Events

Planning Events 2021

These are planning-relevant dates, not another public-holiday list. Use them to see clock changes, Fasnacht and carnival, Easter context, family days, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Saint Martin's Day, Samichlaus and Advent in the year.

Public holidays stay separate: every detail page states clearly whether work, school, shops, travel or family planning are practically affected.

Event pages

Open an event and check context

Dedicated pages keep public-holiday status, impact, FAQ and next planning links focused on one event.

Timeline

By month

19 dates

February

5 dates

11 Feb

Dirty Thursday Local custom

Important in many carnival towns; exact dates need a local check.

Carnival

14 Feb

Valentine's Day Not a public holiday

Fixed date for reservations, flowers, gifts and time together.

Valentine's Day

15 Feb

Shrove Monday Custom

Not a nationwide public holiday, but locally relevant for parades, school and transit.

Carnival

17 Feb

Ash Wednesday Lent

Church-calendar marker; not a nationwide day off.

Carnival

22 Feb

Basel Carnival Basel

Starts on the Monday after Ash Wednesday; especially relevant for Basel.

Carnival

March

1 date

28 Mar

Daylight saving time starts Forward

During the night before Sunday, clocks jump from 02:00 to 03:00.

Daylight saving time

April

3 dates

02 Apr

Good Friday Cantonal

A day off in almost all cantons; check Ticino and Valais separately.

Easter

04 Apr

Easter Sunday Sunday

The central Easter date, but as Sunday it is not an additional working day.

Easter

05 Apr

Easter Monday Cantonal

A day off in many cantons; check canton and school holidays together.

Easter

May

1 date

09 May

Mother's Day Family day

Second Sunday in May; not a public holiday.

Mother's Day

June

1 date

06 Jun

Father's Day Family day

In Switzerland usually the first Sunday in June; not a public holiday.

Father's Day

October

2 dates

31 Oct

Halloween Not a public holiday

Evening observance before All Saints' Day; cantonal holidays the next day can affect planning.

Halloween

31 Oct

Standard time starts Back

During the night before Sunday, clocks move back from 03:00 to 02:00.

Daylight saving time

November

2 dates

11 Nov

Saint Martin's Day Custom

Lanterns, family routes, school, municipality and regional evening dates around 11 November.

Saint Martin's Day

28 Nov

First Sunday of Advent Advent

Advent Sunday with Christmas markets, family plans, rail and mountain-region planning in view.

Advent Sundays

December

4 dates

05 Dec

Second Sunday of Advent Advent

Advent Sunday with Christmas markets, family plans, rail and mountain-region planning in view.

Advent Sundays

06 Dec

Saint Nicholas Day Advent

Family date in Advent; school, nursery, clubs and visit times need planning.

Saint Nicholas Day

12 Dec

Third Sunday of Advent Advent

Advent Sunday with Christmas markets, family plans, rail and mountain-region planning in view.

Advent Sundays

19 Dec

Fourth Sunday of Advent Advent

Advent Sunday with Christmas markets, family plans, rail and mountain-region planning in view.

Advent Sundays

Data basis

Recurring date rules, checked legal status

Planning events follow recurring calendar rules. Public-holiday status is kept separate and checked against Swiss statutory source context; school context uses official EDK calendar data where relevant.

METAS time service Labour Act Art. 20a EDK holiday calendar

Next planning views

Connect events with tools and school breaks

These pages turn event dates into week planning, leave planning, calendar feeds or exportable data.

Holiday planner Turn event context into leave decisions. Calendar weeks Place events in week and quarter context. School holidays Compare events with school-free periods. Sports break Check the February sports-break layer. Spring break Connect Easter dates and school breaks. Calendar subscription Keep events in calendar apps. Data export Export date data for systems.

Legal clarity

Public holiday status first

Every event page states explicitly whether the date is a public holiday.

Planning

Impact beats trivia

The focus is school, work, shops, travel and family coordination.

Tools

Then open the right view

Calendar weeks and the planner handle the concrete schedule.