Heidi A new year, a new empty agenda! My agenda is never empty for very long as I begin to mark all the long weekends and school vacations. Knowing when it is a bank holiday or school vacation in Sweden is so handy when planning a trip. That’s why I set up this list for you with the dates of the official public holidays in Sweden. This way you can also choose your travel dates in function of certain festivities and you avoid only finding out when you’re there, that many things may be closed during your stay in Sweden because of a bank holiday.
Swedish (bank) holidays 2024
The official Swedish bank holidays are röda dagar (red days) in Sweden. These are the days when most of the Swedes do not have to work. I put them bold in the list below. Midsummer Eve and Christmas Eve are in bold and italic. Although no official holidays in Sweden, most of the Swedes take the day off or stop working earlier.
| 1 January | Nyårsdagen | New year |
| 6 January | Trettondedag Jul | |
| 13 January | Tjugondedag Jul (Knutsdagen) | |
| 13 February | Fettisdagen | |
| 14 February | Alla Hjärtans dag | Valentine’s day |
| 28 March | Skärtorsdagen | |
| 29 March | Långfredagen | |
| 30 March | Påskdagen | Easter |
| 31 March | Annandag Påsk | Easter monday |
| 30 April | Valborgsmässoafton | Walpurgis |
| 1 May | Första Maj | |
| 9 May | Kristi Himmelfärds dag | |
| 26 May | Mors dag | Mother’s day |
| 6 June | Sveriges nationaldag | National holiday |
| 19 May | Pingstdagen | |
| 20 May | Annandag Pingst | |
| 23 June | Midsommarafton | Midsummer eve |
| 24 June | Midsommaren | Midsummer |
| 1 November | Alla Helgons dag (Skogskyrkogården) | All Saints |
| 10 November | Fars dag | Father’s day |
| 13 December | Luciadagen | St Lucia |
| 24 December | Julafton | Christmas eve |
| 25 December | Juldagen (Jul) | Christmas |
| 26 December | Annandag Jul | Boxing Day |
Swedish school holidays 2024
The Swedish school holidays are sometimes spread, depending on the region.
Christmas Holidays
Christmas holidays in Sweden run from December 21, 2024 to January 6, 2025. Local deviations are possible. Next year the Christmas holidays will be from December 20, 2025 to January 4, 2026. Planning further ahead? In 2026, the Swedish Christmas holidays start on December 19 and end on January 10, 2027.
Visiting Stockholm during Christmas season? Read this article!
Winter Holidays
In Sweden, the winter holiday is called ‘sportlov‘ or sports holidays. This holiday is spread between weeks 7 and 10, depending on the region. In Göteborg it is week 7, in Malmö week 8 and Stockholm had week 9.
If you would like to book a skiing holiday in Sweden, it may be useful to take these dates into account. Outside these periods, certain slopes can be closed or more (and cheaper) accommodation can be available.
Easter Holidays
Only Stockholm and Central Sweden have a full week of Easter Holidays. The other regions only have an extended Easter weekend.
Summer Holiday
The Summer Holidays in Sweden commence on June 12 and last until August 16, 2024. A number of regions start their summer holidays a few days earlier or later. Please note that popular tourist destinations can be busy during this period. After this date it is much quieter, but certain attractions and/or facilities may be (partly) closed.
In the coming years, the summer holidays will be from June 14 to August 18, 2025, from June 13 to August 16, 2026 and from June 12 to August 12, 2027.
Autumn Holiday
The autumn vacation also depend on the region: from 28 October to 1 November 2024.
Good to know when planning your vacation to Sweden
⭐️On the eve of a holiday, shops and museums often close a bit earlier. Midsummer can be compared to Christmas. Just about everything is closed and a lot of Swedes go to their sommarstuga or holiday home. Yes, the day before is often one of the busiest times on the roads!
⭐️ During the corona crisis, the Swedes rediscovered their own country. So keep in mind that during the Swedish summer holidays it can be crowded in the popular places. It is best to book overnight stays in touristic regions in advance. Try to travel a little later if you can – in mid-August the Swedish summer holidays are over and things are quieter again. Do check that the places you want to visit are still open. Or avoid the more popular spots and explore lesser-known regions.
⭐️ Many holidays are special celebrations to experience in Sweden. I’m thinking of Valborg, midsummer, Sankta Lucia and the Christmas markets,… Sometimes I really try to plan my trips around those events.
- Read more on midsummer in Sweden
- Read more on Christmas in Sweden
What are ‘flag days’ or flaggdagar?
Flaggdagar are days when you rise the flag. You fly the flag when you feel like it, usually on family occasions such as birthdays, weddings, etc. and of course also on general flag days established by the government. There are 17 national flag days and there can even be local flag days. Apart from days like New Year, Easter, the National Day,… also the ‘name days’ and the birthdays for the king, queen and crown princess are flag days.
Pin for later: holidays in Sweden
FAQ Holidays in Sweden
When does summer break start in Sweden?
The summer school holidays already start halfway June. Most people take a break shortly after midsummer. It is not unusual in Sweden to take several weeks off.
It was said the Summer Holiday for Sweden lasts really too long, for over 2 months from 6/12 to 8/18 in 2019. I was wondering how they work, production, industries continue during their off season, but only the recreational and services industries will boost up during these long offs.
I think she’s referring to the summer holiday for schools (which is similar to North America, that is, about 2 months off for elementary/secondary students). That said, Swedes get at least 5 weeks off. Having lived in Sweden for 26 years, basically Sweden is shut down from about Midsummer to the first or second week of August as people go on holiday. And the country somehow remains productive. Perhaps just goes to show you can be productive even with longer holidays. Maybe even more so.