- The Official State Gazette (BOE) publishes today the national labor calendar, which includes all holidays in Spain already approved by regional governments. The 2026 labor calendar includes, as every year, 14 non-working days: 12 national or regional holidays and 2 more set by each city council
Each year, the labor calendar combines mandatory national holidays, optional national holidays, regional and local holidays. The resolution of the Directorate General of Labor published today in the Official State Gazette (BOE) includes a total of 14 holidays for 2026, the legal maximum established: 9 that are celebrated jointly throughout Spain, plus three decided by the autonomous communities and another two local holidays decided by each city council or corporation following their local and patron saint traditions.
National holidays are divided into two groups: some are non-substitutable by the autonomous communities, and others are substitutable (the regions can change them for holidays decided by their regional governments or, optionally, transfer a holiday that falls on a Sunday to Monday, which is the most common option).
In general, eight national holidays are “non-substitutable” (mandatory throughout Spain), to which Three Kings’ Day (January 6, Epiphany of the Lord) is usually added, which, although technically substitutable, by tradition all autonomous communities always establish it.
Thus, the BOE, just like every year, establishes 9 common national holidays which in 2026 are distributed as follows:
Thursday, January 1 (New Year’s Day)
Tuesday, January 6 (Three Kings or Epiphany of the Lord)
Friday, April 3 (Good Friday)
Friday, May 1 (Labor Day or May Day)
Saturday, August 15 (Assumption of the Virgin)
Monday, October 12 (National Day of Spain)
Sunday, November 1 (All Saints’ Day)
Tuesday, December 8 (Immaculate Conception Day)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25 (NATIVITY OF THE LORD)
The autonomous communities have the possibility of replacing the rest day of the Monday following national holidays that coincide on a Sunday by incorporating other traditional holidays into the list of holidays of the Autonomous Community, and they can also choose each year between the celebration of the San José holiday (March 19) or Santiago Apóstol (July 25). Each autonomous community can have its own holidays that generate additional long weekends.
There are also other common holidays that the autonomous communities and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla can change the day of, called “National Holiday with respect to which the power of substitution has not been exercised,” which the BOE compiles once they have been approved throughout the year by the regional governments.
Likewise, communities that cannot establish one of their traditional holidays because a sufficient number of national holidays do not coincide on a Sunday to add, in the year that this occurs, can also establish one more holiday, of a recoverable nature, up to a maximum of 14.
Likewise, of this total of 14 holidays, two will be local, fixed by each city council, also non-working days, paid and non-recoverable, and which are published in the corresponding municipal or provincial gazettes.
The BOE also includes Decree 61/2025, of April 28, by which the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands determines the calendar of labor holidays of the archipelago based on island criteria, and Order EMT/66/2025, of April 30, of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, which changes the holiday of Saturday, December 26 (Sant Esteve) in the Aran Valley to Wednesday, June 17 (Aran Holiday).
4 LONG WEEKENDS AND OTHER BRIDGES OF 4 OR 5 DAYS
In 2026 there will be at least the already traditional four long weekends throughout the national territory: Friday, April 3 (Good Friday); Friday, May 1 (Labor Day); Monday, October 12 (National Day of Spain) and Friday, December 25 (Nativity of the Lord).
This year, Thursday, April 2 (Maundy Thursday) will be a holiday throughout Spain except in Catalonia and the Valencian Community, and Easter Monday (April 6) is a holiday in some regions such as Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Navarre, the Basque Country, La Rioja, or the Balearic Islands.
Next year, in addition, All Saints’ Day (November 1) and Constitution Day (December 6) fall on a Sunday and will be moved to Monday in many regions, which will make it easier for many workers to have a long weekend in November and another in December, the latter also joined to the Immaculate Conception holiday on Tuesday, December 8 in many autonomous communities.
Many have also preferred to make the day after All Saints’ Day (Monday, November 2) a holiday: Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Canary Islands, Castile-La Mancha, Castile and Leon, Extremadura, Madrid, and Navarre.
San José (March 19) is celebrated in Galicia, Murcia, Navarre, the Basque Country, and the Valencian Community, while Santiago Apóstol (July 25) will be a holiday in Galicia and the Basque Country.
Easter Monday (April 6) will be a holiday in the Balearic Islands, Castile-La Mancha, Catalonia, Navarre, the Basque Country, La Rioja, and the Valencian Community, while Castile-La Mancha will celebrate the Corpus Christi holiday (June 4) and Catalonia, Galicia, and the Valencian Community will celebrate San Juan (June 24).
Many communities have chosen to make the Monday following Constitution Day (December 7) a holiday: Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Cantabria, Castile and Leon, Extremadura, Madrid, Murcia, La Rioja, and Melilla. On Saint Stephen’s Day (December 26), there will be no work in Asturias or Catalonia.
On the other hand, the most fortunate can also take the opportunity to add one more mini-vacation, taking advantage of the fact that some festivities, added to other holidays moved to Monday, can have free days interspersed or holidays added to be able to build several long weekends of four or even five days throughout the year, as compiled by Hosteltur. Examples include, depending on each territory, the following: Three Kings in January; Easter and Easter Monday in April; San Juan in June; Days of Extremadura, Asturias, and the Diada of Catalonia in September; and the Constitution bridge in December.
NATIONAL LONG WEEKENDS
April 3 to 5: Good Friday (Easter)
May 1 to 3: Labor Day
October 10 to 12: National Day of Spain (the 12th falls on a Monday)
December 25 to 26: Christmas (25th on Friday, 26th on Saturday)
OTHER POSSIBLE BRIDGES (VARY BY AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY)
January 6: Epiphany of the Lord (Tuesday)
April 2: Maundy Thursday
August 15: Assumption of the Virgin (Saturday)
November 2: Transfer of All Saints’ Day (Monday)
December 6 and 7: Constitution Day (Sunday and transfer to Monday)
December 8: Immaculate Conception (Tuesday)
Source: Expansión and BOE