Portuguese Public Holidays 2026 & 2027: Complete Calendar

Portugal has 13 national public holidays (feriados nacionais), plus Carnival, which is widely observed but not compulsory, and a municipal holiday in each town and city. Knowing them helps you plan travel, book long weekends and avoid surprises when shops and offices close.

Below you'll find the complete calendar for 2026 and 2027, the best long weekends, and what usually stays open.

Key takeaways:

• Portugal has 13 mandatory national holidays, set by Article 234 of the Labour Code.
• Carnival Tuesday is optional — many public offices and schools close, but private employers aren't obliged to give the day off.
• Every municipality has its own local holiday — Lisbon on 13 June (Santo António), Porto on 24 June (São João).
• In 2027, five national holidays fall on a weekend, and Portugal doesn't move them to a weekday.
• The best long-weekend opportunities in 2027 are Corpus Christi (27 May) and Portugal Day (10 June), both on Thursdays.

Public holidays in Portugal 2027

In 2027, 8 of the 13 national holidays fall on weekdays. Easter Sunday, 25 April, 1 May, 15 August and Christmas Day fall on weekends.

Remaining public holidays in 2026

Both December holidays fall on a Tuesday, so many people take Monday 30 November and Monday 7 December off for long weekends.

Full 2026 calendar

What each holiday celebrates

• Ano Novo (1 January) — New Year's Day, usually after fireworks and 12 raisins at midnight.
• Sexta-feira Santa & Páscoa — Good Friday and Easter, important family holidays; many eat folar (Easter bread) and lamb or kid.
• 25 de Abril (Freedom Day) — commemorates the Carnation Revolution of 1974, which ended the Estado Novo dictatorship. Expect parades and red carnations.
• 1 de Maio (Labour Day) — rallies and marches organised by trade unions.
• Corpo de Deus (Corpus Christi) — a Catholic feast held 60 days after Easter, with processions in many towns.
• 10 de Junho (Portugal Day) — honours the poet Luís de Camões and Portuguese communities abroad; the president leads official celebrations in a different city each year.
• 15 de Agosto (Assumption) — peak summer holiday; many village festivals (festas) happen around this date.
• 5 de Outubro (Republic Day) — marks the end of the monarchy in 1910.
• 1 de Novembro (All Saints' Day) — families visit cemeteries; children in some regions go door to door asking for pão-por-Deus.
• 1 de Dezembro (Restoration of Independence) — celebrates the end of Spanish rule in 1640.
• 8 de Dezembro (Immaculate Conception) — Catholic feast and the patron of Portugal; Christmas season begins in earnest.
• 25 de Dezembro (Christmas Day) — the main celebration is actually the evening of 24 December (Consoada), with bacalhau and family dinner. Christmas Eve is not an official holiday, but many businesses close early.

Carnival: holiday or not?

Carnival Tuesday (Terça-feira de Carnaval) isn't a mandatory national holiday. However:

• the government often grants a day off (tolerância de ponto) to public servants;
• schools usually close for a few days;
• many private companies give the day off by custom or collective agreement.

Big celebrations take place in Torres Vedras, Ovar, Loulé, Mealhada and Madeira.

Municipal holidays

Every one of Portugal's 308 municipalities has its own holiday, usually linked to a patron saint or a historic date. A few examples:

In 2027, Lisbon's holiday (13 June) falls on a Sunday; Porto's (24 June) on a Thursday.

Municipal holidays apply to people working in that municipality, regardless of where they live.

Long weekends (pontes) in 2027

A ponte ("bridge") is a day off taken between a holiday and the weekend.

Best value in 2027: take just Friday 28 May and Friday 11 June off — two days of leave give you two four-day weekends, two weeks apart.

Madeira and Azores regional holidays

The autonomous regions have their own holidays in addition to national ones:

• Madeira: Madeira Day on 1 July and 26 December (Boxing Day / Primeira Oitava).
• Azores: Azores Day on Pentecost Monday (Segunda-feira do Espírito Santo) — 17 May 2027.

What's open on public holidays?

Your rights as an employee

• Employees are entitled to paid leave on national holidays.
• If you work on a public holiday in a company that's not normally required to open, you're entitled to either extra pay or time off in lieu, according to the Labour Code and your collective agreement.
• Holidays falling on weekends are not moved to Monday.
• Public holidays are separate from your 22 days of annual leave — see Portuguese Salary Explained for more on employment basics.

Calendar current as of November 2026. Municipal holiday dates can vary; check your local câmara municipal.