Public holidays in Czechia
13 days in 2026 · 13 in 2027
Back to CzechiaNext public holiday
St. Wenceslas Day
Den české státnosti
After it: Independent Czechoslovak State Day, Wednesday 28 October
Monday, 28 September 2026
Czechia has 13 public holidays, and all of them are days off. In 2026 eleven fall on a weekday. In 2027 only nine do, because 1 May, 8 May, 25 December and 26 December land on a Saturday or a Sunday, and Czech law gives no replacement day for a holiday lost to the weekend.
Act No. 245/2000 keeps two lists of equal weight for work. The seven state holidays (státní svátky) follow Czech statehood from Wenceslas, killed in 935, through 1918 to the student protests of 1939 and 1989. The seven other holidays (ostatní svátky) are New Year, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day and the three days of Christmas. 1 January appears on both, as New Year's Day and as the restoration of the independent Czech state, which is how fourteen entries make 13 dates.
Early July brings two in a row: Cyril and Methodius on 5 July and Jan Hus on 6 July. Good Friday is the most recent addition, a day off only since 2016.
- Days off in 2026
- 13Nationwide public holidays
- On a weekday
- 11Monday to Friday
- On a weekend
- 2Saturday or Sunday
- Long weekends
- 6and 2 with one day of leave
2026
Public holidays in Czechia in 2026
- 1 January: New Year's DayDen obnovy samostatného českého státu; Nový rokTwo holidays on one date: New Year's Day, and the restoration of the independent Czech state when Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.Thursday
- 3 April: Good FridayVelký pátekGood Friday, a day off since 2016. Its date follows Easter.FridayDate moves
- 6 April: Easter MondayVelikonoční pondělíEaster Monday. Large shops stay closed.MondayDate moves
- 1 May: Labour DaySvátek práceLabour Day. The law also marks 1 May as the anniversary of Czechia joining the European Union, a significant day that here coincides with a day off.Friday
- 8 May: Liberation DayDen vítězstvíVictory Day, the end of the Second World War in Europe in 1945. English calendars often call it Liberation Day.Friday
- 5 July: Saints Cyril and Methodius DayDen slovanských věrozvěstů Cyrila a MetodějeThe day of the Slavic apostles Cyril and Methodius, who came from the Balkans to Great Moravia in 863 to spread Christianity and literacy.Sunday
- 6 July: Jan Hus DayDen upálení mistra Jana HusaThe religious reformer Jan Hus was burned at the stake on this day in 1415. A separate act of 1990 first made it a state holiday.Monday
- 28 September: St. Wenceslas DayDen české státnostiCzech Statehood Day, the feast of St Wenceslas, Duke of Bohemia, murdered by his brother in 935 and now the patron of the Czech state.Monday
- 28 October: Independent Czechoslovak State DayDen vzniku samostatného československého státuThe founding of Czechoslovakia in 1918. Still a day off in Czechia, and one of the days large shops must close.Wednesday
- 17 November: Struggle for Freedom and Democracy DayDen boje za svobodu a demokracii a Mezinárodní den studentstvaThe student demonstration against the Nazi occupation in 1939 and the one in 1989 that began the Velvet Revolution. The law's full name adds International Students' Day.Tuesday
- 24 December: Christmas EveŠtědrý denChristmas Eve, when most Czechs celebrate Christmas, in the evening. Large shops close at noon.Thursday
- 25 December: Christmas Day1. svátek vánočníChristmas Day, in Czech the first Christmas holiday.Friday
- 26 December: St. Stephen's Day2. svátek vánočníThe second Christmas holiday, St Stephen's Day.Saturday
Long weekends
Long weekends in Czechia 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
- 4daysFri 3 Apr to Mon 6 AprGood Friday, Easter Monday
- 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayLabour Day
- 3daysFri 8 May to Sun 10 MayLiberation Day
- 3daysSat 4 Jul to Mon 6 JulSaints Cyril and Methodius Day, Jan Hus Day
- 3daysSat 26 Sept to Mon 28 SeptSt. Wenceslas Day
- 4daysSat 14 Nov to Tue 17 NovWith Mon 16 Nov taken as leave · Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day
- 4daysThu 24 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Eve, Christmas Day, St. Stephen's Day
2027
Public holidays in Czechia in 2027
- 1 January: New Year's DayDen obnovy samostatného českého státu; Nový rokFriday
- 26 March: Good FridayVelký pátekFridayDate moves
- 29 March: Easter MondayVelikonoční pondělíMondayDate moves
- 1 May: Labour DaySvátek práceSaturday
- 8 May: Liberation DayDen vítězstvíSaturday
- 5 July: Saints Cyril and Methodius DayDen slovanských věrozvěstů Cyrila a MetodějeMonday
- 6 July: Jan Hus DayDen upálení mistra Jana HusaTuesday
- 28 September: St. Wenceslas DayDen české státnostiTuesday
- 28 October: Independent Czechoslovak State DayDen vzniku samostatného československého státuThursday
- 17 November: Struggle for Freedom and Democracy DayDen boje za svobodu a demokracii a Mezinárodní den studentstvaWednesday
- 24 December: Christmas EveŠtědrý denFriday
- 25 December: Christmas Day1. svátek vánočníSaturday
- 26 December: St. Stephen's Day2. svátek vánočníSunday
Act No. 245/2000 of 29 June 2000 replaced the holiday law of 1951, No. 93/1951, together with the acts that had amended it between 1975 and 1991. It also repealed a short act of 1990 that had declared 6 July, the burning of Jan Hus, a state holiday; the day carried over into the new list.
The same act names 20 significant days (významné dny), from the Day of Remembrance of Jan Palach on 16 January to the Day of War Veterans on 11 November, taking in the Day of the Czech Flag on 30 March and the victims of the Warsaw Pact invasion on 21 August. They are working days unless they coincide with a holiday, as the European Union anniversary on 1 May does.
Since 2016 shops larger than 200 square metres have had to close on New Year's Day, Easter Monday, 8 May, 28 September, 28 October and 25 and 26 December, and at noon on 24 December. Smaller grocers, pharmacies, petrol stations and shops at stations, airports and hospitals are exempt. On Good Friday, 1 May, 5 and 6 July and 17 November the rule does not apply.
Common questions
Questions about public holidays in Czechia
How many public holidays does Czechia have in 2026?
Thirteen, and every one is a day off. Eleven fall between Monday and Friday in 2026; the other two are Sunday 5 July and Saturday 26 December. The count does not change from year to year, since the law fixes every date apart from Good Friday and Easter Monday.
Is Good Friday a public holiday in Czechia?
Yes, since 2016. Velký pátek falls on 3 April in 2026 and 26 March in 2027, and with Easter Monday it makes a four-day weekend each year. It is listed among the other holidays in Act No. 245/2000 rather than the state holidays, which makes no difference to whether work stops. Large shops are allowed to open on Good Friday, although they must close on Easter Monday.
What happens when a Czech public holiday falls on a weekend?
The day is not moved, and no weekday is given in its place. The act makes state and other holidays days of rest and says nothing about a replacement. That costs four weekdays in 2027, when Labour Day and Victory Day are both Saturdays and Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day fall on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 December.
Why are 5 and 6 July both holidays in Czechia?
They mark different events that happen to sit side by side. 5 July remembers Cyril and Methodius, who reached Great Moravia in 863. 6 July remembers Jan Hus, burned at the stake in 1415, and has been a state holiday since an act of 1990. In 2027 they fall on Monday and Tuesday, so Saturday 3 July to Tuesday 6 July is four days off in a row.
Are shops open on public holidays in Czechia?
It depends on the day and on the shop. Since 2016 stores above 200 square metres have closed on New Year's Day, Easter Monday, 8 May, 28 September, 28 October and both Christmas holidays, and they shut at noon on Christmas Eve. On the remaining holidays they may trade as usual. Small grocers, pharmacies, petrol stations and shops at railway stations, airports and hospitals can open on every one of them.
What are the long weekends in Czechia in 2026?
Six, with no leave needed. Easter runs from Friday 3 April to Monday 6 April, and Labour Day and Victory Day on Fridays 1 and 8 May give two three-day weekends back to back. Jan Hus Day on Monday 6 July and St Wenceslas on Monday 28 September add two more, and Christmas Eve on a Thursday opens four days that end on Sunday 27 December. A day of leave on Monday 16 November joins the weekend to Tuesday 17 November.
What is celebrated in Czechia on 28 September?
Czech Statehood Day, the feast of St Wenceslas. He was Duke of Bohemia, murdered by his brother in 935, and is the patron of the Czech state. It is a state holiday, a day off, and one of the days on which large shops must stay closed.
Is 28 October a day off in Czechia?
Yes. Independent Czechoslovak State Day marks the founding of Czechoslovakia in 1918 and stays a state holiday with a day off, although the country it commemorates no longer exists. Large shops close for it. It falls on a Wednesday in 2026, and on a Thursday in 2027, when a day of leave on Friday 29 October makes four days in a row.
Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-26. The page counts from Monday, 28 September 2026, the day it was built.