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Public holidays in Panama

13 days in 2026 · 13 in 2027

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Next public holiday

Separation Day

After it: Flag Day, Wednesday 4 November

Tuesday, 3 November 2026

Panama has 13 public holidays in 2026 and 13 in 2027, and five of them come in November. That month, the Fiestas Patrias, holds both of the country's breaks with a larger state: the separation from Colombia on 3 November 1903 and independence from Spain on 28 November 1821, with the national symbols, the city of Colón and the uprising at La Villa de Los Santos in between.

Only two days off are church feasts, Good Friday and Christmas Day. Easter Monday is a working day. The calendar moves with Easter in one other place, Carnival, whose two days before Ash Wednesday fall on 16 and 17 February in 2026.

Outside November, the one day off tied to an event in Panama's own past is Martyrs' Day on 9 January, which remembers the events of 1964 in the Canal Zone.

Days off in 2026
13Nationwide public holidays
On a weekday
12Monday to Friday
On a weekend
1Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
6and 5 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in Panama in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayThe first day of the year: a Thursday in 2026, and a Friday in 2027 that starts a three-day weekend.Thursday
  2. 9 January: Martyr's DayRemembers the events of January 1964 in the Canal Zone. A Friday in 2026 and a Saturday in 2027.Friday
  3. 16 February: CarnivalThe two days before Ash Wednesday, so the dates move with Easter: 16 and 17 February in 2026, 8 and 9 February in 2027.MondayDate moves
  4. 17 February: CarnivalThe two days before Ash Wednesday, so the dates move with Easter: 16 and 17 February in 2026, 8 and 9 February in 2027.TuesdayDate moves
  5. 3 April: Good FridayThe one day off of Holy Week. Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday are marked as observances, and Holy Saturday is a bank holiday.FridayDate moves
  6. 1 May: Labour Day1 May, which falls on a Friday in 2026 and on a Saturday in 2027.Friday
  7. 3 November: Separation DayThe separation from Colombia on 3 November 1903, which the United States backed because it wanted to build the canal. The Fiestas Patrias are counted from this day.Tuesday
  8. 4 November: Flag DayNational Symbols Day, kept for the flag, the coat of arms and the national anthem.Wednesday
  9. 5 November: Colon DayColón DayThe separation of Colón from Colombia. The last Colombian troops on the isthmus had stayed in the city.Thursday
  10. 10 November: Shout in Villa de los SantosThe Primer Grito de Independencia, the first cry for independence from Spain, raised at La Villa de Los Santos and remembered through the gesture of Rufina Alfaro. The town itself keeps the largest celebration.Tuesday
  11. 28 November: Independence DayIndependence from Spain on 28 November 1821, after which Panama became part of Gran Colombia. A Saturday in 2026 and a Sunday in 2027.Saturday
  12. 8 December: Mother's DayPanama keeps Mother's Day on a fixed date with a day off: 8 December, a Tuesday in 2026 and a Wednesday in 2027.Tuesday
  13. 25 December: Christmas DayThe second of the two church feasts with a day off. It falls on a Friday in 2026 and on a Saturday in 2027.Friday

Long weekends

Long weekends in Panama 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
  • 3daysFri 9 Jan to Sun 11 JanMartyr's Day
  • 4daysSat 14 Feb to Tue 17 FebCarnival, Carnival
  • 3daysFri 3 Apr to Sun 5 AprGood Friday
  • 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayLabour Day
  • 6daysSat 31 Oct to Thu 5 NovWith Mon 2 Nov taken as leave · Separation Day, Flag Day, Colon Day
  • 3daysTue 3 Nov to Thu 5 NovSeparation Day, Flag Day, Colon Day
  • 6daysTue 3 Nov to Sun 8 NovWith Fri 6 Nov taken as leave · Separation Day, Flag Day, Colon Day
  • 4daysSat 7 Nov to Tue 10 NovWith Mon 9 Nov taken as leave · Shout in Villa de los Santos
  • 4daysSat 5 Dec to Tue 8 DecWith Mon 7 Dec taken as leave · Mother's Day
  • 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day

2027

Public holidays in Panama in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayFriday
  2. 9 January: Martyr's DaySaturday
  3. 8 February: CarnivalMondayDate moves
  4. 9 February: CarnivalTuesdayDate moves
  5. 26 March: Good FridayFridayDate moves
  6. 1 May: Labour DaySaturday
  7. 3 November: Separation DayWednesday
  8. 4 November: Flag DayThursday
  9. 5 November: Colon DayColón DayFriday
  10. 10 November: Shout in Villa de los SantosWednesday
  11. 28 November: Independence DaySunday
  12. 8 December: Mother's DayWednesday
  13. 25 December: Christmas DaySaturday

In 2026 the first three November holidays run from Tuesday to Thursday, so one day of leave on Monday 2 November joins them to the weekend before, and a second on Friday 6 November makes nine days in a row. In 2027 the same three days run from Wednesday 3 November to Friday 5 November and lead straight into the weekend. Travel to the countryside peaks over these three days; whether 10 and 28 November make a long weekend depends on where they fall in the week.

Several days are marked without a day off. timeanddate lists Holy Saturday, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve as bank holidays, and 15 August, the foundation of Old Panama City, as a local holiday.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in Panama

How many public holidays does Panama have in 2026?

Thirteen, and thirteen again in 2027. Five of them fall in November, the month of the Fiestas Patrias. In 2026 only one lands on a weekend, Independence Day on Saturday 28 November. In 2027 four do: Martyrs' Day on Saturday 9 January, Labour Day on Saturday 1 May, Independence Day on Sunday 28 November and Christmas Day on Saturday 25 December.

What are the Fiestas Patrias in Panama?

The November holidays, counted from Separation Day on 3 November. After it come National Symbols Day on 4 November, Colón Day on 5 November, the cry for independence at La Villa de Los Santos on 10 November and Independence from Spain on 28 November. Between them they hold the two dates on which Panama left a larger state, in 1821 and in 1903.

Why does Panama have two independence days?

Because it broke away twice. On 28 November 1821 it became independent of Spain and joined Gran Colombia. On 3 November 1903 it separated from Colombia, with the support of the United States, which had an interest in building the Panama Canal. Both are days off, and so is 10 November, the first cry for independence from Spain, raised at La Villa de Los Santos.

When is Carnival in Panama in 2027?

On Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 February 2027, the two days before Ash Wednesday. The dates follow Easter and so move every year: in 2026 Carnival fell on 16 and 17 February. Good Friday comes about six weeks later, on 26 March 2027.

What is Martyrs' Day in Panama?

The day off on 9 January, which remembers the events of January 1964 in the Canal Zone. It is a mandatory day of rest. In 2026 it falls on Friday 9 January and gives a three-day weekend that runs to Sunday 11 January; in 2027 it lands on a Saturday.

What are the long weekends in Panama in 2026?

Five come without leave: Martyrs' Day from Friday 9 January to the Sunday, Carnival from the Saturday before to Tuesday 17 February, Easter from Friday 3 April to Sunday 5 April, Labour Day from Friday 1 May, and Christmas from Friday 25 December to Sunday 27 December. A single day of leave adds others: Friday 2 January after New Year's Day, Monday 2 November or Friday 6 November around the run from 3 to 5 November, and Monday 9 November and Monday 7 December before two Tuesday holidays.

Is Easter Monday a holiday in Panama?

No. Good Friday is the only day off of Holy Week, on 3 April in 2026 and 26 March in 2027. Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday are marked as observances and Holy Saturday as a bank holiday, and the Monday after Easter is an ordinary working day.

Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-10-04. The page counts from Sunday, 4 October 2026, the day it was built.