Kalendern
Holidays in Sweden
Thirteen red days, three eves everyone takes anyway, the sacred klämdag — and a food calendar with its own queues. The Swedish year, 2026 edition.
Red days 2026
- 1 JanNew Year's Day
- 6 JanEpiphany (Trettondedag jul)Monday 5 Jan is a classic klämdag
- 3 AprGood Friday
- 6 AprEaster MondayA built-in four-day weekend
- 1 MayMay DayValborg bonfires the evening before
- 14 MayAscension DayFriday 15 May: the klämdag of the year
- 6 JunNational DayFalls on a Saturday in 2026 — no day off, quiet national shrug
- 19 JunMidsummer EveThe real national day: maypoles, herring, the country emptiesde facto
- 20 JunMidsummer Day
- 31 OctAll Saints' DayCandles in every cemetery — quietly beautiful
- 24 DecChristmas EveThe main event — presents and Kalle Anka at 15:00 sharpde facto
- 25 DecChristmas Day
- 26 DecBoxing Day (Annandag jul)
- 31 DecNew Year's Evede facto
Red days (röda dagar) are statutory holidays. 'De facto' days — the eves — aren't law, but collective agreements and total social consensus close the country anyway.
Klämdag, the national sport
A klämdag ('squeeze day') is a workday wedged between a holiday and a weekend. Swedes bridge it with a single vacation day and vanish for four. In 2026 the big one is Friday 15 May, after Ascension — book it in January, because everyone else will. Monday 5 January is its winter cousin.
When Sweden actually closes
- July
- Industrisemester: the traditional industrial vacation. Offices empty, decisions freeze, out-of-office replies bloom. Plan nothing corporate for weeks 28–31.
- 24 Dec – 1 Jan
- Mellandagarna, the in-between days — officially workdays, practically a national pause with sale shopping.
- Red-day logistics
- Groceries open short hours; most else closes. Crucially: Systembolaget closes entirely on red days and Sundays — Friday-afternoon queues are a national tradition born of this.
The food calendar
- Semmeldagen
- Fat Tuesday: cardamom buns with almond paste and cream. Queues form. Take it seriously.
- Våffeldagen
- Waffle Day — heart-shaped, with cloudberry jam if you've assimilated.
- Valborg
- Walpurgis bonfires, choirs, and students losing composure — especially in Uppsala.
- Kräftskiva season
- Crayfish parties: paper hats, schnapps songs, moonlight. Accept every invitation.
- Kanelbullens dag
- Cinnamon Bun Day — the pastry holiday this site's photography endorses.
- Lucia
- Candlelit processions at dawn, saffron buns, and the year's most haunting singing.
17 Feb
25 Mar
30 Apr
Aug
4 Oct
13 Dec
All of this stacks on top of your statutory five weeks of vacation — see working in Sweden.
Common questions
How many public holidays does Sweden have?
Thirteen statutory red days, plus three eves (Midsummer Eve, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve) that nearly all collective agreements treat as full holidays — in practice, sixteen.
Is Midsummer a public holiday in Sweden?
Midsummer Day (a Saturday) is a red day; Midsummer Eve — when everything actually happens — is technically not, yet the entire country is off. Don't schedule anything. Don't expect open shops.
What is a klämdag?
A single workday squeezed between a holiday and a weekend. Swedes take it off almost by reflex, turning one vacation day into a four-day weekend. 15 May 2026 is the year's prime specimen.
Is everything closed on Swedish holidays?
Grocery stores usually open with short hours; restaurants and museums vary; offices, banks and — importantly — Systembolaget close completely. Buy the wine on Thursday.
Dates are for 2026; movable feasts (Easter, Ascension, Midsummer, All Saints') shift yearly. Updated each January.