Public holidays in Belgium
10 days in 2026 · 10 in 2027
Back to BelgiumNext public holiday
All Saints' Day
Allerheiligen
After it: Armistice Day, Wednesday 11 November
Sunday, 1 November 2026
Belgian law gives ten paid public holidays a year, and a holiday that falls on a weekend is not lost. Under the law of 4 January 1974, a holiday on a Sunday, or on a day the business does not normally work, is replaced by one of its working days, which then becomes the holiday. In 2026 two need replacing, Saturday 15 August and Sunday 1 November; in 2027 three do, Saturday 1 May, Sunday 15 August and Saturday 25 December.
The replacement is not one national date. It is fixed first by the joint committee for the sector, and failing that by the works council, by agreement with the union delegation or with the staff, or individually. Where nobody has fixed it, the holiday moves to the first normal working day after it. Employers post the dates before 15 December of the year before; the National Bank of Belgium, for one, closes on Good Friday in place of 15 August in both 2026 and 2027.
Two Sundays sit in the calendar beside the ten, Easter Sunday and Whit Sunday, which the government's own list names with the holidays but which always fall on a day off anyway. Good Friday, the Friday after Ascension and 26 December appear as marked days: banks close on them, the law does not.
- Days off in 2026
- 10Not counting Easter Sunday and Whit Sunday, always a Sunday
- On a weekday
- 8Monday to Friday
- On a weekend
- 2Saturday or Sunday
- Long weekends
- 4and 3 with one day of leave
2026
Public holidays in Belgium in 2026
- 1 January: New Year's DayNieuwjaarNew Year's Day: Nieuwjaar in Dutch, Nouvel An in French, Neujahr in German. Every day in the law carries a name in all three official languages.Thursday
- 6 April: Easter MondayPaasmaandagEaster Monday, lundi de Pâques. It carries the Easter holiday onto a working day, the way Whit Monday does for Pentecost.MondayDate moves
- 1 May: Labour DayDag van de arbeidLabour Day, fête du Travail. A Saturday in 2027, so that year it is one of the days given back on a working day.Friday
- 14 May: Ascension DayHemelvaartAscension, which the government's list places on the sixth Thursday after Easter.ThursdayDate moves
- 25 May: Whit MondayPinkstermaandagWhit Monday, the Monday after Pentecost, and the day the law actually pays for.MondayDate moves
- 21 July: Belgian National DayNationale feestdagThe national day, fête nationale in French and Nationalfeiertag in German. A Tuesday in 2026, so a Monday of leave joins it to the weekend.Tuesday
- 15 August: Assumption DayOnze Lieve Vrouw hemelvaartThe Assumption. A Saturday in 2026 and a Sunday in 2027, so in both years it is moved to another working day.Saturday
- 1 November: All Saints' DayAllerheiligenAll Saints' Day, Toussaint. A Sunday in 2026, which makes it a day to replace; in 2027 it falls on a Monday.Sunday
- 11 November: Armistice DayWapenstilstandThe Armistice of 1918, as the government's list names it. In the steel industry Saint Eloi, 1 December, is taken in its place.Wednesday
- 25 December: Christmas DayKerstdagChristmas Day, the only day of the season in the law. On a Saturday in 2027, and replaced that year by a working day.Friday
Long weekends
Long weekends in Belgium 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
- 3daysSat 4 Apr to Mon 6 AprEaster Monday
- 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayLabour Day
- 4daysThu 14 May to Sun 17 MayWith Fri 15 May taken as leave · Ascension Day
- 3daysSat 23 May to Mon 25 MayWhit Monday
- 4daysSat 18 Jul to Tue 21 JulWith Mon 20 Jul taken as leave · Belgian National Day
- 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day
2027
Public holidays in Belgium in 2027
- 1 January: New Year's DayNieuwjaarFriday
- 29 March: Easter MondayPaasmaandagMondayDate moves
- 1 May: Labour DayDag van de arbeidSaturday
- 6 May: Ascension DayHemelvaartThursdayDate moves
- 17 May: Whit MondayPinkstermaandagMondayDate moves
- 21 July: Belgian National DayNationale feestdagWednesday
- 15 August: Assumption DayOnze Lieve Vrouw hemelvaartSunday
- 1 November: All Saints' DayAllerheiligenMonday
- 11 November: Armistice DayWapenstilstandThursday
- 25 December: Christmas DayKerstdagSaturday
Observances
Days marked in Belgium that are not days off
- 3 April: Good FridayGoede VrijdagNot a legal holiday. Banks list it, and the National Bank of Belgium uses it as its replacement for 15 August in 2026 and 2027.FridayDate moves
- 8 May: Iris DayIrisfeestBE-BRUIris Day, the Brussels-Capital Region's own day on 8 May. It is not among the ten legal holidays.Friday
- 15 May: Day after Ascension DayThe Friday after Ascension is not in the law. The National Bank of Belgium closes on it as a replacement day, for 1 November in 2026 and for 25 December in 2027.FridayDate moves
- 11 July: Day of the Flemish CommunityFeest van de Vlaamse GemeenschapBE-VLGThe Flemish Community's day, 11 July. A holiday for its civil servants and for bodies it controls or funds; private employers stay open.Saturday
- 20 September: Day of the Walloon RegionFête de la Région wallonneBE-WALThe Walloon Region's day, kept on the third Sunday in September.SundayDate moves
- 27 September: Day of the French CommunityFête de la Communauté françaiseBE-WAL · BE-BRUThe French Community's day, 27 September. A holiday for the community's civil servants and for bodies it funds, such as universities.Sunday
- 15 November: King's FeastKoningsdagThe King's Feast. Federal, regional, provincial and local administrations close; private employers work.Sunday
- 15 November: Day of the German-speaking CommunityTag der Deutschsprachigen GemeinschaftBE-WLGThe German-speaking Community's day, on the same date as the King's Feast, and a holiday for that community's civil servants.Sunday
- 26 December: St. Stephen's DayTweede kerstdag26 December, lendemain de Noël in French. It is not a legal holiday and employers are not obliged to give it, although banks list it.Saturday
Each language community has a day of its own: 11 July for the Flemish Community, 27 September for the French Community and 15 November for the German-speaking Community. They are holidays for the community's civil servants and for staff of the bodies it controls or funds, such as municipalities and universities, and banks in that community may close. For everyone else they are working days. Brussels marks Iris Day on 8 May and Wallonia its regional day on the third Sunday in September; neither is among the ten legal holidays.
15 November is also the King's Feast. Federal public services close on it, and so do regional, provincial and local administrations, but it gives no day off under the law of 1974.
The law covers private employers only. The state, the regions and communities, the provinces and the municipalities set their own days, except where they run industrial, commercial or health-care establishments. Sectors may also swap a legal day for another, and may add days beyond the ten, which the law then does not cover.
Common questions
Questions about public holidays in Belgium
How many public holidays does Belgium have?
Ten paid holidays, set by the law of 4 January 1974: 1 January, Easter Monday, 1 May, Ascension, Whit Monday, 21 July, 15 August, 1 November, 11 November and 25 December. Easter Sunday and Whit Sunday are also holidays in the government's list, but they fall on Sundays anyway. In 2026 eight of the ten fall on a weekday, in 2027 seven.
What happens when a public holiday falls on a Sunday in Belgium?
It is replaced by a normal working day, and the law says a holiday on a Sunday must always be replaced. The same applies to a holiday on the business's usual day off, which for a five-day week is mostly Saturday. The replacement day becomes the paid holiday and the original day loses that status. In 2026 this applies to 15 August and 1 November.
Who decides the replacement day for a holiday on a weekend?
The law sets an order. The joint committee for the sector may fix it, and must tell the federal employment minister before 1 October of the previous year. Without that, the works council decides, then an agreement with the union delegation or with the staff, then an individual agreement. If nobody decides, the first normal working day after the holiday takes its place. The dates must be posted before 15 December.
Is Good Friday a public holiday in Belgium?
No. It is not among the ten days in the law, and employers need not give it. Banks list it as a closing day, and the National Bank of Belgium closes on it in both 2026 and 2027, as the replacement for 15 August, which falls on a weekend in both years. Good Friday is 3 April in 2026 and 26 March in 2027.
Is 26 December a day off in Belgium?
Not by law. Christmas Day is the only day of the season among the ten; the second day of Christmas, tweede kerstdag or lendemain de Noël, is one of the days that are marked without being public holidays. Some employers give it under union agreements, and banks list it.
Are 11 July and 27 September days off in Belgium?
Only for part of the country's workforce. The Flemish Community keeps 11 July and the French Community 27 September; each date is a holiday for that community's civil servants and for bodies it controls or funds, such as municipalities and universities. Private employers stay open. In 2026 both fall on a weekend, 11 July on a Saturday and 27 September on a Sunday.
What is the King's Feast on 15 November?
A day on which federal public services close, along with regional, provincial and local administrations and some of the schools they run. It is not one of the ten legal holidays, so private employers work. The same date is the day of the German-speaking Community, which is a holiday for that community's own civil servants. In 2026 15 November is a Sunday, in 2027 a Monday.
What are the long weekends in Belgium in 2026?
Easter gives Saturday 4 April to Monday 6 April, Labour Day on a Friday gives 1 to 3 May, Whitsun runs from Saturday 23 May to Monday 25 May, and Christmas Day on a Friday starts a weekend ending on Sunday 27 December. Three single days of leave make more: Friday 2 January, Friday 15 May after Ascension, and Monday 20 July before the national day. Replacement days for 15 August and 1 November can add others, depending on the employer.
Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-26. The page counts from Monday, 28 September 2026, the day it was built.