Festival
July 8–10 (iffy for 2021): Estival Jazz, Lugano (free open-air festival)
July 8–August 8: Paléo Festival, Nyon (huge indie rock, world music festival near Geneva)
July 11: Rigi Schwinget (alpine festival with wrestling and traditional music atop Mt. Rigi; reschedules for a week later in the event of rain)
July 14–17: Gurten Festival, Bern (open-air rock festival)
July 16–August 1: Verbier Festival (classical music, near Martigny)
July 16–September 4: Menuhin Festival, Gstaad (classical music)
July 23–25: International Alphorn Festival (Festival de Cor des Alpes), Nendaz (Valais)
July 23–25 (likely): Interlaken International Street Artists Festival (Glauklerfest)
July 23–31: Blue Balls Music Festival, Luzern (blues/jazz/soul/funk/rock/pop/world music)
July 25: National Costume Festival (traditional dress from around Switzerland), atop Männlichen peak (Berner Oberland)
July 31: Rhine Falls fireworks on the eve of Swiss National Day, Schaffhausen; also Big Bang Lake Festival, Biel / Bienne (fireworks; street fair)
August 1: Swiss National Day (parades and fireworks with biggest celebrations at Rütli meadow on Lake Lucerne; closures)
August 4–14: Locarno International Film Festival
August 6–8: Appenzeller Länderfest (folk music)
August 10–September 12: Lucerne Festival in Summer (classical music)
August 12–14 (iffy for 2021): Buskers Bern
August 14: Zermatt Folklore Festival
August 14 (likely): Street Parade, Zürich (city-wide rave)
August 15: Assumption (Mariä Himmelfahrt / l'Assomption de Marie; closures in most areas)
August 15: Schwägalp-Schwinget (Swiss-wrestling competition in alpine setting), Appenzell
September 9: Jeune Genevois (Thanksgiving in Geneva)
September 11–13: Knabenschiessen, Zürich (shooting competition / carnival)
September 19: Federal Thanksgiving Day (Eidgenössischer Dank-, Buss- und Bettag / Jeûne fédéral, closures everywhere but Geneva; following Monday also holiday in and around Lausanne)
September 27: Wengen Chästeilet (cheese festival)
September/October: Alpine cattle descent (Alp- or Almabfahrt, or Alp-or Almabtrieb / Désalpe; cow processions through alpine villages and especially festive in Appenzell; dates vary by year and location)
October 1–3 (likely): Festa d'Autunno, Lugano (food and wine harvest festival)
October 8–9: Vernier sur Rock (rock/punk/reggae festival near Geneva)
October 29–November 7 (likely): Geneva International Film Festival
November 1: All Saints' Day (Allerheiligen / La Toussaint; closures in most areas)
November 22: Zibelemärit, Bern (traditional onion-market fair)
December: Christmas markets across Switzerland
December 6: St. Nikolaus Day (visits from Samichlaus; mainly in German-speaking areas)
December 8: Immaculate Conception (Mariä Empfängnis / Immaculée Conception; closures in some areas)
December 10–12: Fête de l'Escalade (torchlight parade with period costumes, commemorating the city's escape from capture in 1602)
December 24: Christmas Eve (Heilige Abend / Noël, when the Swiss celebrate Christmas; closures in afternoon and evening)
December 25: Christmas Day (closures)
December 26: St. Steven's Day (closures in most areas)
December 31: New Year's Eve, also Restoration Day in Geneva and Silvesterchlausen medieval procession in Appenzell (closures)
2022
January 1: New Year's Day (closures)
January 2: Berchtold's Day (Berchtoldstag; some closures), Harder-Potschete parade, Interlaken
January 6: Epiphany (closures in some areas)
January–March: Horn sled races, alpine areas
January 13: Silvesterchlausen, Appenzell (medieval masked procession)
January 14–16: Lauberhorn ski race, Wengen
January 17–22: World Snow Festival, Grindelwald
January 19–22: Inferno ski race, Mürren
January 22–30: International Hot Air Balloon Festival, Château-d'Oex
February 16, 13 & 20: White Turf, St. Moritz (horse races across frozen lake)
Late February–March 2: Chalandamarz, across Graubünden (traditional costumes, processions, bells and whips to chase away winter)
March: Fasnacht (Carnival; especially big deal in Luzern, Zürich, Bern, and Basel)
March 1: Republic Day, Neuchâtel (closures)
March 13: Engadin Ski Marathon (huge cross-country ski race that runs through St. Moritz and Samedan)
March 19: St. Joseph's Day (Josefstag; closures in some areas)
Mid-March–mid-May: International Jazz Festival Bern
Early April (likely): Interlaken Classic Music Festival
Late March–mid-May: Tulip Festival, Morges (Lake Geneva)
April 11–18 (likely): Lucerne Festival at Easter
April 15: Good Friday (Karfreitag / Vendredi saint; closures in most areas)
April 17–18: Easter Sunday and Monday (Oster / Pâques and Ostermontag / Lundi de Pâques; closures in most of country)
April 22–25: Sechseläuten, Zürich (springtime festival culminating with burning of a snowman on Monday)
April 24: Appenzell Landsgemeinde (open-air parliament with public selection of delegates)
April 28–30: Appenzell A Cappella Festival
May 1: Labor Day (Tag der Arbeit / Fête du Travail; closures in many areas)
May 1 (likely): Gruyères Cheese Festival
May/June/July: Alpine cattle ascent (Alp- or Almaufzug, Alp- or Almauffahrt / Estive; cow processions through alpine villages; especially big in Engstligenalp and Appenzell; dates vary by year and location)
May 26: Ascension (Christi Himmelfahrt / l'Ascension; processions, closures)
June 5–6: Pentecost (Pfingsten / Pentecôte) and Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag / Lundi de Pentecôte; closures in most of country)
Early June: Street Artists Festival, Ascona (near Locarno)
June 16: Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam / Fête-Dieu; closures in most areas)
June 17–19 (likely): Fête de la Musique, Geneva (wide range of music performances in streets and squares)
June 21 (likely): Fête de la Musique, Lausanne (wide range of music performances in streets and squares)
Late June–late August: Tellspiele (William Tell performances in open-air theater, mostly on Saturdays and Thursdays; Interlaken)
June 29: Sts. Peter and Paul's Day (closures in Graubünden and Ticino)