COUNTRYSpec

Public holidays in Benin

14 days in 2026 · 11 in 2027

Back to BeninWest Africa

Next public holiday

All Saints' Day

After it: Christmas Day, Friday 25 December

Sunday, 1 November 2026

Benin has 14 days off in 2026, drawn from three religious calendars and one national one. Six follow the Christian year, three the Islamic lunar calendar (Korité, Tabaski and Maouloud) and two belong to Vodun, the religion of the coast, which the state has honoured with a national day since 1993. In 2026 the Vodun Days fall on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 January, which with the weekend gives four days in a row. Independence Day on 1 August is the one day for the state itself.

The calendar reflects a country that the 2013 census counted as 48.5% Christian, 27.7% Muslim and 11.6% Vodun. Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Assumption Day, All Saints' Day and Christmas sit beside the three Muslim feasts, which follow the lunar Islamic calendar. Three days that the holiday provider still lists, 26 October, 30 November and 26 December, appear in neither of the other two lists on file and are left out here.

Days off in 2026
14Not counting Easter Sunday, always a Sunday
On a weekday
11Monday to Friday
On a weekend
3Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
6and 4 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in Benin in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayThe first day of the year. It fell on a Thursday in 2026 and falls on a Friday in 2027.Thursday
  2. 8 January: Day off for the Vodun DaysThe Thursday before the Vodun Days, a day off that makes the celebrations a four-day weekend: 8 January in 2026 and 7 January in 2027.ThursdayDate moves
  3. 9 January: Vodun DaysThe national day of Vodun, created in 1993 after an international festival of Vodun arts and cultures at Ouidah, where the main ceremonies are held. Wikipedia gives it as the second Friday in January: 9 January in 2026 and 8 January in 2027.FridayDate moves
  4. 20 March: Eid al-FitrKoritéEid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, on 1 Shawwal, known in Benin as Korité. It fell on Friday 20 March in 2026.FridayDate moves
  5. 6 April: Easter MondayThe day after Easter, the one Easter day off in Benin; Good Friday is not in any of the lists on file.MondayDate moves
  6. 1 May: Labour DayLabour Day on 1 May, a Friday in 2026 and a Saturday in 2027.Friday
  7. 14 May: Ascension DayForty days after Easter, always a Thursday: 14 May in 2026 and 6 May in 2027.ThursdayDate moves
  8. 25 May: Whit MondayThe Monday after Pentecost: 25 May in 2026 and 17 May in 2027.MondayDate moves
  9. 27 May: Eid al-AdhaTabaskiEid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, on 10 Dhu al-Hijjah. It fell on Wednesday 27 May in 2026.WednesdayDate moves
  10. 1 August: Independence DayIndependence from France, gained by the Republic of Dahomey on 1 August 1960. It falls on a Saturday in 2026 and a Sunday in 2027.Saturday
  11. 15 August: Assumption DayThe Assumption of Mary on 15 August, a Saturday in 2026 and a Sunday in 2027.Saturday
  12. 25 August: The Prophet's BirthdayMaouloudThe birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, on 12 Rabi' al-awwal. It fell on Tuesday 25 August in 2026.TuesdayDate moves
  13. 1 November: All Saints' DayAll Saints' Day on 1 November, a Sunday in 2026 and a Monday in 2027.Sunday
  14. 25 December: Christmas DayChristmas on 25 December, a Friday in 2026 and a Saturday in 2027.Friday

Long weekends

Long weekends in Benin 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
  • 4daysThu 8 Jan to Sun 11 JanDay off for the Vodun Days, Vodun Days
  • 3daysFri 20 Mar to Sun 22 MarEid al-Fitr
  • 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
  • 5daysSat 23 May to Wed 27 MayWith Tue 26 May taken as leave · Whit Monday, Eid al-Adha
  • 4daysSat 22 Aug to Tue 25 AugWith Mon 24 Aug taken as leave · The Prophet's Birthday
  • 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day

2027

Public holidays in Benin in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayFriday
  2. 7 January: Day off for the Vodun DaysThursdayDate moves
  3. 8 January: Vodun DaysFridayDate moves
  4. 29 March: Easter MondayMondayDate moves
  5. 1 May: Labour DaySaturday
  6. 6 May: Ascension DayThursdayDate moves
  7. 17 May: Whit MondayMondayDate moves
  8. 1 August: Independence DaySunday
  9. 15 August: Assumption DaySunday
  10. 1 November: All Saints' DayMonday
  11. 25 December: Christmas DaySaturday

The dates of the Vodun Days differ between sources. The holiday provider lists a single Traditional Day on 10 January every year, the date the national Vodun day was given when it was created in 1993. Wikipedia gives the day as the second Friday in January, and timeanddate's list for 2026 has Friday 9 January as the Vodun festival with Thursday 8 January as a day off before it. This page follows the second pair: 8 and 9 January 2026, and 7 and 8 January 2027.

The three Muslim holidays follow the Islamic lunar calendar, so their dates in the Gregorian calendar change from year to year. The provider does not list them; the 2026 dates here come from timeanddate's list. The 2027 dates are not yet on file, so the 2027 calendar on this page lacks Korité, Tabaski and Maouloud until they are added, and the count of days off for that year is short by up to three.

The provider also lists Armed Forces Day on 26 October, National Day on 30 November and Boxing Day on 26 December. Neither Wikipedia's list nor timeanddate's list for 2026 includes them among the public holidays, and they are left out here. Timeanddate marks three further dates as national days that are not days off: the Day of Remembrance on 16 January, People's Sovereignty Day on 28 February and Women's Day on 8 March.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in Benin

How many public holidays does Benin have in 2026?

Fourteen days off: New Year's Day, the two Vodun Days on 8 and 9 January, Korité on 20 March, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Tabaski on 27 May, Independence Day, Assumption Day, Maouloud on 25 August, All Saints' Day and Christmas Day. Three of them fall on a weekend in 2026: Independence Day and Assumption Day on Saturdays and All Saints' Day on a Sunday.

When are the Vodun Days in Benin?

In early January. In 2026 they fall on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 January, and in 2027 on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 January, following the rule that the national day is the second Friday of the month with the Thursday before it also off. The main ceremonies take place at Ouidah, on the coast west of Cotonou.

Why does Benin have a public holiday for Vodun?

The national day was created in 1993, the year of an international festival of Vodun arts and cultures at Ouidah, after the one-party state of the 1970s and 1980s had restricted the religion and banned its ceremonies in the rainy season. The 2013 census counted 11.6% of the population as Vodun practitioners, and many Christians and Muslims keep some of its practices.

Which Muslim holidays are days off in Benin?

Three: Korité, the end of Ramadan; Tabaski, the feast of sacrifice; and Maouloud, the Prophet's birthday. In 2026 they fell on Friday 20 March, Wednesday 27 May and Tuesday 25 August. Their dates follow the Islamic lunar calendar: 1 Shawwal, 10 Dhu al-Hijjah and 12 Rabi' al-awwal.

Is 30 November still a holiday in Benin?

The sources disagree. The holiday provider used for this calendar lists National Day on 30 November and Armed Forces Day on 26 October, but neither appears among the public holidays in Wikipedia's list or in timeanddate's list for 2026, and this page leaves both out. The country was renamed the People's Republic of Benin on 30 November 1975.

Which long weekends does Benin have in 2026?

The Vodun Days make the longest: Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 January. Korité on Friday 20 March, Labour Day on Friday 1 May and Christmas on Friday 25 December each give a three-day weekend, and so do Easter Monday on 6 April and Whit Monday on 25 May. Ascension Day on Thursday 14 May and New Year's Day on Thursday 1 January each leave one Friday between the holiday and the weekend.

Is Good Friday a holiday in Benin?

It is not in any of the lists on file. Of the Easter days only Easter Monday is a day off, on 6 April in 2026 and 29 March in 2027, alongside Ascension Day and Whit Monday later in the spring. Easter Sunday is listed as well, but it always falls on a Sunday.

Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-30. The page counts from Thursday, 1 October 2026, the day it was built.