Public holidays in Åland
11 days in 2026 · 11 in 2027
Back to ÅlandNext public holiday
All Saints Day
Alla helgons dag
After it: Independence Day, Sunday 6 December
Saturday, 31 October 2026
Åland follows the holiday calendar of Finland and adds one day of its own: Autonomy Day, Självstyrelsedagen, on 9 June, a Tuesday in 2026 and a Wednesday in 2027. The Finnish list has 13 public holidays, Easter Sunday and Pentecost among them, and two more days, Midsummer Eve and Christmas Eve, are days off in practice without being holidays in name. Åland is the only monolingual Swedish-speaking region of Finland, so every day goes by its Swedish name.
Autonomy Day rests on a law of the islands' own, Landskapslag (1976:26), which marks the first sitting of the Åland Landsting. When the day falls on a weekday, work stops in the offices, schools and workplaces of the regional government and the municipalities, as far as the work allows, and staff who work that day are paid at the Sunday rate. The law covers the public sector only; for other employees it is a paid holiday only where a contract makes it one.
Two Finnish holidays always land on a Saturday. A reform of 1955 moved Midsummer Day off 24 June and All Saints' Day off 1 November, so neither can give a weekday off.
- Days off in 2026
- 11Not counting Easter Sunday and Pentecost, always a Sunday
- On a weekday
- 7Monday to Friday
- On a weekend
- 4Saturday or Sunday
- Long weekends
- 3and 3 with one day of leave
2026
Public holidays in Åland in 2026
- 1 January: New Year's DayNyårsdagenNew Year's Day, the first of two holidays in the opening week of the year.Thursday
- 6 January: EpiphanyTrettondagenEpiphany, on 6 January. From 1973 it was kept on the Saturday after 5 January, and the change was reversed in 1991.Tuesday
- 3 April: Good FridayLångfredagGood Friday opens four days off at Easter. Easter Day falls between 22 March and 25 April.FridayDate moves
- 6 April: Easter MondayAnnandag påskEaster Monday, in Swedish the second day of Easter.MondayDate moves
- 1 May: May DayFörsta majMay Day. With Independence Day, one of the two holidays outside the church year.Friday
- 14 May: Ascension DayKristi himmelsfärdsdagAscension Day, always a Thursday, between 30 April and 3 June. It too spent 1973 to 1991 on a Saturday.ThursdayDate moves
- 20 June: Midsummer DayMidsommardagenMidsummer Day, kept on a Saturday since 1955 in place of 24 June.SaturdayDate moves
- 31 October: All Saints DayAlla helgons dagAll Saints' Day, moved in 1955 from 1 November to a Saturday.SaturdayDate moves
- 6 December: Independence DaySjälvständighetsdagenFinnish Independence Day, kept in Åland as on the mainland. The one holiday for which the law itself provides pay.Sunday
- 25 December: Christmas DayJuldagenChristmas Day, which follows the eve that carries most of the celebration.Friday
- 26 December: St. Stephen's DayAnnandag julBoxing Day, in Swedish the second day of Christmas.Saturday
Long weekends
Long weekends in Åland in 2026
Runs of three days or more off, with weekends counted, and the working days that join a holiday to a weekend when taken as leave.
- 4daysThu 1 Jan to Sun 4 JanWith Fri 2 Jan taken as leave · New Year's Day
- 4daysSat 3 Jan to Tue 6 JanWith Mon 5 Jan taken as leave · Epiphany
- 4daysFri 3 Apr to Mon 6 AprGood Friday, Easter Monday
- 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayMay Day
- 4daysThu 14 May to Sun 17 MayWith Fri 15 May taken as leave · Ascension Day
- 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day, St. Stephen's Day
2027
Public holidays in Åland in 2027
- 1 January: New Year's DayNyårsdagenFriday
- 6 January: EpiphanyTrettondagenWednesday
- 26 March: Good FridayLångfredagFridayDate moves
- 29 March: Easter MondayAnnandag påskMondayDate moves
- 1 May: May DayFörsta majSaturday
- 6 May: Ascension DayKristi himmelsfärdsdagThursdayDate moves
- 26 June: Midsummer DayMidsommardagenSaturdayDate moves
- 6 November: All Saints DayAlla helgons dagSaturdayDate moves
- 6 December: Independence DaySjälvständighetsdagenMonday
- 25 December: Christmas DayJuldagenSaturday
- 26 December: St. Stephen's DayAnnandag julSunday
Observances
Days marked in Åland that are not days off
- 9 June: Autonomy DaySjälvstyrelsedagenThe first meeting of the Åland Landsting, renamed the Parliament of Åland in 1993, on 9 June 1922. It is also one of the three official flag days of the islands, and an Åland pancake is the dish of the day.Tuesday
- 19 June: Midsummer EveMidsommaraftonMidsummer Eve, a Friday. Not an official holiday but a non-business day under the Annual Holidays Act (162/2005). In Åland the evening belongs to dancing round the maypole, a tradition that came from Sweden.FridayDate moves
- 24 December: Christmas EveJulaftonChristmas Eve, a day off under most employment contracts though not an official holiday. Shops that open do so from early morning until noon.Thursday
Åland keeps three official flag days, flown with its own flag, adopted in 1954: 30 March for the demilitarisation and neutralisation of the islands, the last Sunday of April as Åland Flag Day, and 9 June. Only 9 June is also a holiday. In 2026, 30 March fell on a Monday and Flag Day on 26 April; in 2027 they fall on a Tuesday and on 25 April.
A public holiday does not oblige shops or businesses in Åland to close. Whether a given holiday is a paid day off is settled by the employment contract and the collective agreement, with Independence Day as the one exception on the Finnish side and Autonomy Day as the exception in the regional and municipal public sector.
Common questions
Questions about public holidays in Åland
Is Autonomy Day a day off in Åland?
For part of the workforce. Landskapslag (1976:26) stops work on 9 June in the offices, schools and workplaces of the regional government and the municipalities when the day falls on a weekday, and staff who have to work are paid as on a Sunday. It is a paid holiday for public sector employees only. Elsewhere it depends on the employment contract. The same law has the Åland flag raised at regional and municipal offices and schools.
What does Åland celebrate on 9 June?
The first meeting of the Åland Landsting on 9 June 1922. The League of Nations had decided in 1921 that Finland would keep sovereignty over the islands and that they would become an autonomous province, after a movement among Ålanders sought reunification with Sweden. The Landsting was renamed the Parliament of Åland in 1993. The centenary of autonomy was marked on 9 June 2021 and followed by a year of celebrations.
Does Åland have the same public holidays as mainland Finland?
Yes, all of them, from New Year's Day to Boxing Day, including Finnish Independence Day on 6 December. Åland adds Autonomy Day on 9 June, and its flag days on 30 March and the last Sunday of April are working days or Sundays. The only visible difference in the calendar is the language: the names are Swedish, as they are across the islands.
When is Midsummer in Åland in 2026?
Midsummer Eve falls on Friday 19 June 2026 and Midsummer Day on Saturday 20 June. Only the Saturday is a holiday in name; the eve is a day off under most contracts by custom. Midsummer Day has been kept on a Saturday since 1955. In Åland the eve belongs to the maypole, a custom that came from Sweden; in some regions of mainland Finland a bonfire at midnight marks it instead.
What are Åland's flag days?
Three official ones, flown with the blue, yellow and red Åland flag: 30 March, for the demilitarisation and neutralisation of the islands; the last Sunday of April, Åland Flag Day, which was 26 April in 2026; and Autonomy Day on 9 June. A law of 1952 gave Åland the right to a flag of its own, and it was first hoisted in Mariehamn on 3 April 1954.
Are shops open on public holidays in Åland?
They may be. A public holiday in Åland does not stop stores or other businesses from opening, and whether a holiday is a day off for a given employee depends on the employment contract and the collective agreement. On Christmas Eve and Midsummer Eve shops that open usually close at noon.
What are the long weekends in Åland in 2026?
Easter runs from Friday 3 April to Monday 6 April, May Day on Friday 1 May gives three days, and Christmas Day on Friday 25 December opens three more that end on Sunday 27 December. With a day of leave, New Year's Day and Ascension Day, both Thursdays, and Epiphany on Tuesday 6 January each make four. Midsummer Day and All Saints' Day fall on Saturdays and add nothing, though Midsummer Eve and Christmas Eve are days off under most contracts.
Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-26. The page counts from Monday, 28 September 2026, the day it was built.