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SWISS NATIONAL DAY

Can I celebrate Swiss National Day if I’m not vaccinated?

Officials in the canton of Zug have restricted Swiss National Day celebrations for August 1st to Covid certificate holders. Here are the rules in Switzerland.

Published: 30 July 2021 13:32 CEST
Updated: 1 August 2021 09:29 CEST
Can I celebrate Swiss National Day if I’m not vaccinated?
For an event like this, you'll definitely need a Covid certificate. Photo: ATTILA KISBENEDEK / AFP

Switzerland’s National Day will take place on Sunday, August 1st. 

Due to the pandemic however, it is unlikely to look like previous celebrations. 

READ MORE: Why Switzerland celebrates its National Day with bonfires and brunch

Events across Switzerland have been downsized. Even the Rütli celebration on the meadow where Switzerland was founded is set to be limited to 600 people, due to pandemic measures. 

Some celebrations have however decided not to downsize. In the canton of Zug, authorities have pledged to hold the event as per normal – with one significant change. 

Only people who have a valid Covid certificate are allowed to attend the celebration, which is expecting more than 1,000 people. 

The Covid certificate must show full vaccination against the virus, recovery or a recent negative test. 

On its website, the city confirmed that access is only for those “with a valid Covid-19 certificate”. 

READ MORE: Why Switzerland celebrates its national day on August 1st

“Unfortunately, this is currently the only way to hold an event without limiting the number of participants,” Dieter Müller, Head of Communication for the City of Zug, told Swiss news outlet 20 Minutes on Wednesday. 

“Under the current conditions, the event would not have been feasible.

“It wouldn’t have been worth holding a celebration anymore.”

Some right-wing commentators have been critical of the decision and plan to protest, saying the decision “tramples on the liberal spirit of Switzerland”. 

Müller said he understood people may be against the decision “they are welcome to disagree and find this restriction good or bad”. 

What are the rules for celebrations and events? 

Of course, everyone is free to celebrate Swiss National Day in the manner that they like with or without a Covid certificate. 

However, there are restrictions on larger groups for those without a certificate.

The virus does not take holidays and these rules will not be waived for August 1st.

Events with more than 1,000 people require cantonal approval and must ask all attendees for valid Covid certificates since June 26th. 

Events without a Covid certificate can have up to 1,000 people, provided they are all seated. 

READ MORE: What will Switzerland’s Covid-19 pass allow you to do?

A maximum of 250 people can celebrate inside without a certificate and a maximum of 500 can do so outside (non seated). 

Inside venues can only be filled to two-thirds of capacity. 

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For members

SWISS NATIONAL DAY

EXPLAINED: The rules around fireworks in Switzerland

Setting off small fireworks in gardens is a big part of Swiss culture on at least two special occasions each year. But what are the rules around pyrotechnics?

Published: 29 November 2022 15:35 CET
Updated: 19 July 2023 11:03 CEST
EXPLAINED: The rules around fireworks in Switzerland

When do the Swiss use fireworks?

For many Swiss people, setting off rockets and firecrackers are as much a part of the Swiss National Day on August 1st as Cervelat sausage and singing the national anthem. 

At-home fireworks are also a big deal on December 31st to bring in the new year. 

Almost 2,000 tonnes of fireworks are reportedly sold in Switzerland every year. 

Can I buy and set off fireworks at any time?

No. Most municipalities only allow the use of fireworks on the national holiday and New Year’s Eve. At other times, only people who have a permit can set them off.

Swiss cantons can also restrict the sale of fireworks to certain events and attach further conditions. If a canton or the commune restricts trade, the commune can only do so in compliance with the principle of proportionality: This means that there must be an overriding public interest in the restriction of fireworks. 

In the case of fireworks bans, it could be argued that public interest lies in protecting people, animals and the environment from harmful effects such as noise.

As the Federal Supreme Court points out, “noise emissions from fireworks and firecrackers can significantly disturb people’s well-being”.

But fireworks on certain occasions are a tradition where protection can also be in the public interest.

“For many people, fireworks are part of August 1st and New Year’s Eve,” says the court. “They enjoy setting off fireworks themselves to express their festive mood or their anticipation of the New Year, or watch fireworks set off by others in the night sky.”

In the summer of 2022, a number of cantons and municipalities banned the traditional firework displays on their territory, extending the ban to open fires as well due to high temperatures and persisting drought.

Private fireworks displays were also not allowed in many parts of the country on August 1st last year because of the heatwave. 

It’s not clear at the moment if there will be similar restrictions this year. 

Are there any plans to restrict fireworks?

As we mentioned, many municipalities only allow fireworks to be sold in the run up to August 1st, on New Year’s Eve and sometimes on other local occasions. 

But there have been pushes to ban the private use of fireworks. 

A proposal launched by anti-noise and dog advocacy groups said that private fireworks – like firecrackers and rockets – scare children and animals, and should be restricted. 

The groups have been collecting signatures to put pressure on authorities to further restrict the sale and use of fireworks. 

Up to July 17th, 90,000 signatures had been collected. 

But there’s pushback. Fireworks during these national celebrations are “part of the tradition and culture” of Switzerland, Daniel Bussmann, managing director of Bugano AG, a fireworks producer in Neudorf, Lucerne, said last year.

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