Switzerland Public Holidays News and Updates

2018 (public news feed delayed by 30 days)

• May
• 31
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• Switzerland March 19 Schwyz Public Holiday Maintained

  Cantonal Council of Schwyz (Berne) - The Cantonal Council of Schwyz has voted-down a proposal by the FDP to demote the March 19, Josefstag, annual non-working public holiday from an official non-working public holiday in the Canton of Schwyz, to a simple "public rest day".
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2015

• May
• 12
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• Switzerland March 16 Public Holiday Ruled-Out

  Décisions du Conseil fédéral (Berne) - The Conseil fédéral (the Executive Federal Council of Switzerland) has turned-down a proposal by Bern region Green MP, Aline Trede, to declare March 16 as a new annual non-working federal public holiday in Switzerland.
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2014

• Sep
• 5
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• Switzerland 2015 Bank Holidays Announced

  Association suisse des banquiers (Geneva) - The Association suisse des banquiers has published the list of bank holidays, most of which are also non-working public holidays, for the calendar year 2015 in Switzerland.
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2013

• Nov
• 4
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• Switzerland 2014 Bank Holidays Announced

  Association suisse des banquiers (Geneva) - The Association suisse des banquiers has published the list of bank holidays, most of which are also non-working public holidays, for the calendar year 2014 in Switzerland.
• full story

2012

• Oct
• 31
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• Switzerland 2013 Bank Holidays Announced

  Association suisse des banquiers (Geneva) - The Association suisse des banquiers has published the list of bank holidays, most of which are also non-working public holidays, for the calendar year 2013 in Switzerland.
• full story

• Oct
• 26
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• Switzerland Bill To Extend May Day Public Holiday

  Parlement du Canton du Valais (Sion) - Four members of Switzerland's Valais Parliament, all from the Alliance De Gauche (ADG) party, have introduced a motion to further extend the observance of the May Day non-working public holiday to the Canton of Valais.
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2011

• Oct
• 10
• full story

• Switzerland 2012 Bank Holidays Announced

  Association suisse des banquiers (Geneva) - The Association suisse des banquiers has published the list of bank holidays, most of which are also non-working public holidays, for the calendar year 2012 in Switzerland.
• full story

• Apr
• 10
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• Switzerland Bill Would Create Thanksgiving Public Holiday

  20 Minutes Online (Bern) - A member of the Swiss Parliament, Ricardo Lumengo, has announced he wants to introduce legislation to create a new annual non-working national public holiday to thank foreigners for their contribution to Switzerland.
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2010

• Aug
• 31
• full story

• Switzerland 2011 Bank Holidays Announced

  Association suisse des banquiers (Geneva) - The Association suisse des banquiers has published the list of bank holidays for 2011 in Switzerland.
• full story

2009

• Aug
• 27
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• Switzerland Asked To Relax Rules For 3 Public Holidays

  kipa/apic (Freiburg) - The business council of Switzerland's Canton of Solothurn (Office cantonal des arts et métiers-KGV) has petitioned the region's government to allow stores to open on 3 of the region's specific religious public holidays.
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• Mar
• 26
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• Switzerland Adds Labour Day Public Holiday In Neuchatel Canton

  Le Matin (Lausanne) - Switzerland's State Council has decided that, starting in 2010, the Canton of Neuchâtel would observe the May 1st, Labour Day public holiday, currently observed by 9 of Switzerland's 26 Cantons.
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• Jan
• 28
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• Switzerland Keeps May 1st Public Holiday In Zurich Canton

  Tages Anzeiger (Zürich) - The Consultative Commission (Kommission des Kantonsrates) of Switzerland's Zürich Canton has rejected an SVP motion to cancel the May 1st public holiday and replace it with a "joker" holiday to be chosen from a shortlist of other possible commemorative dates.
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2008

• Jan
• 13
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• Switzerland's Zurich Canton Considering Scrapping May 1st Public Holiday

  Tages Anzeiger (Zürich) - The leader of the SVP parliamentary group, Alfred Heer, has steered a bill through that would remove May 1st from the list of public holidays in the Canton of Zürich.
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2007

• May
• 24
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• Switzerland's 2007 National Day Public Holiday Loses Its Legendary Venue

  Le Temps - The Commission du Grütli announced, earlier today that, in 2007, there would be no celebration of Switzerland's National Day public holiday on the legendary Plaine du Grütli.
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• Feb
• 21
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• Switzerland's Aargau To Keep Catholic Public Holidays

  AZ Online - After protests from its Catholic regions, the government of the Canton of Aargau, has reversed itself on an earlier plan to stop observing the following public holidays: Fronleichnam, All Saints, Assumption and Immaculate Conception, as of January 1, 2008.
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• Feb
• 7
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• Switzerland Referendum On January 2 Public Holiday

  20 Minutes - The Grand Conseil has voted that the Canton of Vaud will hold a referendum as to whether January 2 and Whit Monday are to be added to the list of official cantonal public holidays.
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2004

• Sep
• 17
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• Switzerland Public Holidays Constitutional Amendment Rejected

  Assemblée fédérale du Parlement suisse (Berne) - The Commission de l'économie et des redevances of Switzerland's Parliament, has rejected by a vote of 16 to 9 the current bill that would have added 6 annual non-working public holidays to Switzerland's Constitution.
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2003

• Jun
• 20
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• Switzerland Public Holidays Could Become Constitutional

  Assemblée fédérale du Parlement suisse (Berne) - A bill was introduced in the Parliament of Switzerland by parliamentarian Josef Zisyadis to amend the Swiss Constitution by enshrining 6 additional public holidays in the Constitution of Switzerland (inscrire comme jours fériés assimilés au 1er août).
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2001

• Nov
• 12
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• Switzerland Parliament Rejects May 1st National Public Holiday

  Die Bundesversammlung (Das Schweizer Parlament) - On November 6, Switzerland's competent parliamentary commission voted against the proposal to make May 1st a nationwide public holiday.
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• May
• 11
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• Switzerland Parliament To Consider May 1st National Public Holiday

  Die Bundesversammlung (Das Schweizer Parlament) - Parliamentarian Anita Fetz has submitted bill 01.423, Nationaler Feiertag der Arbeit am 1. Mai, that would make May 1st a national public holiday throughout Switzerland.
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1997

• Nov
• 28
• full story

• Switzerland Public Holiday Added To Constitution

  Assemblée fédérale du Parlement suisse (Berne) - The Swiss government has released a draft constitutional reform which includes the explicit listing in the Swiss constitution, of August 1st as a non-working and paid public holiday (jour chômé payé).
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