In 2027, five of Portugal's 13 mandatory public holidays fall at weekends. Six days' leave in December gives 12 days off
In 2027 Portugal has 13 mandatory public holidays (feriados obrigatórios, listed in article 234 of the Labour Code), and five of them fall on a Saturday or Sunday: Easter on 28 March, 25 April (Sunday), 1 May (Saturday), 15 August (Sunday) and Christmas on 25 December (Saturday). Holidays that fall at the weekend are not moved to a weekday. Eight fall on working days: 1 January (Friday), Good Friday on 26 March, Corpus Christi on 27 May (Thursday), Portugal Day on 10 June (Thursday), 5 October (Tuesday), 1 November (Monday), and 1 and 8 December (both Wednesdays) (Observador).
Three long weekends come without taking any leave: at New Year (1–3 January), at Easter (26–28 March) and at the start of November (30 October – 1 November). Three more can be made by taking a single day of leave — Friday 28 May, Friday 11 June or Monday 4 October — giving four days off in a row.
The longest break is in December: if you take six days of leave (2, 3, 6, 7, 9 and 10 December), you get 12 days off in a row, from 1 to 12 December. Four days of leave give nine days off: before Easter (take 22–25 March to be off from 20 to 28 March) and after 1 November (take 2–5 November to be off from 30 October to 7 November).
Carnival on 9 February (Tuesday) and your municipality's holiday are not mandatory: whether you get the day off depends on your employment contract or collective agreement. Civil servants are usually given Carnival off. Lisbon Day on 13 June falls on a Sunday, and Porto Day on 24 June falls on a Thursday. In Madeira, Region Day on 1 July is a mandatory day off; in 2027 it falls on a Thursday. Our guide Public holidays and days off in Portugal explains who has to work on a public holiday and how much they are paid for it.
