Public holidays in Faroe Islands
12 days in 2026 · 12 in 2027
Back to Faroe IslandsNext public holiday
Christmas Eve
Jólaaftanskvøld
After it: Christmas Day, Friday 25 December
Thursday, 24 December 2026
The Faroese calendar holds 15 full holidays in 2026 and 15 in 2027, and three of them, Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday and Whit Sunday, always fall on a Sunday. Three days separate it from the calendar of Denmark proper. Flag Day on 25 April and Ólavsøka, the national day, on 29 July with its eve on 28 July are Faroese alone, and Great Prayer Day is a day the islands kept after the Folketing abolished it in Denmark from 2024.
Three days are free only from noon: Flag Day on 25 April, Constitution Day on 5 June and Ólavsøka eve on 28 July. How much of Ólavsøka is free depends on the collective agreement: 28 July, the day of the rowing finals, is a half working day for members of some unions, and 29 July is a full holiday for members of most.
Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are on the Faroese list as well, both on a Thursday in 2026 and both on a Friday in 2027.
- Days off in 2026
- 12Not counting Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday and Pentecost, always a Sunday
- On a weekday
- 11Monday to Friday
- On a weekend
- 1Saturday or Sunday
- Long weekends
- 4and 2 with one day of leave
2026
Public holidays in Faroe Islands in 2026
- 1 January: New Year's DayNýggjársdagurNew Year's Day. In 2027 it falls on a Friday, the day after New Year's Eve, so four days run together.Thursday
- 2 April: Maundy ThursdaySkírhósdagurMaundy Thursday, three days before Easter Sunday and the start of five days off.ThursdayDate moves
- 3 April: Good FridayLangifríggjadagurGood Friday, the second day of the Easter run.FridayDate moves
- 6 April: Easter Monday2. PáskadagurEaster Monday, the second Easter day and the last of the five.MondayDate moves
- 1 May: General Prayer DayDýri biðidagurGreat Prayer Day, the fourth Friday after Easter, one of three prayer days set by the royal regulation of 1686. Denmark proper kept it for the last time on 5 May 2023; the Faroe Islands and Greenland still do.FridayDate moves
- 14 May: Ascension DayKristi himmalsferðar dagurAscension Day, always a Thursday: 14 May in 2026 and 6 May in 2027.ThursdayDate moves
- 25 May: Whit Monday2. HvítasunnudagurWhit Monday, the second day of Pentecost.MondayDate moves
- 29 July: Saint Olav's DayÓlavsøkudagurSaint Olaf's Day and the national day, named for the vigil for Olaf, who died at Stiklestad in 1030. The Løgting opens its session after a service in Tórshavn Cathedral.Wednesday
- 24 December: Christmas EveJólaaftanskvøldChristmas Eve, on the Faroese list as a full holiday.Thursday
- 25 December: Christmas DayJóladagurChristmas Day.Friday
- 26 December: St. Stephen's Day2. JóladagurThe second day of Christmas. A Saturday in 2026 and a Sunday in 2027.Saturday
- 31 December: New Year's EveNýggjársaftanNew Year's Eve, a holiday on the Faroese list.Thursday
Long weekends
Long weekends in Faroe Islands 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
- 5daysThu 2 Apr to Mon 6 AprMaundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Monday
- 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayGeneral Prayer Day
- 4daysThu 14 May to Sun 17 MayWith Fri 15 May taken as leave · Ascension Day
- 3daysSat 23 May to Mon 25 MayWhit Monday
- 4daysThu 24 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Eve, Christmas Day, St. Stephen's Day
2027
Public holidays in Faroe Islands in 2027
- 1 January: New Year's DayNýggjársdagurFriday
- 25 March: Maundy ThursdaySkírhósdagurThursdayDate moves
- 26 March: Good FridayLangifríggjadagurFridayDate moves
- 29 March: Easter Monday2. PáskadagurMondayDate moves
- 23 April: General Prayer DayDýri biðidagurFridayDate moves
- 6 May: Ascension DayKristi himmalsferðar dagurThursdayDate moves
- 17 May: Whit Monday2. HvítasunnudagurMondayDate moves
- 29 July: Saint Olav's DayÓlavsøkudagurThursday
- 24 December: Christmas EveJólaaftanskvøldFriday
- 25 December: Christmas DayJóladagurSaturday
- 26 December: St. Stephen's Day2. JóladagurSunday
- 31 December: New Year's EveNýggjársaftanFriday
Observances
Days marked in Faroe Islands that are not days off
- 25 April: National Flag DayFlaggdagurThe day in 1940 when the British authorities, who had occupied the islands after Germany took Denmark, recognised Merkið as the flag of Faroese ships. It is kept from noon, and falls on a Saturday in 2026 and a Sunday in 2027.Saturday
- 5 June: Constitution DayGrundlógardagur DanmarkarThe Danish constitution, signed on 5 June 1849. The Faroese name keeps the word Danmarkar, of Denmark, and the day is kept from noon.Friday
- 28 July: Saint Olav's EveÓlavsøkuaftanThe eve of Ólavsøka, when the procession through Tórshavn opens the festival and the national rowing finals are raced. A half day off.Tuesday
When Denmark abolished Great Prayer Day to raise about three billion kroner for defence, the bill covered Denmark proper only, and the Faroe Islands and Greenland kept the day. It falls on Friday 1 May in 2026 and Friday 23 April in 2027, two days before Flag Day, so in 2027 the prayer day and Flag Day share one weekend.
Common questions
Questions about public holidays in Faroe Islands
How many public holidays do the Faroe Islands have?
The Faroese list has 15 full holidays in each of 2026 and 2027. Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday and Whit Sunday are always Sundays, which leaves 12 that can take the place of a working day. In 2026 only 26 December of those lands on a Saturday; in 2027 both Christmas days fall at the weekend. Flag Day, Constitution Day and Ólavsøka eve are half days, free from noon.
Is Great Prayer Day still a holiday in the Faroe Islands?
Yes. The Danish parliament voted 95 to 68 on 28 February 2023 to abolish Store bededag in Denmark from 2024, but the proposal never included the Faroe Islands or Greenland. In Faroese it is dýri biðidagur, the fourth Friday after Easter: 1 May in 2026 and 23 April in 2027.
What is Ólavsøka?
The Faroese national day, on 29 July, with its eve on 28 July. The name means Olaf's vigil and refers to Saint Olaf, killed at the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030. Tórshavn fills with people from the other islands: a procession opens the festival on the eve, when the national rowing finals are held, and on the day itself the Løgting opens its session after a service in the cathedral, followed by the Ólavsøka cantata outside the parliament house.
Why is 25 April Flag Day in the Faroe Islands?
On 25 April 1940, shortly after British troops occupied the islands, the British authorities recognised Merkið as the ensign of Faroese ships, to tell them apart from Danish vessels while Denmark was under German occupation. The flag itself dates from 1919 and was first raised at Fámjin. The day is free from noon. In 2026 it falls on a Saturday and in 2027 on a Sunday.
Is 5 June a day off in the Faroe Islands?
In part. Constitution Day marks the Danish constitution of 1849, and the Faroese keep it as a half day, free from noon. In 2026 it falls on Friday 5 June, so the afternoon runs into the weekend; in 2027 it is a Saturday.
What are the long weekends in the Faroe Islands in 2026?
Easter gives five days, from Maundy Thursday 2 April to Easter Monday 6 April. Great Prayer Day on Friday 1 May and Whit Monday on 25 May each make three-day weekends, and Christmas Eve on a Thursday opens four days off. New Year's Eve, also a Thursday, joins New Year's Day on Friday 1 January 2027 and the weekend after it. Ascension on Thursday 14 May needs one day of leave to reach the weekend.
When is Ólavsøka in 2027?
The eve falls on Wednesday 28 July 2027 and Saint Olaf's Day on Thursday 29 July. Taking Friday 30 July as leave joins the festival to the weekend: five days from Wednesday to Sunday, the first of them a half day. In 2026 the two days fall on a Tuesday and a Wednesday.
Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-26. The page counts from Monday, 28 September 2026, the day it was built.