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Labour Day

Cantonal holiday 8 full-day cantons; SO from noon Falls on: Friday 3 free days without leave

Labour Day falls on Friday, 1 May in 2026. It is a full-day public holiday in eight cantons; throughout Solothurn, the afternoon from noon is a public rest day, including Bucheggberg district. In Aargau, 1 May is not a statutory holiday.

Author
Ferien-Kalender.ch editorial team
Last checked
Source basis
official sources and editorial review
Labour Day 2026

Date, full-day cantons, noon rule and exclusion

The workplace and time of day determine the answer.

Cantonal holiday. Labour Day falls on Friday, 1 May 2026. Full day in Zurich, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Schaffhausen, Thurgau, Ticino, Neuchâtel and Jura. Throughout Solothurn, including Bucheggberg district, 1 May is a public rest day from noon. Municipalities may designate additional local rest days; Labour Act exceptions and shop-opening rules remain separate. Aargau expressly does not classify 1 May as a statutory holiday.

The eight full-day cantons have a three-day weekend. In Solothurn, 1 May is a normal working day until noon and a public rest day from noon; in Aargau it is a normal working day throughout.

Only Swiss National Day on 1 August has federal constitutional holiday status. Labour Day and Solothurn's half day rest on cantonal rest-day law.

Date
1 May.
Full day
ZH, BS, BL, SH, TG, TI, NE, JU
Eight cantons
Different rules
SO from noon
Aargau: no statutory holiday
8 full-day cantons; SO from noon

Apply the work rule before the public programme

Full day, half day and ordinary Friday share one date.

The full-day holiday applies in Zurich, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Schaffhausen, Thurgau, Ticino, Neuchâtel and Jura. Throughout Solothurn, including Bucheggberg, the public rest day starts only at noon. Aargau expressly excludes 1 May from its statutory holidays.

Municipal rest days, Labour Act exceptions, shop-opening rules, schools and provider hours remain separate local checks.

Public programme

Rallies can affect places beyond the holiday scope

Political visibility is wider than the statutory map.

1 May developed as an international day of the labour movement and its demands for better working conditions. In Switzerland, its statutory effect nevertheless remains cantonal.

Trade unions and political organisations mark the date with rallies and speeches. This public significance is wider than the statutory full-day or half-day scope.

Events may change traffic, access and business operations even where Friday remains an ordinary working day. Use published local notices for travel and appointments.

A rally does not itself create a statutory day off, and a full-day or noon rest rule does not guarantee that every service is closed.

3 free days without leave

Plan the Friday from the workplace rule

1 May creates a full Friday break in eight cantons; Solothurn starts the public rest day only at noon and does not exclude Bucheggberg.

Apply 1 May by workplace and time of day. 1 May creates a full Friday break in eight cantons; Solothurn starts the public rest day only at noon and does not exclude Bucheggberg.

The three-day break needs no leave in the eight full-day cantons. Solothurn retains an ordinary morning, while Aargau retains an ordinary Friday.

Block
1 May 2026 to 3 May 2026
Three free days only in the full-day cantons

Assumption: Monday-Friday working week.

Workplace applicability is not confirmed; no leave days are preselected. Local or partial employment entitlement for Labour Day (2026-05-01) at the workplace in Switzerland must be confirmed with the municipality and employer.

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Sources & further reading

  1. SECO: leisure and public holidays : Federal guidance distinguishing the nationwide holiday from cantonal holidays.
  2. Swiss Labour Act Art. 20a : Federal labour rule for canton-designated holidays.
  3. Federal Constitution Art. 110 : constitutional status of Swiss National Day.
  4. Historical federal compilation (2011) : Historical context only; not current scope authority.
  5. EDK school holidays : Cantonal school-holiday source.
  6. Aargau public-holiday matrix : current official matrix stating that 1 May is not a statutory holiday in Aargau.
  7. Solothurn Labour Inspectorate: public holidays : Current employment and rest-day authority for Solothurn.
  8. Canton of Solothurn: Rest Days Act : current statutory canton, district and municipal rest-day framework.
  9. Solothurn deadline list : Deadline evidence only; not authority for employment holidays, rest days or shop opening.
  10. Canton of Zurich: statutory holidays : current official employment-law overview.
  11. Basel-Stadt public-rest-day law : current official cantonal law.
  12. Basel-Landschaft public-holiday law : current official cantonal law.
  13. Schaffhausen public-rest-day law : current official cantonal law.
  14. Thurgau public-rest-day law : current official cantonal law.
  15. Canton of Ticino: public holidays 2026 : current official cantonal list for 2026.
  16. Neuchâtel official holidays : 2026 calendar with conditional 2 January and 26 December observance.
  17. Canton of Jura: official holidays : current official cantonal holiday overview.
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