People love to let off fireworks on 1 August, Swiss National Day. At the same time, the practice is coming in for growing criticism: animals, people and the environment are impacted by them. A popular initiative now aims to introduce a ban on the use of loud fireworks by private individuals.
The Swiss Abroad will remember: rockets, firework volcanoes and firecrackers go with 1 August like mustard and bratwurst at a garden barbecue. New Year’s Eve has also become something of a pyrotechnic event in Switzerland in recent years. About 2,000 tonnes of fireworks are set off every year – twice as much as 20 years ago, according to a study by the Federal Office for the Environment from 2014. Up to 600 different fireworks are available. “Fireworks are an expression of joie de vivre,” says Linda Feller, owner of Berne fireworks store “Stärnehimu” (dialect for “starry sky”).
As with any tradition, some people identify with it more than others, explains Feller. Admittedly, the noise is a disturbance before and after the public holiday, but “a great number of people” enjoy the vivid flashes of light, she argues. Fireworks create “unforgettable moments” at local 1 August celebrations, weddings, anniversaries and birthdays. However, fans and suppliers are under pressure. A growing number of municipalities are curbing or banning the use of fireworks. Particularly so in the canton of Grisons, where every third municipality has issued a ban in recent years, including tourist hotspots Davos, Pontresina and St. Moritz. The reasons given for the bans are the protection of domestic and wild animals as well as of the natural environment.
The whole country may soon follow suit. In November 2023, a committee submitted a popular initiative calling for restrictions in the use of fireworks. Over 137,000 people signed it. The initiative calls for a ban on the sale and use of loud fireworks. Quieter variants, such as cones, sparklers or Roman candles would still be allowed. Professional fireworks for inter-regional events would be allowed with a permit.
Private individuals are behind the initiative. They are supported by various organisations including Swiss Animal Protection, BirdLife Switzerland, Lärmliga Schweiz, Pro Natura and Fondation Franz Weber. “Loud fireworks spread fear and panic among pets, livestock and wild animals,” says Simon Hubacher of Swiss Animal Protection. The sudden bang triggers great stress, which the animals cannot cope with, he says. Farm animals sustain injuries trying to flee. Dogs suffer so much that their owners take them across the border.
People also suffer from the noise, especially the elderly and mentally afflicted, argue the supporters of the ban. The noise of fireworks is limited by law to 120 decibels, from a certain distance. By way of comparison, a jackhammer reaches 100 decibels. Fireworks also lead to accidents and fires. Between 2018 and 2022, there were about 200 accidents every year at 1 August celebrations, according to the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention. These mainly took the form of burns and hearing damage. Commonly accidents were caused by people tinkering with fireworks, getting distracted or being careless. Last New Year’s Eve there was a fatality: a 46-year-old died in the canton of Lucerne when handling a firework firing system. And a 14-year-old was seriously injured in the canton of Valais when fireworks detonated in the middle of a crowd.
Advocates of the ban also refer to environmental problems. Over a tonne of generated waste is left lying around and the fine dust particles accumulate. Fine dust is released when fireworks burn, as well as carbon dioxide and more besides. According to the 2014 study by the Federal Office for the Environment, the fine dust daily limit is “often exceeded” on 1 August and New Year’s Eve. Over the course of a year, however, fireworks only account for about two per cent of all fine dust emissions. The authorities advise older people and persons with respiratory or circulatory diseases to avoid fireworks.
The initiative is being reviewed in Berne. The Federal Council recommends rejecting it, arguing that a national rule is not needed, as the cantons and municipalities could issue their own bans. However, the parliament has indicated it is ready to compromise. The preliminary committees of the Council of States and National Council voted in January and April 2025 to elaborate an indirect counter-proposal. The need to protect people and animals from noise pollution was “justified”, it argued. The counter-proposal is to stipulate a ban on firecrackers without visual effects in the Explosives Act.
Is this rapprochement a response to surveys, which show a lot of sympathy for the initiative? About 70 per cent would back the initiative, according to a representative survey by research institute gfs.bern in 2024. The main reason is noise pollution. Opponents argue that a ban is excessive. The counter-proposal has not yet been drafted and the parties have yet to adopt a position. The Swiss Trade Association warns of a “prohibition culture”, which would deprive children of a tradition. The Association also contends that the ban would affect the SME sector.
“The initiative threatens an entire sector,” says business owner Linda Feller. Many small retailers would go out of business without their firework sales revenue. Advocates of the ban counter that it is mainly firework volcanoes that are produced in Switzerland and they are not affected. Most of the fireworks are imported from China. The committee behind the initiative has indicated it is willing to consider an “effective” counter-proposal. Whether that will suffice remains to be seen. Simon Hubacher from Swiss Animal Protection sees the initiative as pragmatic: besides quiet fireworks and big official occasions, laser and drone shows and bonfires are still allowed. “Private firecrackers have nothing to do with tradition.”
Hubacher refers to another survey finding from 2024: although most respondents enjoy watching fireworks, most people rarely, if ever, actually buy fireworks – and, when they do, they usually opt for the silent ones. That fits with the thrust of the initiative. Assuming the initiative is not withdrawn in favour of an acceptable counter-proposal, the electorate will most likely vote in 2026 on whether Switzerland should get rid of loud fireworks.
Für eine Einschränkung von Feuerwerk www.feuerwerksinitiative.ch
«Pro Feuerwerk» www.profeuerwerk.ch
Comments
Comments :
The Swiss should NOT accept any criticism or negative influence on their traditions and celebrations. The aim of such criticism is to diminish Swiss National Pride.
Seien wir doch ehrlich. Wir alle oder zumindest die meisten von uns - auch die absoluten Feuerwerksgegner - freuten sich doch in ihrer Kindheit und Jugenzeit riesig auf den 1. August, um wieder mal Feuerwerkskörper zu starten. Ja, es macht Spass, schöne Feuerwerkskörper zu zünden und es schaut auch wunderschön aus.
Allerdings muss ich zugeben, dass selbst ich als grosser Feuerwerksfan die lauten Ballereien für absolut überflüssig halte. Es geht doch auch ohne Knallereien, denn einige Feuerwerkskörper zaubern wunderschöne Farben ohne dabei zu knallen wie z.B. Vulkäne. Auch tierkonforme Raketen zaubern ein schönes Bouquet an den Himmel und der laute Knall bleibt aus.
Also warum nicht einfach nur solche Feuerwerkskörper erlauben, die lediglich schöne und bunte Sterne zaubern, dafür quasi lautlos sind und kein Tier muss darunter leiden.
Je fais entièrement confiance aux résidents suisses qui sauront prendre la meilleure solution avec sagesse et qui fait une des grandes qualités du pays.
Dass vielen das Leid der Tiere und der Kleinkinder wurst ist, finde ich persönlich bedenklich! Vor 2005 wohnte ich oberhalb am Stadelhofen und konnte das Feuerwerk vom Dach aus bewundern. Das war, ja zugegeben, speziell. Aber mit 70 fängt man doch an, einiges zu hinterfragen - zu fragen, ob etwas wirklich nötig ist und wem es am Ende wirklich etwas bringt. Wenn die meisten Leserinnen und Leser noch nicht Vegetarier geworden sind, bekommt eventuell doch noch eine Chance, es zu erkennen :) God Bless… Ich wünsche allen Schweizern:innen einen gesunden und normalen 1. August 2025. Umur
To answer your question, do we need fireworks, I say no. It is a Chinese tradition.
Hi Judy, absolutely correct. They were and still are in believe to scare away low energies with a harmful frequency. They should rather rethink and say: what you saw you will have to think: You reap what you sow. When you planted oranges, you can't expect lemons… Regards from Sri Lanka, Umur