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. 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
2015
January 1: New Year’s Day (closures)
January 2: St. Berchtold’s Day (Berchtoldstag), Harder-Potschete parade (Interlaken); closures
January 6: Epiphany (closures in some areas)
January 16–18: Lauberhorn ski race (Wengen)
January 21–24: Inferno ski race (Mürren)
February: Fasnacht (Carnival; especially big deal in Luzern, Zürich, Bern, and Basel)
March 19: St. Joseph’s Day (Josefstag; closures in some areas)
March–May: International Jazz Festival Bern
March 21–29: Luzern Festival at Easter
April 3: Good Friday (Karfreitag / Vendredi saint; closures in most areas)
April 5–6: Easter Sunday and Monday (Oster / Pâques and Ostermontag / Lundi de Pâques; closures in most of country)
April 13: Sechseläuten (springtime festival, Zürich)
April 26: 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 14: Ascension (Christi Himmelfahrt / l’Ascension; closures)
May 24–25: Pentecost (Pfingsten / Pentecôte) and Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag / Lundi de Pentecôte; closures in most of country)
June 4: Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam / Fête-Dieu; closures in most areas)
June 12–July 12: Zürich Festival (arts and culture)
June 18–August 29: Tellspiele (William Tell performances, open-air theater, mostly on Saturdays and Thursdays; Interlaken)
June 29: Sts. Peter and Paul’s Day (closures in Graubünden and Ticino)
Early July: Montreux Jazz Festival
July 7–12: Lausanne City Festival
Mid-July: Estival Jazz (free open-air festival, Lugano)
July 16–19: Gurten Festival (open-air rock festival, Bern)
August 1: Swiss National Day (parades and fireworks; closures)
August 15: Assumption (Mariä Himmelfahrt / l’Assomption de Marie; closures in most areas)
August 14–September 13: Lucerne Festival in Summer (classical music)
August 29: Street Parade (city-wide rave, Zürich)
September 10: Jeune Genevois (Thanksgiving in Geneva)
September 12–14: Knabenschiessen (shooting competition, Zürich)
September 20: Federal Thanksgiving Day (Eidgenössischer Dank-, Buss- und Bettag / Jeûne fédéral, closures everywhere but Geneva; following Monday also holiday in and around Lausanne)
October 2–4: Festa d’Autunno (food and wine harvest festival, Lugano)
November 1: All Saints’ Day (Allerheiligen / La Toussaint; closures in most areas)
November 23: Zibelemärit (traditional onion-market fair, Bern)
December: Christmas markets
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 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