Venue
Seelisberg, Uri (celebrations nationwide), Switzerland
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Swiss National Day guide
Bonfires and lanterns in every commune.
In short
Swiss National Day falls on 1 August, with some of the largest fireworks on the evening of 31 July. It suits travellers who prefer local celebration over pageantry: communes light bonfires, children carry paper lanterns and families gather for farm breakfasts. There is no single parade, so check what your town or village plans.
Swiss National Day is the country's birthday, celebrated on the first of August in every town, village and mountain hamlet. There is no single parade. Instead each commune lights its own bonfire, hangs out its flags and sends children through the streets with paper lanterns, while fireworks go up over lakes and valleys after dark.
The day honours the alliance of three Alpine communities that grew into modern Switzerland, and it carries that founding story without much pomp. Politicians speak from village greens, and families gather for a farm breakfast.
For a visitor it offers a rare look at Swiss public life up close. You stand among neighbours, hear the anthem sung in a local accent and watch fires flicker on far hillsides, which says more about the country than any monument.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Where: Switzerland
Venue: Rütli meadow
Held: Every year
Type of event: Cultural Events, National Day
Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
Time zone: Central European Time, UTC+1 (UTC+2 in summer)
Language: German, French, Italian, Romansh
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Arriving early for the Rhine Falls fireworks
The fireworks at the falls are free and draw a very large crowd, so the organisers' advice is simple: get there early. Aim to arrive in daylight, pick your bank, and stay there, because crossing between the Neuhausen and Laufen sides once the crowd thickens is slow.
- Food stalls run along the Rheinfallquai and on the grounds of Schloss Laufen, so you need not carry a picnic.
- Bring a warm layer; the spray and river air cool the evening quickly.
- Agree a meeting point with your group in case phones struggle in the crowd.
Registering for the Rütli ceremony
The Rütli ceremony is not an open walk-in event. After far-right groups disrupted it in 2005, the organisers introduced pre-registration, and you should expect your name to be checked. Treat the meadow as the national symbol it is: speeches are listened to, and the anthem is sung standing. Dress for weather on the lake, since boats and the path from Seelisberg are both exposed.
Etiquette at a farm brunch
The 1 August brunch is hosted by farming families on their own land, organised nationally by the Swiss Farmers Association. It is a working farm, not a restaurant. Wear shoes you do not mind getting muddy, keep children close around machinery, and ask before stroking the animals, even though petting corners for children are part of the idea. Paying and booking arrangements differ from farm to farm, so contact your chosen farm ahead and bring some cash in case cards are not accepted.
What happens on the day
- 31 July, evening
Fireworks on the eve
The Great Rhine Falls Fireworks near Schaffhausen and Basel's display over the Rhine both take place the night before the holiday.
- 1 August, morning
Farm brunches
Farms across the country lay out long tables of their own produce, and members of the Federal Council often turn up as guests or speakers.
- 1 August, afternoon
Speeches
Addresses in town squares and on village greens; the President of the Confederation traditionally speaks on the Rütli.
- 1 August, dusk
Lanterns
Children walk through the streets with paper lanterns.
- 1 August, night
Bonfires and rockets
Communes light bonfires on hillsides and lakeshores and private fireworks crackle until late. Find a view across a valley or lake to watch several villages at once.
- 2 August
Back to work
The next morning is an ordinary working day.
Choosing where to spend 1 August
There is no single place where Switzerland celebrates. Every commune puts on its own evening, so the real decision is which version you want. The biggest crowd gathers at the Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen for the fireworks the night before. The most symbolic setting is the Rütli, the meadow above Lake Lucerne where the country's founding oath is said to have been sworn. The homeliest is a brunch on a working farm on the morning of the holiday itself.
You can manage two of these. Spend the evening of 31 July at the falls, sleep in Schaffhausen or Zurich, and give 1 August to a farm brunch and a village bonfire. The Rütli ceremony takes planning, because attendance there has needed advance registration since 2006. Check the arrangements with the organiser, the Schweizerische Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft (SGG), well before you travel.
In a small town, ask at your hotel where the local celebration is held; it is usually a short walk. Our guide to travelling in Switzerland helps with choosing a base.
The 1291 charter and how the holiday was established
The date points back to the Federal Charter of 1291, a pact sealed in early August by three Alpine communities, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden. Legend places the swearing of the alliance on the Rütli meadow, as an act of defiance against Habsburg rule. The story is tidier than the history. The chronicler Aegidius Tschudi dated the Rütli oath to 1307, and for centuries other dates competed. Only in the twentieth century, especially after the 650th anniversary celebrations of 1941, did 1291 settle firmly in popular memory.
The celebration itself is younger than many visitors assume. It was first held in 1891, when the Confederation marked its 600th anniversary, and became annual in 1899, largely because Swiss living abroad pressed for it. For almost a century it remained a day of speeches and fires without being a day off.
That changed by public vote, very Swiss in itself. Citizens backed a popular initiative in 1993, and the first official holiday followed in 1994. The traditions remain local and modest: flags strung along balconies, bread baked for the occasion, a commune's bonfire, a speech by someone you might meet at the bakery the next day.
Getting there
Flying in
Zurich Airport is the main gateway, with frequent trains to Zürich HB and on towards Schaffhausen.
Rhine Falls, north bank
Neuhausen Rheinfall station, opened in 2015, is linked by bridges and lifts to the river just below the falls. Zurich S-Bahn line S9 stops there hourly between Zürich HB and Schaffhausen.
Rhine Falls, south bank
Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall station sits under the castle on lines S12 and S33, with a walkway up to the viewing terraces. Both stations have half-hourly links to Schaffhausen.
After the fireworks
Organisers ask everyone to come on foot, by bike or by train, and to arrive early. Expect long platform queues afterwards; the SN65 from Neuhausen and the SN3 from Laufen help with the late return.
To the Rütli
There is no road. The meadow sits in Seelisberg, canton Uri, on Lake Lucerne: arrive by boat at the small pier or on foot from Seelisberg village. It is also the first stage of the Swiss Path, a lakeside trail laid out in 1991.
Where to stay during the festival
If the Rhine Falls are your priority, book a room in Schaffhausen once your dates are fixed, as the fireworks fall on a Saturday in 2027. Zurich is the larger alternative, with S-Bahn links to both banks of the falls.
Hotels around Lake Lucerne suit a Rütli visit, while a small-town stay gives you a commune celebration a short walk from the door.
Weather and what to pack
Early August is summer in the Swiss lowlands, warm by day and pleasant in the evening. On the 1991-2020 normals for Schaffhausen, August averages a high of 24.6°C and a low of 13.9°C, with about 95 mm of rain over 11 days. July is very similar.
Summer thunderstorms are common, and very dry spells can lead cantons to restrict fireworks and bonfires, so check local notices.
Worth packing
- A light jacket for the evening by the water
- A rain shell for a summer thunderstorm
- Comfortable shoes for station stairs and riverbank paths
- A picnic blanket for the fireworks
- A Swiss Travel Pass or tickets bought in advance on the SBB app
- A small Swiss flag, if you want to join in
Car hire in Switzerland
Airport transfer to Swiss National Day
Met at arrivals at Zurich Airport (ZRH) and driven door to door to Rütli meadow.
- Zurich Airport (ZRH) → Rütli meadow
- 104 km · 2 hours
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
Yes, nationwide. It became an official day off in 1994, after Swiss voters approved a popular initiative in 1993 with 83.3% in favour.
About 150 m wide and 23 m high, which makes them a dramatic backdrop for a fireworks show. They sit between Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Laufen-Uhwiesen.
Yes, on the evening of 31 July over the Rhine. In 2011 about 1,300 rockets were fired from two barges for nearly half an hour, and an estimated 120,000 people watched.
In recent years the parliament building has opened free to the public on the holiday. In 2025 it welcomed visitors from 8:30 to 4:30pm, with presiding officers answering questions. Check the year's arrangements before going.
Bakeries make a loaf called the 1. Augustweggen for the holiday. It turns up on breakfast tables and at brunches across the country.
The anthem exists in German, French, Italian and Romansh, so the version you hear depends on the region you are in.
Tradition holds that representatives of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden swore their alliance there. The Schweizerische Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft bought the meadow in 1859 and has held a 1 August ceremony on it since 1860.
Booking
No, watching from the banks is free. The display takes place on the evening of 31 July, the eve of the holiday, and is best reached by train.
The number changes each year. About 270 farms took part in 2025, while in 2011 around 400 farming families fed some 200,000 guests.
Timing & weather
The falls were first illuminated for the holiday in 1920. Since 1966 the lighting has been reserved for National Day alone, which is why it feels like an occasion.