Particle.news
Download on the App Store

All Saints’ Day Triggers ‘Silent Holiday’ Rules and Closures in Parts of Germany

Rhineland-Palatinate has set 2025 guidance that bans dancing from 4 a.m. and permits sporting events from 11 a.m.

Overview

  • The Nov. 1 observance is an official public holiday in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, with regular workdays elsewhere in Germany.
  • Authorities judge events by whether they fit the day’s commemorative character rather than by noise alone, applying a compatibility test to entertainment.
  • Most retail remains closed in observing states, with limited exceptions such as bakeries and florists that may open for restricted hours.
  • The Netherlands does not mark All Saints’ Day as a public holiday, so shops operate normally in border cities such as Venlo.
  • Entertainment limits extend to broadcasting and cinema, with the FSK maintaining lists of films considered unsuitable for silent holidays.