The fifteen official public holidays of the canton of Ticino

Ticino has fifteen official public holidays, more than any other Swiss canton. The list is established by the law on official public holidays in the canton of Ticino, dated 15 December 2009, and stays the same from year to year.

The holidays are New Year's Day on 1 January, Epiphany on 6 January, St Joseph's Day on 19 March, Easter Monday, Labour Day on 1 May, Ascension, Whit Monday, Corpus Christi, Saints Peter and Paul on 29 June, the National Day on 1 August, the Assumption on 15 August, All Saints' Day on 1 November, the Immaculate Conception on 8 December, Christmas on 25 December and St Stephen's Day on 26 December.

Four of these have no fixed date because they depend on Easter: Easter Monday, Ascension, Whit Monday and Corpus Christi move every year.

What they mean for employees

In labour law terms these fifteen days count as equivalent to Sunday for businesses subject to the federal Labour Act. The rules on Sunday work set out in articles 18 and 19 of that act therefore apply.

The practical consequence is that working on these days is not absolutely prohibited but requires the authorisations and compensation provided for Sundays. Exceptions concern sectors that by their nature operate without interruption, such as healthcare, transport and parts of hospitality and retail.

In 2026 some of these dates fall at the weekend and therefore do not produce an extra day off. The Assumption, on 15 August, falls on a Saturday, and All Saints' Day, on 1 November, on a Sunday.

The high number of holidays sets Ticino apart from the rest of Switzerland and stems from the canton's Catholic tradition. Several Protestant cantons recognise fewer than half of them, which creates real differences for people working beyond the Gotthard and for companies with sites in more than one canton. For cross-border workers it is the calendar of the place of work that counts, not that of the place of residence.