For anyone who has only recently arrived in Switzerland, 1 August usually comes as a surprise. At ten o’clock in the evening, the whole country lights up. Fireworks go off from gardens, from rooftops, from the lakeside. There’s nothing quite like it in Spain. This year, in many places, that won’t be happening.
Switzerland has been experiencing a severe drought for weeks. The ground is dry, as are the forests. Most cantons have already banned bonfires and open fires. Several of them, including Vaud, Fribourg, Valais and Neuchâtel, have extended this ban to include fireworks, including those on 1 August. In German-speaking Switzerland, the situation is similar: Lucerne, Schwyz, Zug, Solothurn, Uri, Schaffhausen and other cantons are in the same position. Final decisions regarding the Fête Nationale are due to be taken around 23 July, depending on whether or not it rains between now and then. As things stand, the forecasts are not looking good.
What many people don’t realise is that there are two types of fireworks on 1 August: the official ones, organised by the local authorities and subject to approval by each town council and the cantonal authorities; and the private ones, which are already banned in most cantons. If you have fireworks at home and are thinking of setting them off in the garden or on the patio, in many cantons you are already breaking the law. And if the weather doesn’t improve, the official displays may also be cancelled. The forest fire risk is at an all-time high for this time of year.
The Federal Parliament has also just passed a law banning firecrackers that only make a noise without any visual effect throughout Switzerland, regardless of the weather. With the drought, the high temperatures and the forests in their current state, 1 August 2026 is likely to be the quietest in recent years.