In German public theaters, the week of the whole ensemble is fixed in advance. Since 1 August 2025, the collective agreement for stage artists, the NV Bühne, requires the Wochenplan, the weekly plan, to be published inside the theater by 2 p.m. on the Thursday of the week before. A non-binding preview of the following week is attached. Each member must inform himself about the plan. Most changes must be announced by 2 p.m. on the day before. Later ones need the member’s consent. A rehearsal or performance can be canceled at any time.
The Holiday List
The career site Karrierebibel advises German teams to settle at the start of the year who will take leave when, and suggests a public holiday list on the notice board or the intranet. The law sets the order of priority. Under Section 7 of the Federal Leave Act, the employer must follow the employee’s wishes, unless urgent operational needs stand in the way, or the wishes of colleagues who deserve priority on social grounds, such as parents of school-age children. A works council has a say over the principles of holiday planning. In 2021 the Federal Labor Court confirmed that an employee who takes leave that was not granted can in principle be dismissed without notice.
The Vocabulary of the Calendar
der Termin — an appointment, or a fixed date. Duden traces the word to Latin terminus, a boundary mark.
einen Termin vereinbaren or ausmachen — to agree on a date.
der Terminkalender — the appointment diary.
Ich muss mal in meinen Kalender schauen. — I have to look in my calendar.
sich etwas vormerken — to note something down for later.
Der Termin steht. — The date is fixed.
einen Termin verschieben — to move a date.
jemanden vertrösten — to give someone hope of a later time instead of what they asked for.
der Termindruck — the pressure of dates and deadlines.
Sales on Fixed Dates
Until 2004, German stores held their seasonal clearance sales on dates fixed by law. The winter sale began on the last Monday of January, and the summer sale on the last Monday of July. Each sale lasted 12 days. The rules were part of the law against unfair competition, and a reform of that law abolished them in 2004.
Wedding Dates at Midnight
The registry office in Cologne releases its wedding dates online auf den Tag genau sechs Monate im Voraus um 0 Uhr, exactly six months ahead to the day, at midnight. In Fürth, couples can reserve special Saturday dates by telephone six months in advance. For the date 26.6.26, the registry office in Fürth extended its hours.
A Season of Dates
The Bavarian State Opera in Munich sells subscriptions for its season. The dates of the subscription performances are printed on the subscription card, although the opera reserves the right to change them. Under the terms for 2025/26, a subscriber can cancel during the running season only aus außerordentlichen Gründen, for extraordinary reasons. For the next season, subscribers are offered a renewal with the same seats.
Late Invitations
Frida Hummel’s etiquette book Lebensart has a chapter on the midday dinner party. It says that invitations should be sent out early. The guests need time to accept or decline. The hostess needs time to prepare, and to invite a replacement if a guest cannot come. Then the chapter adds a short sentence: Späte Einladungen werden übel vermerkt. Late invitations are taken badly.
The Season Is Fixed in June
On 27 June 2025, the German Football League published the dates and pairings of all 34 matchdays of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The season began on 22 August. From June, every club and every fan knew on which weekend each match would take place. The exact kickoff times are set only during the season, and fans have complained about the times they are given. In 2022, after 1. FC Union Berlin’s away match in Freiburg was set for 5:30 p.m. on a Sunday, a Union fan told the Berliner Kurier: Wir alle müssen am nächsten Tag arbeiten. We all have to work the next day.
Strikes Without Notice
In March 2024, during an industrial dispute at Deutsche Bahn, the train drivers’ union GDL changed its tactics. Until then it had announced strikes about two days in advance. Now it said it would strike without that notice. The union called these Wellenstreiks, wave strikes. Its chairman, Claus Weselsky, said: Damit ist die Eisenbahn kein zuverlässiges Verkehrsmittel mehr. With this, the railway is no longer a reliable means of transport. Deutsche Bahn’s personnel director, Martin Seiler, called the wave strikes eine blanke Zumutung für unsere Fahrgäste, a sheer imposition on our passengers. Dirk Flege of the rail association Allianz pro Schiene said the union was taking away the passengers’ chance to at least prepare and umplanen, to change their plans.
Moving a Court Date
Under Section 227 of the Code of Civil Procedure, a German court may cancel or move a hearing date only aus erheblichen Gründen, for substantial reasons. The law then lists what does not count. A party’s absence does not count, unless the court believes the party was prevented without fault. Poor preparation does not count, unless it is sufficiently excused. The third item is das Einvernehmen der Parteien allein, the agreement of the parties alone. Even when both sides want a new date, that is not a reason. If the judge asks, the reasons must be substantiated. The same section contains a summer rule. As a rule, a hearing set between 1 July and 31 August must be moved if a party asks within one week of receiving the summons, although the law makes exceptions.