Public holidays in Spain 2025

In total, Spain has 14 public holidays, as every year. As every year, there are eight national holidays throughout Spain. To these days are added four regional holidays, which are established by each autonomous community, and two local holidays, which are added by the municipalities. In total, each employee has 14 holidays.

The eight national holidays for the whole of Spain in 2025 are:

• January 1 (Wednesday, New Year's Day),

• April 18 (Good Friday),

• May 1 (Thursday, Labor Day),

• August 15 (Friday, Assumption of Mary),

• November 1 (Saturday, All Saints' Day),

• December 6 (Saturday, Spanish Constitution Day),

• December 8 (Monday, Immaculate Conception),

• December 25 (Thursday, Christmas).

In addition, Monday 6 January (Epiphany) will be a public holiday throughout Spain, as all regions have decided that Epiphany is a holiday. However, this does not apply to 12 October, which falls on a Sunday in 2025. Some regions have moved the festival of the Hispanidad and the Virgin of Pilar to the following Monday (13 October), while others have chosen a different date.

The Semana Santa (Holy Week) of 2025 falls in the second half of April. Good Friday, the only day that is a public holiday throughout Spain, falls on 18 April. Some regions celebrate Maundy Thursday (17 April), others Easter Monday (21 April), and a few celebrate all three days.

What puentes are there in Spain in 2025?

In 2025, there will be several puentes in Spain, long weekends that are created because public holidays fall on a Monday or Friday, or are combined with an extra day off. Many Spaniards use these days off to take a short holiday in their own country.

Here are some important puentes in 2025.

1. Puente de Reyes (6 January 2025 – Monday)

• This holiday falls on a Monday, which means a long weekend for most regions in Spain.

2. Puente de la Constitución en la Inmaculada (6 and 8 December 2025)

• The holidays “Día de la Constitución” (6 December) and “Inmaculada Concepción” (8 December) fall on a Saturday and Monday respectively, giving a long weekend from Saturday to Monday.

3. Semana Santa (17 and 18 April 2025 – Thursday and Friday)

• Jueves Santo (17 April) and Viernes Santo (18 April) fall throughout Spain, except in certain regions, giving a four- or five-day long weekend depending on the region.

4. Puente de Primero de Mayo (1 May 2025 – Thursday)

• In the Madrid region, in addition to the national holiday “Día del Trabajo” (1 May, Thursday), the “Día de la Comunidad de Madrid” also falls on Friday 2 May. This gives a four-day long weekend in the Madrid region.

Holiday Meanings

January 1 – Año Nuevo

January 1 is the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. After this, there are 364 days left until the end of the year in a normal year and 365 days left in a leap year. In the Western world, January 1 is called New Year's Day and in Spain it is Año Nuevo, an official day off to recover from the celebration of New Year's Eve and the turn of the year.

January 6 – Epifanía del Señor

This holiday is popularly known as Three Kings or Día de Reyes. The official name in Spain is Epifanía del Señor. We celebrate that the wise men from the East saw a star and found Jesus in Bethlehem. The three wise men, known as Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, symbolize adulthood at 20, 40 and 60 years old respectively. On January 5th, the Cabalgatas de Reyes Magos take place in Spain, and on January 6th, children receive gifts from the Three Wise Men.

April 18th – Viernes Santo

On April 18th, Viernes Santo, or Good Friday, is celebrated in Spain. This is the Friday before Easter and commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus on Golgotha. According to the Bible, Jesus died by crucifixion after being condemned by Pontius Pilate. During this day, impressive processions can be seen in almost all of Spain during the Semana Santa.

May 1st – Fiesta del Trabajo

On May 1st, Labor Day is celebrated in Spain, not in the Netherlands, but in Belgium and other European countries. This day can be linked to the Catholic feast of Saint Joseph as a laborer. The celebration is also the result of the introduction of the eight-hour working day in the 15th and 16th centuries, which began in Great Britain. When May 1st falls on a Thursday or Tuesday, many workers get a long weekend, which leads to crowds in coastal towns. However, there are also often protests organised by unions.

August 15 – Festividad de la Asunción de la Virgen

The Asunción de la Virgen Maria, or Assumption of Our Lady, is a national holiday in Spain, rooted in the Catholic Church. It commemorates the Assumption of Mary into heaven. Many Spaniards celebrate this in church, but for many it mainly means a day off and the end of the busy summer. Fireworks displays are often organised on this day, which are enjoyed by thousands of people.

October 12 – Día de Hispanidad (SUNDAY)

On October 12, Spain celebrates the Fiesta Nacional de España, or Día de Hispanidad, a festival that is also celebrated in many Spanish-speaking countries. On this day in 1492, Cristobal Colón landed on the American continent, without knowing that he had discovered a new continent. This marked the expansion of the Spanish empire. The Día de Hispanidad is a national holiday, marked by a military parade in Madrid. In Zaragoza, the Virgen del Pilar festivities are also held, in honor of the patron saint of the Guardia Civil.

November 1 – Todos los Santos

On November 1, the day after Halloween, all of Spain celebrates the Día de todos los Santos, a day on which people remember the deceased. Families visit cemeteries to lay flowers on graves. On this day, the Catholic Church honors both known and unknown saints. According to Catholic belief, there are three forms of existence: life on earth, the deceased who have not yet gone to heaven, and those who have. The latter group is remembered on All Saints' Day, the Día de todos los Santos. December 6 – Día de la Constitución Española

December 6 is a national holiday in Spain, the day of the Constitución. This day commemorates the creation of a constitution in 1978, an important fact that is commemorated every year. The constitution, also called Carta Magna, was created after the dictator Franco died three years earlier in 1975 and a new democracy was formed in Spain.

December 8 – Inmaculada Concepción

December 8 is dedicated to the Inmaculada Concepción, the dogma of the Catholic Church that is celebrated on this day, nine months before the birth of Mary on September 8. It confirms that Mary was born without original sin. In Spain and other Catholic countries this is a holiday, but not in Belgium and the Netherlands.

December 25 – Natividad del Señor

In the Netherlands and Belgium, December 25 is Christmas Day, but in Spain they celebrate the Natividad del Señor, the birth of Jesus according to Luke 2. This day is mainly celebrated with family and friends, with an extensive lunch after the nochebuena on December 24, where dinner is the main focus.