How Spain's national, regional and local holidays fit together

Key rules

• Local holidays: Your town has two local holidays a year, on top of the national and regional days.
• Regional differences: Regions choose their own extra days, so a friend in another region can have a different list.
• Yearly check: Holiday lists are set each year, so check the current calendar for your region and town.

Your holiday list is a mix of three levels

Your list of days off is the national holidays, plus your region's extra days, plus two local holidays for your town. Someone in another region shares the national days but usually differs on the rest. That is why your list and a friend's often don't match.

Level 1: national holidays

The Government sets a national list each year. These days are the same everywhere and cannot be swapped:

• 1 January (New Year)
• 6 January (Epiphany)
• 1 May (Labour Day)
• 15 August (Assumption)
• 12 October (National Day)
• 1 November (All Saints)
• 6 December (Constitution Day)
• 8 December (Immaculate Conception)
• 25 December (Christmas)

In 2026, Good Friday (3 April) is also a national holiday. The list for 2027 is set by an annual official resolution, usually published in October. Good Friday 2027 falls on 26 March.

Level 2: regional holidays

Each autonomous community (region) can add its own days. It can also replace some national days, or move one that falls on a Sunday. This is where most differences come from. For example:

• Holy Thursday is a holiday in most regions, but not in Catalonia or Valencia.
• Easter Monday is a holiday in Catalonia, the Basque Country, Navarre, Valencia and the Balearics, and in some years in La Rioja and Cantabria.
• Regions add their own day. Examples are Andalusia on 28 February, Madrid on 2 May, Galicia on 25 July, Aragon on 23 April and the Canary Islands on 30 May. Catalonia adds 24 June and 26 December.

Regions can change their choices from year to year, and Madrid has done so. Ceuta and Melilla have their own holidays too.

Level 3: local holidays

Your town has two local holidays a year. They usually mark the patron saint or a traditional festival. The town council proposes them and the regional government approves and publishes them. Two neighbouring towns can therefore have different days off.

How the three combine

Employees can have up to 14 paid non-working holidays a year, and two of those are local. To find your list for the year:

1. Look up your region's official holiday calendar for the year.
2. Add your town's two local holidays, which you can ask your town hall about.
3. Check your work contract or collective agreement for any extra rules.

The quick answers below cover Sunday moves, banks and Easter Monday.

Quick answers about Spanish holidays

Is a holiday that falls on a Sunday moved to Monday?

Sometimes, because each community decides whether to move a Sunday holiday to Monday or swap in another date. The choice appears in your community's own calendar for that year, so look there.

Do banks and post offices close on local holidays?

Yes, banks and Correos post offices close on your town's local holidays as well as on national and regional ones. ATMs and online or app banking keep working, so you can still do most simple tasks.

Does Saturday count as a working day for official deadlines?

No, Saturday is not a working day for official deadlines counted in days. Shops usually open on Saturdays, though, so a shop being open says nothing about your deadline.

Is Easter Monday a holiday everywhere in Spain?

No, Easter Monday is a holiday only in some communities, such as Catalonia, the Basque Country, Navarre, Valencia and the Balearics. In some years La Rioja and Cantabria have it too. Good Friday, by contrast, is on the national list.