Public holidays in Spain in 2026

Spain celebrates a number of national public holidays every year and, in addition, most regions have their own. In fact, many individual towns have separate public holidays – usually on the day of their specific patron saint on the Catholic calendar. Some public holidays are on the same date every year, but others change annually.

You should be aware that, on a public holiday, nearly all shops and businesses will be closed. Exceptions include petrol stations, emergency services, most bars and restaurants, and some 24-hour or late-opening supermarkets in tourist districts.

If a national public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it is not moved to the nearest weekday, meaning it is effectively missed out on. Non-national holidays may be moved to the nearest weekday if the regional government in question decides to do so. Sometimes, if two or more public holidays are very close to each other or to the nearest weekend, certain businesses and some public sector services will also close on the days in between. This is known as a puente, which translates as 'bridge'.

Here are the official dates for Spain's public holidays in 2026.

National public holidays in 2026

Many of Spain's national holidays are observed elsewhere in the world, and usually on the same date. Some, though, are unique to Spain. This year's national holidays are:

• Thursday, January 1

Like most countries, Spain takes New Year's Day as a national holiday. It is referred to as El Día del Año Nuevo.

• Tuesday, January 6

The Epiphany, or the 12^th day of Christmas, is a national holiday in Spain, and is known as Los Reyes ('The Kings'). Tradition dictates that the Three Wise Men from the biblical Nativity story – referred to in Spain as the Three Kings – deliver presents to children on the night of January 5; the following day is then a day of rest.

• Friday, April 3

In 2026, Good Friday falls on April 3, and is the one of the biggest days of Easter week. As well as being a national holiday, it's a time when beautiful, moving parades take to the streets to depict the biblical story of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

• Friday, May 1

Even in years when it falls on a weekend, May 1 is a holiday in Spain for Labour Day, or El Día del Trabajador ('Day of the Worker'). This coming year, as it falls on a Thursday, the workers it is designed to commemorate will get the day off.

• Saturday, August 15

Celebrated in many countries with a Catholic tradition, August 15 is known as 'Day of the Assumption' (Día de la Asunción). It commemorates the date when, according to the Christian bible, Jesus Christ's mother, the Virgin Mary, went up to heaven. Although not many parts of Spain hold celebrations specifically in the name of the Assumption, the summer months are key festival time throughout the country, so you may well find processions and activities taking place on or around this public holiday anyway.

• Monday, October 12

This year, the 'holiday' falls on a Sunday – and Spanish businesses, including shops, are typically closed on Sundays anyway, meaning you'll probably see no difference. But if you're in Madrid, you may be able to watch the parades for Día de la Hispanidad ('Hispanic Day'), sometimes referred to as the Fiesta Nacional de España ('National Holiday of Spain'), or simply El Doce de Octubre, after the date it falls on.

October 12, as a public holiday, has undergone some changes in recent years due to its controversial nature: It was originally a commemoration of the date when Christopher Colombus (Cristóbal Colón in Spanish) first arrived in the Americas in the year 1492 – but Spain's very sizeable Latin American community considered it inappropriate, as it effectively 'celebrated' colonialism. Now, the focus nationally is on paying homage to the historical ties between Spain and Spanish-speaking America, and the close friendship between the two regions.

Air shows, and foot parades with the various Armed Forces, headed up by Spain's reigning monarch, take place in central Madrid on that day.

• Sunday, November 1

Also celebrated in many countries with a Catholic tradition, El Día de Todos los Santos ('All Saints' Day') will not result in a day off work for most of Spain in 2026. On this day, it is customary for families to visit the graves of their departed loved ones and lay flowers; many towns run free shuttle-buses to the local cemetery, and florists' outlets begin taking advance orders several weeks before.

• Sunday, December 6

One of Spain's more recent national holidays, this date is the anniversary of the country's Constitution being brought into effect in 1978 – a momentous occasion that ringfenced residents' human rights in a way that no future laws or governments would have the power to alter. The 1978 Constitution remains in force today.

• Tuesday, December 8

Given the closeness of the first two December holidays, many businesses allow their workers to take the day in between as a holiday, too, giving them a continuous break. This year, the only working day affected is December 8 itself, so there will be no change.

According to biblical tradition, this was the date of the Immaculate Conception (Concepción Inmaculada) of the Baby Jesus to the Virgin Mary.

• Friday, December 25

Like in most countries, Christmas Day (El Día de la Navidad) is a national holiday in Spain. The main celebrations, though, take place on the night of Christmas Eve (Nochebuena), which is not a public holiday – but shops and businesses normally close early.

Unlike in many parts of the world that celebrate Christmas, December 26 (Boxing Day, or Saint Stephen's Day) is a normal working day in Spain. This said, some individual towns opt to close businesses and public services on what is known in Spanish as El Día de San Esteban or el segundo día de Navidad.

Saint Stephen's Day used to be a public holiday in the Valencia region, but is now only a public holiday in the north-eastern region of Catalunya.

Non-national public holidays

Some public holidays are region-specific, and not observed elsewhere in Spain. They include individual 'regional days' and patron saints' days, among others.

Public holidays for 'region days'

Most autonomous regions in Spain have a specific day of the year when they take a public holiday, to commemorate their own territory, its history and culture. The main ones in 2026 are:

• Saturday, February 28: Andalucía Day
• Sunday, March 1: Balearic Islands Day
• Thursday, April 23: Castilla y León Day
• Friday, May 2: Madrid Day
• Saturday, May 30: Canary Islands Day
• Sunday, May 31: Castilla-La Mancha Day
• Tuesday, June 9: Murcia Day
• Friday, September 11: Catalunya Day (known as the Diada)
• Friday, October 9: Valencia Day (usually known in the Comunidad Valenciana region simply by the date – El Nou d'Octubre).

Other key public holidays by region and what they're for

Regional public holidays are on the same dates every year – except for the Easter holidays – and, if they fall on a Saturday or Sunday, regional governments may, at their discretion, declare the following Monday a 'replacement' public holiday. This typically only happens where the total number of weekday annual holidays in the region does not exceed 14.

Even when a regional public holiday falls on a non-working day, many of them involve celebrations or festivals, some of which are world-famous. You can read about some of these in Spain's top fiestas explained.

The main regional holidays are:

• Either Maundy Thursday or Easter Monday. Although Good Friday is a national holiday and Easter week is celebrated everywhere in Spain, not all regions take Easter Monday as a holiday. Regions that don’t take Easter Monday as a holiday opt for Maundy Thursday instead. Four regions—Basque Country, Cantabria, La Rioja, and Navarra—take both, creating a five-day break.

  Regions where Maundy Thursday (Jueves Santo) is a holiday include Andalucía, Aragón, Asturias, the Balearic Islands, the Basque Country, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla y León, Galicia, Madrid, and Murcia. The Comunidad Valenciana and Catalunya observe Easter Monday but not Maundy Thursday.

• Saint Joseph's Day (Día de San José), on Thursday, March 19, is Father's Day in Spain, and celebrated as such in Murcia, Madrid, La Rioja, Melilla, Galicia, and Castilla-La Mancha. In the Comunidad Valenciana, however, the biggest regional fiestas of the year – the Fallas - come to a close every March 19. As well as being a public holiday, it is the day when the region's giant papier-mâché statues set up on every street corner are burned down.
• Saint George's Day (Día de San Jorge or Dia de Sant Jordi in Catalán) is a public holiday in Aragón on April 23, although it is more famously celebrated in Catalunya. Although not a public holiday in the latter, Saint George's Day is a huge festival. It is the date of death of Spain's best-selling author Miguel de Cervantes and the British poet and playwright William Shakespeare, meaning it is known as International Book Day. In Catalunya, where it is called El Dia del Llibre, streets are packed with book stalls and flower stalls. In Catalunya, tradition dictates that people give their loved ones a gift of a rose or a book on April 23.
• San Isidro is the patron saint of labourers and farmers – and also of Madrid, where a nine-day festival takes place, with parades, traditional regional costume, folk music, and open-air pop and rock concerts. San Isidro's Day is Friday, May 15, which falls in the middle of the festival and is a public holiday in Spain's capital city.
• The summer solstice, celebrated on June 23 in Spain, features late-night bonfires and festivities. June 24, honoring Saint John the Baptist’s birth, is a public holiday in Catalunya and the Comunidad Valenciana, where he is called San Juan or Sant Joan. Alicante marks the occasion with a week-long festival, the Hogueras de San Juan, similar to Valencia’s Fallas.

When considering moving to Spain, you might be attracted by the idea of regular festivals – or living in the region with the most public holidays per year. Of course, many other lifestyle factors will influence your decision on the best location – you can filter by the most important ones for you in our Find Your Place in Spain section.