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Public holidays in Gabon

11 days in 2026 · 11 in 2027

Back to GabonCentral Africa

Next public holiday

All Saints' Day

After it: Christmas Day, Friday 25 December

Sunday, 1 November 2026

Gabon's days off are set by a decree of 29 June 1998, amended in 2004, and each of them is férié, chômé et payé: work stops and wages are paid, in public offices and private firms alike. The year turns on mid-August. The Assumption on the 15th leads straight into the independence celebrations of the 16th and 17th, and in 2026, with the 15th on a Saturday, the ministry of labour declared all three days off.

Five of the days are church feasts: Easter Monday, Whit Monday, the Assumption, All Saints' Day and Christmas. Most Gabonese are Christian, Catholic or Protestant, and the first Roman Catholic missionaries arrived with the French in 1844, sent among the Mpongwe of the coast. Good Friday is not a day off.

Days off in 2026
11Nationwide public holidays
On a weekday
9Monday to Friday
On a weekend
2Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
6and 2 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in Gabon in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's Day1 January. In 2027 it falls on a Friday and opens a three-day weekend.Thursday
  2. 12 March: Renovation DayThursday
  3. 6 April: Easter MondayThe day after Easter Sunday: 6 April in 2026 and 29 March in 2027.MondayDate moves
  4. 17 April: Women's Day17 April, which timeanddate lists as Women's Rights Day. A Friday in 2026, a Saturday in 2027.Friday
  5. 1 May: Labour DayFriday
  6. 6 May: Martyr's DayWednesday
  7. 25 May: Whit MondayThe Monday after Pentecost, on 25 May in 2026 and 17 May in 2027.MondayDate moves
  8. 15 August: Assumption DayA feast of the Christian calendar and the first of the August holidays, two days before independence.Saturday
  9. 17 August: Independence DayGabon proclaimed its independence from France on 17 August 1960, having become an autonomous republic within the French Community on 28 November 1958. The Fête nationale is celebrated over 16 and 17 August.Monday
  10. 1 November: All Saints' DayA Sunday in 2026. In 2027 it falls on a Monday and closes a three-day weekend.Sunday
  11. 25 December: Christmas DayBožićFriday

Long weekends

Long weekends in Gabon 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 12 Mar to Sun 15 MarWith Fri 13 Mar taken as leave · Renovation Day
  • 3daysSat 4 Apr to Mon 6 AprEaster Monday
  • 3daysFri 17 Apr to Sun 19 AprWomen's Day
  • 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayLabour Day
  • 3daysSat 23 May to Mon 25 MayWhit Monday
  • 3daysSat 15 Aug to Mon 17 AugAssumption Day, Independence Day
  • 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day

2027

Public holidays in Gabon in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayFriday
  2. 12 March: Renovation DayFriday
  3. 29 March: Easter MondayMondayDate moves
  4. 17 April: Women's DaySaturday
  5. 1 May: Labour DaySaturday
  6. 6 May: Martyr's DayThursday
  7. 17 May: Whit MondayMondayDate moves
  8. 15 August: Assumption DaySunday
  9. 17 August: Independence DayTuesday
  10. 1 November: All Saints' DayMonday
  11. 25 December: Christmas DayBožićSaturday

On 22 January 2024 the Council of Ministers adopted a decree instituting a Journée Nationale de la Libération, to be marked on 30 August each year throughout the country. The date is that of the military coup of 30 August 2023, which the decree describes as the liberation of the Gabonese people.

When the ministry of labour announced the August days off for 2026, it did so under the 1998 decree and its amended second article, and reminded employers in both sectors that full pay was due for all three days.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in Gabon

When does Gabon celebrate independence?

On 17 August, the day in 1960 when Gabon proclaimed its independence from France. The national celebrations take two days, 16 and 17 August, and come straight after the Assumption on the 15th. In 2026 the 17th fell on a Monday; in 2027 it is a Tuesday.

Why were 15, 16 and 17 August 2026 all days off in Gabon?

The ministry of labour declared Saturday 15, Sunday 16 and Monday 17 August 2026 fériés, chômés et payés across the whole country, in a communiqué passed to the Agence gabonaise de presse. The Saturday was kept for the Assumption and the Sunday and Monday for independence. The ministry cited the decree of 29 June 1998 on public holidays, whose second article was amended in 2004, and employers in the public and private sectors had to pay their staff in full for all three days.

What does 30 August commemorate in Gabon?

A day instituted by a decree the Council of Ministers adopted on 22 January 2024, to be marked on 30 August every year across the country. It commemorates the coup d'état of 30 August 2023, carried out by the armed forces shortly after the result of the presidential election was announced; the decree calls it the liberation of the Gabonese people. In 2026, 30 August was a Sunday.

What date is Easter Monday in Gabon in 2027?

On 29 March 2027, after Easter Monday on 6 April in 2026. Good Friday is not a day off, so Easter gives a three-day weekend from Saturday to Monday. Whit Monday follows on 17 May 2027, again closing a three-day weekend.

What are the long weekends in Gabon in 2026?

Six fall without any leave. Easter runs from Saturday 4 to Monday 6 April; Women's Day on Friday 17 April and Labour Day on Friday 1 May each make a three-day weekend; Whit Monday ends one on 25 May. August brings Saturday 15 to Monday 17, the Assumption and independence back to back, and Christmas on a Friday gives 25 to 27 December. New Year's Day fell on a Thursday, so Friday 2 January was the day of leave that made four days of it.

Which law sets the public holidays in Gabon?

Decree n°00727/PR/MTEFP of 29 June 1998, which governs public holidays in the Gabonese Republic. Its second article was amended by decree n°000484/PR/MTE of 26 May 2004. The ministry of labour applies it each year when it announces how a holiday falls, as it did for the August days of 2026.

Is 15 August a day off in Gabon?

Yes, on 15 August, as a feast of importance to the country's Christian majority. It sits two days before Independence Day, so the three days from the 15th to the 17th are kept together. Neither year on file gives it a weekday: it was a Saturday in 2026 and is a Sunday in 2027.

Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-10-25. The page counts from Sunday, 25 October 2026, the day it was built.