Swiss voters face 29 November vote on banning noisy fireworks nationwide
Supporters opened their campaign for a nationwide restriction on noisy fireworks in Bern on 13 October. Voters decide on the federal popular initiative on 29 November 2026, with 137,429 valid signatures already submitted.
What the initiative would change
The federal popular initiative 'For a restriction of fireworks (Feuerwerksinitiative)' would enshrine in the constitution a nationwide ban on the sale and use of fireworks that produce noise. Cantonal authorities could grant exemptions on application for events of supra-regional importance, such as the national holiday on 1 August or New Year's Eve. Pyrotechnics that go up without noise, including volcanoes, sparklers and table fireworks, would remain permitted. The initiators submitted 137,429 signatures, well above the 100,000 needed to trigger a national vote. The ballot is set for 29 November 2026, when Swiss voters decide on four national items.
Campaign launch in Bern
The yes campaign presented its case to the media in Bern on 13 October, with representatives of the Swiss Animal Protection (STS) and other animal welfare groups, game wardens and farmers taking part. Its advertising has run on 917 digital screens at railway stations and in city centres since 5 October, and the committee expects it to reach about 3,850 screens across Switzerland in the coming weeks. Marco Mettler, managing director of the STS, rejected the claim that the proposal is extreme.
These are not extreme demands.
Mettler also argued that the initiative would not cost Switzerland its national holiday, which he said would instead gain more consideration. He said public fireworks at important celebrations would remain allowed, as long as they are limited in place and time. The committee calls the text a compromise rather than an extreme measure.
- Yes campaign advertising goes live on 917 digital screens
- Initiative committee presents its arguments to the media in Bern
- Nationwide vote on the fireworks initiative
Animals, accidents and waste
The initiators say pets, farm animals and wildlife suffer from the noise and often fall into fear and panic. Andrea Schaller of the Swiss Animal Protection in western Switzerland and Ticino pointed to 1 August 2026, when private fireworks were banned across wide areas because of the heatwave and drought. She said not a single lost-dog report was recorded that day, while calls normally rise sharply on the national holiday. Gabriel Sutter, a game warden in Basel-Landschaft, said stress makes wildlife burn through energy reserves and abandon shelters or their young, and that a fright can be fatal in the worst cases. Suva registers about 260 accidents a year linked to fireworks, including burn injuries and cases of blindness. The Federal Council puts annual fireworks waste at about 1,300 tonnes.
The topic moves people.
Corinne Meister of the initiative committee said the aim is not to take away the joy of celebrating. She added that the joy of some must not come at the expense of others, and that 'uncontrolled bangs' should be banned.
Opposition and existing rules
The Federal Council, a parliamentary majority, the Swiss Trade Association and the fireworks industry oppose the initiative. They argue that cantons and municipalities can already restrict fireworks in time and place or make them subject to a permit. Peter V. Kunz, who has presided over the Swiss Animal Protection since April 2025, supports the campaign financially, although the organisation is not part of the initiative committee. In an interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Kunz described a patchwork of cantonal rules and pointed to Graubünden, where many municipalities have already banned noisy fireworks. He said a constitutional change is regrettable and blamed parliament for failing to agree on a counter-proposal.
Jonas Lüthy, head of the Young Liberals (Jungfreisinnige), argues against the text on grounds of personal freedom and the role of the state.
The fireworks initiative fits into a policy that dictates more and more to people and trusts them less and less.
The campaign on both sides will run until the ballot on 29 November 2026, and the yes committee has said its advertising will spread to further digital sites in the coming weeks.