COUNTRYSpec

Public holidays in Angola

15 days in 2026 · 17 in 2027

Back to AngolaCentral Africa

Next public holiday

All Souls' Day

Dia de Finados

After it: Independence Day, Wednesday 11 November

Monday, 2 November 2026

Angola has 15 days off in 2026 and 17 in 2027, although the list of public holidays is the same twelve in both years. The difference is the bridge day, the ponte: when a holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday, the Monday before it or the Friday after it becomes a day off as well, so the weekend runs straight into the holiday. In 2026 that happens three times, after New Year's Day, before Carnival and after National Heroes' Day; in 2027 it happens five times.

Most of the calendar is Angola's own history. Four of the twelve days mark the independence struggle and the wars that followed it: 4 February for the start of the armed struggle in 1961, 23 March for the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale, 4 April for the end of the civil war in 2002 and 11 November for independence in 1975. A fifth, 17 September, is the birthday of Agostinho Neto, the first president. The rest are New Year, Carnival, International Women's Day, Good Friday, Labour Day, All Souls' Day and Christmas.

Days off in 2026
15Nationwide public holidays
On a weekday
13Monday to Friday
On a weekend
2Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
8three days off or more

2026

Public holidays in Angola in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayDia de Ano NovoNew Year's Day. It fell on a Thursday in 2026, so the Friday after it was a bridge day.Thursday
  2. 2 January: New Year's Day (Ponte)Dia de Ano Novo (Ponte)The bridge day that joined New Year's Day, a Thursday in 2026, to the weekend.FridayDate moves
  3. 4 February: Liberation DayDia da LibertaçãoThe start of the armed struggle for national liberation, dated to the attack on a prison and police barracks in Luanda on 4 February 1961.Wednesday
  4. 16 February: Carnival (Ponte)Carnaval (Ponte)Carnival always falls on a Tuesday, so the Monday before it is always a bridge day.MondayDate moves
  5. 17 February: CarnivalCarnavalThe Tuesday before Lent, so its date follows Easter. Luanda keeps an annual Carnival.TuesdayDate moves
  6. 8 March: International Women's DayDia Internacional da MulherInternational Women's Day, a day off in Angola. It fell on a Sunday in 2026.Sunday
  7. 23 March: Day of the Liberation of Southern AfricaDia da Libertação da África AustralSouthern Africa Liberation Day, kept for the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale, fought from August 1987 until 23 March 1988.Monday
  8. 3 April: Good FridaySexta Feira SantaGood Friday, the one Easter day off. Its date follows Easter, so it falls in March or April.FridayDate moves
  9. 4 April: Peace DayDia da PazPeace and National Reconciliation Day, for the Luena memorandum that ended the civil war on 4 April 2002. It falls on a weekend in both 2026 and 2027.Saturday
  10. 1 May: Labour DayDia do TrabalhadorLabour Day.Friday
  11. 17 September: National Heroes' DayDia do Fundador da Nação e do Herói NacionalDay of the Founder of the Nation and National Hero, on the birthday of Agostinho Neto, the first president of independent Angola.Thursday
  12. 18 September: National Heroes' Day (Ponte)Dia do Fundador da Nação e do Herói Nacional (Ponte)The Friday after National Heroes' Day in 2026, when 17 September falls on a Thursday.FridayDate moves
  13. 2 November: All Souls' DayDia de FinadosAll Souls' Day, the day for remembering the dead.Monday
  14. 11 November: Independence DayDia da IndependênciaIndependence from Portugal, proclaimed in Luanda on 11 November 1975.Wednesday
  15. 25 December: Christmas DayDia de NatalChristmas, kept officially as the Day of Christmas and the Family.Friday

Long weekends

Long weekends in Angola 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 (Ponte)
  • 4daysSat 14 Feb to Tue 17 FebCarnival (Ponte), Carnival
  • 3daysSat 21 Mar to Mon 23 MarDay of the Liberation of Southern Africa
  • 3daysFri 3 Apr to Sun 5 AprGood Friday, Peace Day
  • 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayLabour Day
  • 4daysThu 17 Sept to Sun 20 SeptNational Heroes' Day, National Heroes' Day (Ponte)
  • 3daysSat 31 Oct to Mon 2 NovAll Souls' Day
  • 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day

2027

Public holidays in Angola in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayDia de Ano NovoFriday
  2. 4 February: Liberation DayDia da LibertaçãoThursday
  3. 5 February: Liberation Day (Ponte)Dia da Libertação (Ponte)FridayDate moves
  4. 8 February: Carnival (Ponte)Carnaval (Ponte)MondayDate moves
  5. 9 February: CarnivalCarnavalTuesdayDate moves
  6. 8 March: International Women's DayDia Internacional da MulherMonday
  7. 22 March: Day of the Liberation of Southern Africa (Ponte)Dia da Libertação da África Austral (Ponte)MondayDate moves
  8. 23 March: Day of the Liberation of Southern AfricaDia da Libertação da África AustralTuesday
  9. 26 March: Good FridaySexta Feira SantaFridayDate moves
  10. 4 April: Peace DayDia da PazSunday
  11. 1 May: Labour DayDia do TrabalhadorSaturday
  12. 17 September: National Heroes' DayDia do Fundador da Nação e do Herói NacionalFriday
  13. 1 November: All Souls' Day (Ponte)Dia de Finados (Ponte)MondayDate moves
  14. 2 November: All Souls' DayDia de FinadosTuesday
  15. 11 November: Independence DayDia da IndependênciaThursday
  16. 12 November: Independence Day (Ponte)Dia da Independência (Ponte)FridayDate moves
  17. 25 December: Christmas DayDia de NatalSaturday

Carnival is the one holiday that brings a bridge day every year, because it always falls on a Tuesday and the Monday before it is always off. The Angolan embassy in Japan lists both days for 2026: the bridge on Monday 16 February and Carnival itself on Tuesday 17 February.

Some dates are marked without a day off. The Bandeira-Monumento, the great flag at the Fortress of São Miguel in Luanda, is also raised on 4 January for the Martyrs of the Colonial Repression of the Baixa de Cassanje, on 25 May for Africa Day and on the first Sundays of July, August and October.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in Angola

How many public holidays does Angola have?

Twelve, and they bring 15 days off in 2026 and 17 in 2027 because of bridge days. When a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, the Monday before or the Friday after it is also a day off. In 2026 two of the fifteen fall on a weekend: International Women's Day on Sunday 8 March and Peace Day on Saturday 4 April.

What is a ponte in Angola?

A bridge day. When a public holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday, the day between it and the weekend becomes a day off too, making a four-day break. In 2026 the bridges are Friday 2 January, Monday 16 February and Friday 18 September; in 2027 they are 5 February, 8 February, 22 March, 1 November and 12 November.

What does 4 February commemorate in Angola?

The beginning of the armed struggle for national liberation. In the early hours of 4 February 1961 militants armed mostly with machetes attacked a prison and police barracks in Luanda, one of the three risings that year that began the war of independence against Portugal. It fell on a Wednesday in 2026 and on a Thursday in 2027, with Friday 5 February as the bridge.

Why is 23 March a holiday in Angola?

It is Southern Africa Liberation Day, kept for the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale, which ended on 23 March 1988. The Angolan government and Cuba fought South Africa and UNITA there, and both sides claimed victory; the Tripartite Accord of December 1988 then linked the Cuban withdrawal to the independence of Namibia.

When is Independence Day in Angola?

On 11 November, the day in 1975 on which the MPLA proclaimed the People's Republic of Angola in Luanda after Portugal withdrew. In 2026 it falls on a Wednesday. In 2027 it falls on a Thursday, so Friday 12 November is a bridge day and the break runs to four days.

Does Carnival bring a day off in Angola?

Yes, it is one of the twelve. Carnival falls on the Tuesday before Lent, on 17 February in 2026 and 9 February in 2027, and because it is always a Tuesday the Monday before it is always a bridge day. Luanda holds an annual Carnival.

Which holiday marks the end of the civil war?

The Day of Peace and National Reconciliation, on 4 April. It marks the Luena memorandum of 4 April 2002, signed by the military commanders of the government and UNITA after the death of Jonas Savimbi, which ended the civil war. In 2026 it falls on a Saturday and in 2027 on a Sunday, so neither year gives a weekday off for it.

Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-30. The page counts from Wednesday, 30 September 2026, the day it was built.