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Public holidays in Albania

16 days in 2026 · 16 in 2027

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Next public holiday

Alphabet Day

Dita e Alfabetit

After it: Independence Day, Monday 30 November

Monday, 23 November 2026

The Bank of Albania's calendar for 2026 lists 15 official holidays, and they come from four faiths as well as from the state: Catholic and Orthodox Easter, Christmas, the two Muslim Bajrams and Nevruz, kept by the Bektashi order, sit beside Independence Day and Liberation Day in November. When a holiday lands on a Saturday or a Sunday, its day off moves to the next working day, which in 2026 turns Summer Day, Nevruz, both Easters, Mother Teresa Day, Alphabet Day and Independence Day into Monday holidays and gives Liberation Day Tuesday 1 December.

The 2023 census counted 1,101,718 Sunni Muslims, 201,530 Catholics, 173,645 Orthodox Christians and 115,644 Bektashi, and each of the four groups has at least one day off in the law. Under communist rule it was otherwise: in 1967 Albania declared itself an atheist state, and its 1976 constitution recognised no religion.

The law behind the list is Law No. 7651 of 21 December 1992 on official holidays and remembrance days, amended several times since. Its most recent addition is Alphabet Day on 22 November, passed in February 2024.

Days off in 2026
16Not counting Easter Sunday, always a Sunday
On a weekday
15Monday to Friday
On a weekend
1Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
10and 1 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in Albania in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayViti i RiNew Year takes two days, 1 and 2 January. In 2027 the second falls on a Saturday, so its day off moves to Monday 4 January.ThursdayDate moves
  2. 2 January: New Year's DayViti i RiNew Year takes two days, 1 and 2 January. In 2027 the second falls on a Saturday, so its day off moves to Monday 4 January.FridayDate moves
  3. 16 March: Summer DayDita e VerësSummer Day, 14 March, a spring festival celebrated in mid-March in Elbasan. Parliament confirmed it as an official holiday in 2004.MondayDate moves
  4. 20 March: Eid al-FitrDita e Bajramit të MadhBajrami i Madh, the feast at the end of Ramadan. The Bank of Albania dates it Friday 20 March in 2026; timeanddate gives Wednesday 10 March 2027 as a tentative date, since the lunar calendar decides it.FridayDate moves
  5. 23 March: NowruzDita e Sulltan NevruzitNevruz, 22 March, kept by the Bektashi order, whose followers the 2023 census counted at 115,644. A Sunday in 2026, so the day off was Monday 23 March.MondayDate moves
  6. 6 April: Easter MondayE hëna e Pashkëve KatolikeThe law names Easter Sunday, not Easter Monday; this Monday is the day off carried over from the Sunday by the weekend rule.MondayDate moves
  7. 12 April: Easter SundayPashkët OrtodokseOrthodox Easter, which trails the Catholic date by up to five weeks: one week in 2026, five in 2027. In 2027 it shares a weekend with May Day, so its day off moves to Tuesday 4 May.SundayDate moves
  8. 13 April: Easter MondayE hëna e Pashkëve OrtodokseThe Monday off for Orthodox Easter Sunday, moved under the same rule as the Catholic one.MondayDate moves
  9. 1 May: May DayDita Ndërkombëtare e PunonjësveInternational Workers' Day. In 2026 it falls on a Friday, giving a three-day weekend; in 2027 it is a Saturday and the day off is Monday 3 May.FridayDate moves
  10. 27 May: Eid al-AdhaDita e Kurban BajramitKurban Bajrami, the feast of the sacrifice, on Wednesday 27 May 2026. In 2027 the tentative date is Sunday 16 May, which puts the day off on Monday 17 May.WednesdayDate moves
  11. 7 September: Mother Teresa DayDita e Nënë TerezësMother Teresa, the Albanian Catholic nun after whom Tirana's airport is named. The Bank of Albania's calendar calls 5 September the day of her canonisation as Saint Teresa.MondayDate moves
  12. 23 November: Alphabet DayDita e AlfabetitAlphabet Day, 22 November, the newest holiday, added in 2024. A Sunday in 2026, so the day off is Monday 23 November; in 2027 it falls on the Monday itself.MondayDate moves
  13. 30 November: Independence DayDita e PavarësisëIsmail Kemal proclaimed independence in Vlorë on 28 November 1912 and raised the national flag from the balcony of the assembly the same day. The official name, Dita e Flamurit dhe e Pavarësisë, keeps both.Monday
  14. 1 December: Liberation DayDita e ÇlirimitThe end of the German occupation in 1944. It follows Independence Day by one day, so November ends with two national holidays back to back.TuesdayDate moves
  15. 8 December: Youth DayDita Kombëtare e RinisëNational Youth Day, 8 December, made an official holiday by parliament in 2010.Tuesday
  16. 25 December: Christmas DayKrishtlindjetChristmas Day is a single day off; 26 December is a working day. In 2027 it falls on a Saturday and the day off moves to Monday 27 December.FridayDate moves

Long weekends

Long weekends in Albania 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 JanNew Year's Day, New Year's Day
  • 3daysSat 14 Mar to Mon 16 MarSummer Day
  • 4daysFri 20 Mar to Mon 23 MarEid al-Fitr, Nowruz
  • 3daysSat 4 Apr to Mon 6 AprEaster Monday
  • 3daysSat 11 Apr to Mon 13 AprEaster Sunday, Easter Monday
  • 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayMay Day
  • 3daysSat 5 Sept to Mon 7 SeptMother Teresa Day
  • 3daysSat 21 Nov to Mon 23 NovAlphabet Day
  • 4daysSat 28 Nov to Tue 1 DecIndependence Day, Liberation Day
  • 4daysSat 5 Dec to Tue 8 DecWith Mon 7 Dec taken as leave · Youth Day
  • 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day

2027

Public holidays in Albania in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayViti i RiFridayDate moves
  2. 4 January: New Year's DayViti i RiMondayDate moves
  3. 10 March: Eid al-FitrDita e Bajramit të MadhWednesdayDate moves
  4. 15 March: Summer DayDita e VerësMondayDate moves
  5. 22 March: NowruzDita e Sulltan NevruzitMondayDate moves
  6. 29 March: Easter MondayE hëna e Pashkëve KatolikeMondayDate moves
  7. 2 May: Easter SundayPashkët OrtodokseSundayDate moves
  8. 3 May: May DayDita Ndërkombëtare e PunonjësveMondayDate moves
  9. 4 May: Easter SundayPashkët OrtodokseTuesdayDate moves
  10. 17 May: Eid al-AdhaDita e Kurban BajramitMondayDate moves
  11. 6 September: Mother Teresa DayDita e Nënë TerezësMondayDate moves
  12. 22 November: Alphabet DayDita e AlfabetitMondayDate moves
  13. 29 November: Liberation DayDita e ÇlirimitMondayDate moves
  14. 30 November: Independence DayDita e PavarësisëTuesday
  15. 8 December: Youth DayDita Kombëtare e RinisëWednesday
  16. 27 December: Christmas DayKrishtlindjetMondayDate moves

The weekend rule applies to every official holiday. When one falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the rest day moves to the next working day, and when two fall on the same weekend, as Independence Day and Liberation Day do on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November 2026, the Bank of Albania's calendar moves them to the Monday and the Tuesday that follow. The same happens in 2027 to May Day on Saturday 1 May and Orthodox Easter on Sunday 2 May, which give Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 May. Independence Day on Sunday 28 November 2027 cannot move to the Monday, which is Liberation Day, so its day off is Tuesday 30 November.

Alphabet Day, 22 November, marks the Congress of Manastir, where Albanian writers met from 14 to 22 November 1908 and adopted the Latin alphabet for the language. The government proposed it in January 2024 and parliament passed the addition to the holidays law as Law No. 17 of 15 February 2024.

The dates of the two Bajrams, Bajrami i Madh at the end of Ramadan and Kurban Bajrami, follow the lunar calendar. The Bank of Albania publishes them with the rest of the year's holidays and warns that either may shift, in which case it issues a second notice. For 2026 it gives 20 March and 27 May; the 2027 dates, 10 March and 16 May, are tentative.

Several days are marked without a day off: the League of Lezhë on 2 March, Teachers' Day on 7 March, Women's Day on 8 March, Martyrs' Day on 5 May, Children's Day on 1 June and Constitution Day on 28 November. Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are optional bank holidays rather than official ones.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in Albania

How many public holidays does Albania have?

The Bank of Albania's list for 2026 has 15 official holidays, counting New Year's two days separately. Two Easter Sundays are among them, and any holiday that falls on a weekend has its day off moved to the next working day, so the Sunday feasts still give a Monday off. Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are optional bank holidays, and several remembrance days are working days.

Why does Albania have two Easters?

Albania has both Catholic and Orthodox communities, and the law gives each its own Easter Sunday. The two dates are one week apart in 2026, 5 and 12 April, and five weeks apart in 2027, 28 March and 2 May. Because both are Sundays, the days off move to the next working day: 6 and 13 April in 2026, and 29 March and 4 May in 2027, when May Day has already taken Monday 3 May.

What happens when a holiday in Albania falls on a weekend?

The day off moves to the next working day. In 2026 Summer Day fell on Saturday 14 March and was taken on Monday 16 March, and Mother Teresa Day on Saturday 5 September moves to Monday 7 September. When two holidays share one weekend, the Bank of Albania's calendar gives the Monday and the Tuesday.

Are the Bajrams public holidays in Albania?

Yes, both are in the law: Bajrami i Madh, the feast at the end of Ramadan, and Kurban Bajrami, the feast of the sacrifice. Their dates follow the lunar calendar, so they move from year to year: in 2026 they fall on Friday 20 March and Wednesday 27 May. The Bank of Albania announces them with the rest of the year's holidays and says it will publish a second notice if a lunar date shifts.

What is Alphabet Day in Albania?

It marks 22 November 1908, the last day of the Congress of Manastir, where about 50 delegates from 26 towns, clubs and societies agreed to write Albanian in the Latin alphabet, with some letters adapted to the language. The day became an official holiday in 2024, by Law No. 17 of 15 February, and is the newest entry in the calendar.

Why is Independence Day on 28 November?

On 28 November 1912 the Assembly of Vlorë, led by Ismail Kemal, declared Albania independent of the Ottoman Empire, and the national flag was raised from the assembly's balcony. At the time Vlorë was the only town the delegates controlled. The holiday's full name is Flag and Independence Day, and Liberation Day follows it on 29 November.

Is 26 December a holiday in Albania?

No. Albania has one Christmas holiday, 25 December, and the day after is a normal working day. Christmas Eve, 24 December, is not an official holiday either; like 31 December, it counts only as an optional bank holiday, which banks may or may not take.

Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-26. The page counts from Monday, 28 September 2026, the day it was built.