The Essential Swedish Calendar Guide

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 1^st, 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@64.226.114.232 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@64.226.114.232 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.