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Public holidays in Portugal

12 days in 2026 · 12 in 2027

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Next public holiday

Republic Day

Implantação da República

After it: All Saints Day, Sunday 1 November

Monday, 5 October 2026

Portugal has 13 national public holidays, listed in article 234 of the Labour Code, and nine of them fall on a weekday in 2026, against eight in 2027. The list includes Easter Sunday, a holiday that by definition never lands on a working day. Carnival is not on it: the Tuesday before Lent is an optional day, granted to public servants by government decree and left to employers in the private sector, though it is usually taken.

Catholic feasts, recognised in the Labour Code and in the Concordat of 2004, sit beside three dates from Portuguese history: 1 December for the restoration of independence from Spain in 1640, 5 October for the republic proclaimed in 1910, and 25 April for the coup of 1974 that ended the Estado Novo. Four holidays, two of each kind, were abolished from 2013 during the bailout years and restored in 2016.

The Azores and Madeira add regional holidays of their own, and each municipality keeps one local holiday, most often its patron saint's day: St Anthony on 13 June in Lisbon, St John on 24 June in Porto and Braga.

Days off in 2026
12Not counting Easter Sunday, always a Sunday
On a weekday
9Monday to Friday
On a weekend
3Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
4and 4 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in Portugal in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayAno NovoNew Year's Day, the first date in the Labour Code's list.Thursday
  2. 3 April: Good FridaySexta-feira SantaGood Friday. The Labour Code allows it to be kept instead on another day of local significance in the Easter period.FridayDate moves
  3. 25 April: Freedom DayDia da LiberdadeFreedom Day, for the coup of 25 April 1974 that ended the Estado Novo and opened the way to the Third Republic.Saturday
  4. 1 May: Labour DayDia do TrabalhadorLabour Day, named in Portuguese for the worker rather than for labour.Friday
  5. 4 June: Corpus ChristiCorpo de DeusCorpus Christi, the Thursday 60 days after Easter Sunday. Abolished as a holiday from 2013 and brought back in 2016.ThursdayDate moves
  6. 10 June: National DayDia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades PortuguesasThe national day, the anniversary of the death of the poet Luís de Camões in 1580. Its full name also takes in the Portuguese communities abroad.Wednesday
  7. 15 August: Assumption DayAssunção de Nossa SenhoraThe Assumption of Mary, on a Saturday in 2026 and a Sunday in 2027.Saturday
  8. 5 October: Republic DayImplantação da RepúblicaThe revolution of 5 October 1910 that ended the monarchy. One of the two civic holidays dropped between 2013 and 2015.Monday
  9. 1 November: All Saints DayDia de Todos-os-SantosAll Saints' Day. Like Corpus Christi, a religious holiday suspended for three years from 2013.Sunday
  10. 1 December: Restoration of IndependenceRestauração da IndependênciaOn 1 December 1640 the Duke of Braganza was proclaimed king as John IV, ending the union of the Portuguese and Spanish crowns that began in 1580.Tuesday
  11. 8 December: Immaculate ConceptionImaculada ConceiçãoThe Immaculate Conception, kept on 8 December, a week after the Restoration.Tuesday
  12. 25 December: Christmas DayNatalChristmas Day. Christmas Eve is not a holiday on the national list.Friday

Long weekends

Long weekends in Portugal 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 3 Apr to Sun 5 AprGood Friday
  • 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayLabour Day
  • 4daysThu 4 Jun to Sun 7 JunWith Fri 5 Jun taken as leave · Corpus Christi
  • 3daysSat 3 Oct to Mon 5 OctRepublic Day
  • 4daysSat 28 Nov to Tue 1 DecWith Mon 30 Nov taken as leave · Restoration of Independence
  • 4daysSat 5 Dec to Tue 8 DecWith Mon 7 Dec taken as leave · Immaculate Conception
  • 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day

2027

Public holidays in Portugal in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayAno NovoFriday
  2. 26 March: Good FridaySexta-feira SantaFridayDate moves
  3. 25 April: Freedom DayDia da LiberdadeSunday
  4. 1 May: Labour DayDia do TrabalhadorSaturday
  5. 27 May: Corpus ChristiCorpo de DeusThursdayDate moves
  6. 10 June: National DayDia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades PortuguesasThursday
  7. 15 August: Assumption DayAssunção de Nossa SenhoraSunday
  8. 5 October: Republic DayImplantação da RepúblicaTuesday
  9. 1 November: All Saints DayDia de Todos-os-SantosMonday
  10. 1 December: Restoration of IndependenceRestauração da IndependênciaWednesday
  11. 8 December: Immaculate ConceptionImaculada ConceiçãoWednesday
  12. 25 December: Christmas DayNatalSaturday

Regional

Holidays kept in parts of Portugal

Public holidays in 2026 that are days off only in the regions listed, by their ISO 3166-2 codes.

  1. 2 April: Madeira Autonomy DayDia da AutonomiaPT-30Madeira's Autonomy Day, 2 April, for the approval of the 1976 Constitution, which recognised the political and administrative autonomy of Madeira and the Azores. Off in Madeira only.Thursday
  2. 25 May: Azores DayDia dos AçoresPT-20The day of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, also called Dia da Pombinha and Dia do Bodo. It is kept on Whit Monday, 25 May in 2026 and 17 May in 2027, and is a day off in the Azores only.MondayDate moves
  3. 1 July: Madeira DayDia da MadeiraPT-30The day of the Autonomous Region of Madeira and of the Madeiran communities. Off in Madeira only.Wednesday
  4. 26 December: St. Stephen's DayPrimeira OitavaPT-30The first octave of Christmas, part of Madeira's long Christmas season and a holiday there by decision of the regional government.Saturday

Observances

Days marked in Portugal that are not days off

  1. 17 February: CarnivalCarnavalShrove Tuesday, 47 days before Easter Sunday, and the one optional day in the calendar. The carnival at Ovar is one of the folk festivities that still draw large crowds.TuesdayDate moves

The Labour Code does not move a holiday that falls on a Saturday or Sunday to a weekday. In 2026 that happens to 25 April, 15 August and 1 November as well as to Easter Sunday, and in 2027 to 25 April, 1 May, 15 August and 25 December. The same article allows specific legislation to shift some holidays to the following Monday.

In 2012 the government abolished Corpus Christi, 5 October, 1 November and 1 December from 2013, presenting the cut as a productivity measure during the 2011 to 2014 bailout, although the memorandum with the lenders had not asked for it. A new government restored all four in January 2016.

Municipal holidays go back to a decree of 12 October 1910, which let each municipality pick a day for its traditional festivities. Coimbra keeps St Elizabeth on 4 July, Évora and Sintra St Peter on 29 June, and around thirty municipalities, Beja and Loulé among them, Ascension Thursday.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in Portugal

How many public holidays does Portugal have in 2026?

Thirteen national ones, of which nine fall between Monday and Friday. Easter Sunday, 25 April, 15 August and 1 November land on a weekend and are not moved. On top of those, Carnival on Tuesday 17 February is widely given as a day off without being compulsory, each municipality has its own holiday, and the Azores and Madeira have regional days.

Is Carnival a public holiday in Portugal?

Not a mandatory one. Carnival is absent from article 234 of the Labour Code, so it counts as an optional holiday. The government decides each year by decree whether public servants get the day, and private employers, or collective agreements, decide for their staff. In practice it is usually given. It falls on Tuesday 17 February in 2026 and Tuesday 9 February in 2027.

Why did Portugal abolish four holidays in 2013?

The government of the time cut Republic Day, Restoration of Independence, Corpus Christi and All Saints' Day to raise productivity during the bailout of 2011 to 2014. The measure was controversial, not least because the memorandum agreed with the lenders never asked for it. A review of the two religious days was scheduled for 2018, but all four came back earlier, restored in January 2016.

When is Easter in Portugal in 2027?

Good Friday falls on 26 March 2027 and Easter Sunday on 28 March, giving a three-day weekend from Friday to Sunday. Easter Monday is not a national holiday, only a local one in some municipalities. In 2026 the pair fell on 3 and 5 April. Corpus Christi, 60 days after Easter, follows on 27 May 2027.

What are the long weekends in Portugal in 2026?

Four arrive without leave: Easter from Friday 3 April, Labour Day on Friday 1 May, Republic Day on Monday 5 October and Christmas on Friday 25 December. Four Thursday or Tuesday holidays each need one day of leave to join a weekend: Friday 2 January after New Year, Friday 5 June after Corpus Christi, and Monday 30 November and Monday 7 December before the two December holidays.

Is 13 June a holiday in Lisbon?

Yes, as Lisbon's municipal holiday, St Anthony's Day, though not elsewhere in the country. The marchas, parades of costumed singers and dancers from the city's traditional quarters, fill the Avenida da Liberdade. St Anthony is the matchmaker saint, and 200 to 300 couples traditionally marry in Lisbon on the day. Porto's equivalent is St John on 24 June.

Which holidays do Madeira and the Azores add?

Madeira keeps three: 2 April, its Autonomy Day; 1 July, the day of the region and of the Madeiran communities; and 26 December, the first octave of Christmas. The Azores keep their regional day on Whit Monday, known locally as Dia da Pombinha, which falls on 25 May in 2026 and 17 May in 2027. Both regions observe all 13 national holidays as well, and their municipalities add local days such as 21 August in Funchal.

What happens when a public holiday falls on a weekend in Portugal?

It stays where it is, and no weekday is given in its place. Portuguese law has no general substitute rule, although the Labour Code allows specific legislation to move some holidays to the following Monday. In 2027 five of the 13 fall on a weekend, 28 March, 25 April, 1 May, 15 August and 25 December, leaving eight weekday holidays. Anyone scheduled to work on a holiday is owed extra pay and a day of rest in compensation.

Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-26. The page counts from Monday, 28 September 2026, the day it was built.