Germany: public holidays in 2026
In 2026, Germany has 9 public holidays. 7 fall on a weekday and 2 on a weekend (German Unity Day and Second Day of Christmas). That makes 7 days off from Monday to Friday.
| Holiday | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | January 1 | Thursday |
| Good Friday | April 3 | Friday |
| Easter Monday | April 6 | Monday |
| Labor Day (May Day) | May 1 | Friday |
| Ascension Day | May 14 | Thursday |
| Whit Monday | May 25 | Monday |
| German Unity Day | October 3 | Saturday |
| Christmas Day | December 25 | Friday |
| Second Day of Christmas | December 26 | Saturday |
Long weekends and bridge days in 2026
2026 has 4 long weekends of three days or more without taking any leave:
- Friday, April 3 to Monday, April 6: 4 days · Good Friday and Easter Monday
- Friday, May 1 to Sunday, May 3: 3 days · Labor Day (May Day)
- Saturday, May 23 to Monday, May 25: 3 days · Whit Monday
- Friday, December 25 to Sunday, December 27: 3 days · Christmas Day
Bridge days, where a little leave buys a lot of time off:
- Take Friday, January 2 off: 4 days in a row, from Thursday, January 1 to Sunday, January 4 · New Year’s Day
- Take Friday, May 15 off: 4 days in a row, from Thursday, May 14 to Sunday, May 17 · Ascension Day
Holidays on a weekend
German Unity Day (Saturday, October 3) and Second Day of Christmas (Saturday, December 26) fall on a weekend in 2026. In Germany a holiday that falls on a weekend is not moved.
Regional holidays in 2026
These days are holidays only in part of Germany:
| Holiday | Date | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Epiphany | January 6 | Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Sachsen-Anhalt |
| International Women’s Day | March 8 | Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
| Easter Sunday | April 5 | Brandenburg |
| Pentecost Sunday | May 24 | Brandenburg |
| Corpus Christi | June 4 | Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Hessen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland |
| Augsburg Peace Festival | August 8 | Augsburg |
| Assumption Day | August 15 | Saarland, Bayern (katholische Gemeinden) |
| World Children’s Day | September 20 | Thüringen |
| Reformation Day | October 31 | Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen, Bremen, Hamburg, Niedersachsen, Schleswig-Holstein |
| All Saints’ Day | November 1 | Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland |
| Day of Repentance and Prayer | November 18 | Sachsen |
Good to know
Germany has 9 holidays observed nationwide; all the others are set by the 16 states (Länder). Catholic parts of Bavaria have the most, up to 13 or 14 days. Berlin added International Women’s Day in 2019 and the northern states adopted Reformation Day in 2018.
2026 and 2027 compared
In 2027, Germany has 9 public holidays, 5 of them on weekdays (Germany 2027). With its holidays removed, 2026 counts 254 working days from Monday to Friday, against 256 in 2027: month by month in working days in Germany 2026.
To count the working days between two dates, use the business days calculator; for the movable feasts of the year, see Easter 2026; and for the whole year on one page, the 2026 calendar.