What are the Swedish public holidays and what are the other important dates and occasions in Sweden that you should know about when you move here? We’ve put together a guide that covers all the essentials from traditions to tax declaration and also explains important Swedish concepts like ‘squeeze days’ and ‘week numbers’.
An overview of the Swedish Calendar 2017
Date Weekday Important Dates and Occasions
Jan 1 Sunday New Year’s Day, Public holiday
Jan 5 Thursday Twelfth Night, De facto half holiday
Jan 6 Friday Epiphany, Public holiday
Feb 14 Tuesday Valentine’s day (Commonly celebrated)
Mar 26 Sunday Daylight Saving Time starts (Clock changes)
Mar 31 Friday End of requirement for winter tires on vehicles
Apr 13 Thursday Maundy Thursday (Tradition)
Apr 14 Friday Good Friday, Public holiday
Apr 15 Saturday Holy Saturday, De facto half holiday
Apr 15 Saturday Summer tires required on vehicles
Apr 16 Sunday Easter Day, Public holiday
Apr 17 Monday Easter Monday, Public holiday
Apr 30 Sunday Walpurgis Night, De facto half holiday
May 1 Monday May First, Public holiday
May 2 Tuesday Last date for submission of annual tax declaration
May 25 Thursday Ascension Day, Public holiday
May 28 Sunday Mother’s Day, De facto holiday
June 3 Saturday Pentecost Eve, De facto holiday
June 4 Sunday Whit Sunday, Public holiday
June 6 Tuesday National Day, Public holiday
June 23 Friday Midsummer Eve, De facto holiday
June 24 Saturday Midsummer Day, Public holiday
Oct 1 Sunday Winter tires allowed on vehicles
Oct 29 Sunday Daylight Saving Time ends (Clock changes)
Oct 31 Tuesday Halloween (commonly celebrated)
Nov 3 Friday All Saints’ Eve, De facto half holiday
Nov 4 Saturday All Saints’ Day, Public holiday
Nov 12 Sunday Father’s Day, De facto holiday
Dec 1 Friday Winter tires required on vehicles
Dec 3 Sunday First Sunday in advent (Tradition)
Dec 10 Sunday Nobel prize ceremony and banquet (Tradition)
Dec 13 Wednesday Lucia Day (Tradition)
Dec 24 Sunday Christmas Eve, Public holiday
Dec 25 Monday Christmas Day, Public holiday
Dec 26 Tuesday Boxing Day, Public holiday
Dec 31 Sunday New Year’s Eve, De facto holiday
Holidays at a glance
Date Weekday Occasion
Jan 1 Sunday New Year’s Day, Public holiday
Jan 5 Thursday Twelfth Night, De facto half holiday
Jan 6 Friday Epiphany, Public holiday
Apr 14 Friday Good Friday, Public holiday
Apr 15 Saturday Holy Saturday, De facto half holiday
Apr 16 Sunday Easter Day, Public holiday
Apr 17 Monday Easter Monday, Public holiday
Apr 30 Sunday Walpurgis Night, De facto half holiday
May 1 Monday May 1st, Public holiday
May 25 Thursday Ascension Day, Public holiday
May 28 Sunday Mother’s Day, De facto holiday
June 3 Saturday Pentecost Eve, De facto holiday
June 4 Sunday Whit Sunday, Public holiday
June 6 Tuesday National Day, Public holiday
June 23 Friday Midsummer Eve, De facto holiday
June 24 Saturday Midsummer Day, Public holiday
Nov 3 Friday All Saints’ Eve, De facto half holiday
Nov 4 Saturday All Saints’ Day, Public holiday
Nov 12 Sunday Father’s Day, De facto holiday
Dec 24 Sunday Christmas Eve, Public holiday
Dec 25 Monday Christmas Day, Public holiday
Dec 26 Tuesday Boxing Day, Public holiday
Dec 31 Sunday New Year’s Eve, De facto holiday
School holidays at a glance
School holidays can vary by school and by region so always check with your child’s school. However, if you are living in Stockholm, the following are the standard school holidays. Not only is it useful information for your own family planning but if you have an important meeting to arrange, break time should be avoided as a lot of people will be away.
Spring term
Term Starts Jan 9
Sports break Feb 27 – Mar 3
Easter holidays Apr 10 – Arp 13
Term ends Jun 9
Autumn Term
Term starts Aug 16
Mid-term break Oct 30 – Nov 3
Term ends Dec 22
What are De facto holidays?
The day before an official holiday is in most cases treated as a de facto holiday in two variants, full day and half day.
De facto holidays: The De Facto holidays are almost always treated as official holidays by employers, so most employees working regular office hours do not work these days.
De facto half holidays: De facto half holidays often mean that you have the afternoon off, but this varies depending on the employer. Many of the employees that have half days off have a slightly longer work week the rest of the year to compensate for the time off. In many cases, employees take the whole day off, combining the half-holiday with some other form of leave.
What are ’squeeze days’?
Squeeze days are days that fall between a public holiday and the weekend, which Swedes often take off. The most common squeeze day in Sweden is probably the Friday after Ascension Thursday i.e. May 26 2017 which nearly everyone takes off. Some workplaces have actually worked squeeze days into their official holidays whilst others need to take this as a day’s leave.
What are week numbers?
Swedes often use the concept of week numbers when referring to dates and planning meetings, which can be confusing. E.g “How does week 24 look for you?” Here is an overview of Swedish week numbers in 2017 . If you would like to quickly check what week it is, see vecka.nu, which has the sole function of boldly displaying the current week number.
What are flag days?
A number of days of the calendar year are designated as official flag days. This means that the flag of Sweden is flown on all public flag poles and buildings. If you have a flag pole at home, as many Swedes do, hoisting of the Swedish flag is also strongly encouraged on these day, but this is not compulsory. There are 17 flag days in total which cover both important national events and birthdays of members of the Swedish Royal family. A full list is available here .
Questions?
Why not contact us by email at info@relocatetosweden.com or via our social media channels.
Relocate to Sweden provides expert advice and hands-on help for companies recruiting internationally or transferring staff to Sweden. We help your international recruits with the entire relocation process including work and residence visas, home finding, tax consultancy, registration with Swedish authorities, schools, health care, translations, language and intercultural training. Email us at info@relocatetosweden.com or call us on +46 8 361011 if you would like help. You can also read more about our relocation services at www.relocatetosweden.com or follow us on social media for tips and advice.
