Public holidays in Vatican City
14 days in 2026 · 14 in 2027
Back to Vatican CityNext public holiday
All Saints Day
Tutti i Santi, Ognissanti
After it: Immaculate Conception, Tuesday 8 December
Sunday, 1 November 2026
The list of public holidays published for Vatican City names 15 days, Easter Sunday among them, and every Sunday of the year is a holiday besides. Nearly all are feasts of the Catholic liturgical year. Two belong to the pontificate instead: by tradition the anniversary of the reigning pope's election and his name day, the feast of the saint who shares his birth name, are days off, so both dates change whenever a new pope is elected.
One day marks the state itself. The Lateran Treaty, signed on 11 February 1929, made Vatican City a sovereign state, and its anniversary is the one date on the list that is not a feast. Three others are feasts of saints tied to Rome or to the Church at large: Peter and Paul, the co-patrons of the city, on 29 June, and Joseph twice, on 19 March and again as the worker on 1 May.
- Days off in 2026
- 14Not counting Easter Sunday, always a Sunday
- On a weekday
- 11Monday to Friday
- On a weekend
- 3Saturday or Sunday
- Long weekends
- 5and 5 with one day of leave
2026
Public holidays in Vatican City in 2026
- 1 January: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of GodMaria Santissima Madre di DioThe Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on the octave day of Christmas. It is also the civil New Year's Day.Thursday
- 6 January: EpiphanyEpifania del SignoreEpiphany, the last feast of the Christmas season on the list and one of the holy days of obligation in the universal calendar.Tuesday
- 11 February: Anniversary of the foundation of Vatican CityAnniversario della istituzione dello Stato della Città del VaticanoThe signing of the Lateran Treaty on 11 February 1929, which established Vatican City as a sovereign state.Wednesday
- 19 March: Saint Joseph's DaySan GiuseppeSt Joseph, one of the ten holy days of obligation in the universal calendar. He is on the list a second time on 1 May.Thursday
- 6 April: Easter MondayLunedì dell'AngeloEaster Monday, in Italian the Monday of the Angel. For the staff of the Roman Curia the Tuesday after it is a day off too.MondayDate moves
- 1 May: Saint Joseph the WorkerSan Giuseppe lavoratoreSt Joseph the Worker. The Curia's personnel regulation lists it as the liturgical memorial of S. Giuseppe artigiano, Joseph the craftsman.Friday
- 8 May: Anniversary of the election of the Holy FatherAnniversario dell'Elezione del Santo PadreThe anniversary of the reigning pope's election. The date belongs to the pontificate, not to the calendar: since the conclave of 2025 it is 8 May, a Friday in 2026 and a Saturday in 2027.Friday
- 29 June: Saint Peter and Saint PaulSanti Pietro e PaoloSaints Peter and Paul, whose feast marks their co-patronage of Rome.Monday
- 15 August: Assumption DayAssunzione di Maria in CieloThe Assumption of Mary. Curia staff also have the day before and the day after it off.Saturday
- 17 September: Name day of the Holy Father, Saint Robert BellarmineOnomastico del Santo PadreThe reigning pope's name day, kept on the feast of the saint who shares his birth name. Since 2025 that is St Robert Bellarmine on 17 September. Like the election anniversary, it moves when a new pope is elected.Thursday
- 1 November: All Saints DayTutti i Santi, OgnissantiAll Saints' Day. The next day, the commemoration of the faithful departed, is a day off for Curia staff.Sunday
- 8 December: Immaculate ConceptionImmacolata ConcezioneThe Immaculate Conception, a feast that falls in Advent.Tuesday
- 25 December: Christmas DayNataleChristmas Day. For the Curia the eve before it is a day off as well.Friday
- 26 December: St. Stephen's DaySanto StefanoSt Stephen, the first of the two days after Christmas that the Curia's regulation keeps free.Saturday
Long weekends
Long weekends in Vatican City 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 · Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
- 4daysSat 3 Jan to Tue 6 JanWith Mon 5 Jan taken as leave · Epiphany
- 4daysThu 19 Mar to Sun 22 MarWith Fri 20 Mar taken as leave · Saint Joseph's Day
- 3daysSat 4 Apr to Mon 6 AprEaster Monday
- 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MaySaint Joseph the Worker
- 3daysFri 8 May to Sun 10 MayAnniversary of the election of the Holy Father
- 3daysSat 27 Jun to Mon 29 JunSaint Peter and Saint Paul
- 4daysThu 17 Sept to Sun 20 SeptWith Fri 18 Sept taken as leave · Name day of the Holy Father, Saint Robert Bellarmine
- 4daysSat 5 Dec to Tue 8 DecWith Mon 7 Dec taken as leave · Immaculate Conception
- 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day, St. Stephen's Day
2027
Public holidays in Vatican City in 2027
- 1 January: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of GodMaria Santissima Madre di DioFriday
- 6 January: EpiphanyEpifania del SignoreWednesday
- 11 February: Anniversary of the foundation of Vatican CityAnniversario della istituzione dello Stato della Città del VaticanoThursday
- 19 March: Saint Joseph's DaySan GiuseppeFriday
- 29 March: Easter MondayLunedì dell'AngeloMondayDate moves
- 1 May: Saint Joseph the WorkerSan Giuseppe lavoratoreSaturday
- 8 May: Anniversary of the election of the Holy FatherAnniversario dell'Elezione del Santo PadreSaturday
- 29 June: Saint Peter and Saint PaulSanti Pietro e PaoloTuesday
- 15 August: Assumption DayAssunzione di Maria in CieloSunday
- 17 September: Name day of the Holy Father, Saint Robert BellarmineOnomastico del Santo PadreFriday
- 1 November: All Saints DayTutti i Santi, OgnissantiMonday
- 8 December: Immaculate ConceptionImmacolata ConcezioneWednesday
- 25 December: Christmas DayNataleSaturday
- 26 December: St. Stephen's DaySanto StefanoSunday
The Holy See's own offices keep a longer list. The personnel regulation of the Roman Curia, signed on 23 November 2025 and in force from 1 January 2026 on a trial basis for five years, gives days off on Sundays and the holy days of obligation and adds ten more entries: the election anniversary and the name day of the pope, the anniversary of the state, St Joseph the craftsman, the last three days of Holy Week, Easter Monday and Tuesday, the eve and the day after the Assumption, the commemoration of the faithful departed, Christmas Eve with the two days after Christmas, and the last day of the year.
Ascension and Corpus Christi, both set by the date of Easter, have been left off the published list of public holidays since 2009, although both are among the holy days of obligation in the universal calendar.
Common questions
Questions about public holidays in Vatican City
How many public holidays does Vatican City have?
The published list names 15, Easter Sunday among them, and every Sunday is a holiday too. Staff of the Roman Curia, the Holy See's offices, have more under their personnel regulation: Holy Thursday to Holy Saturday, Easter Tuesday, the days either side of the Assumption, All Souls' Day, Christmas Eve, 27 December and New Year's Eve are also days off for them.
Why is 11 February a holiday in Vatican City?
It is the anniversary of the Lateran Treaty, signed on 11 February 1929, which established Vatican City as a sovereign state. The Curia's personnel regulation calls it the anniversary of the institution of the State of Vatican City. It is the one day on the list that marks the state rather than a feast; in 2026 it fell on a Wednesday and in 2027 it falls on a Thursday.
Which Vatican holidays change with each pope?
Two. By tradition the anniversary of the reigning pope's election and his name day are both public holidays, and the Curia's personnel regulation names both as days off. The name day is the feast of the saint who shares the pope's birth name, not his papal name. When a new pope is elected, both dates move to the ones his pontificate sets.
How long is the Easter break in the Vatican in 2026?
For staff of the Roman Curia, six days: the last three days of Holy Week, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday and Tuesday, from Thursday 2 April to Tuesday 7 April. The published list of public holidays has only Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. In 2027 the Curia's break runs from Thursday 25 March to Tuesday 30 March.
Are Ascension Day and Corpus Christi holidays in Vatican City?
Not on the published list. Both are feasts that move with Easter, and both have been missing from it since 2009, although they remain among the ten holy days of obligation in the universal calendar. Some commercial calendars still show them for 2026, on 14 May and 4 June, as timeanddate's calendar does.
Is 1 May Labour Day in Vatican City?
The date is a holiday, but as a feast: St Joseph the Worker, the memorial the Curia's regulation calls S. Giuseppe artigiano, Joseph the craftsman. Joseph appears on the list twice, since 19 March is his principal feast. In 2026 the day fell on a Friday, in 2027 on a Saturday.
Which days around Christmas are off in the Vatican?
The published list has Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day. Curia staff have more: the regulation gives them Christmas Eve and the two days after Christmas, and the last day of the year as well. In 2026 that means Thursday 24 December to Sunday 27 December, then Thursday 31 December; in 2027 the four days run from Friday 24 December to Monday 27 December.
Do staff in the Vatican work on Sundays?
Sunday is the weekly day of rest under the Curia's personnel regulation. Staff who have to work on a Sunday because the service cannot stop take a weekday off instead, agreed with the head of their office. The standard working week is 36 hours, and annual leave comes to 158 hours, taken only in whole working days.
Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-26. The page counts from Monday, 28 September 2026, the day it was built.