Spanish Public Holidays in 2020

Whether you’re a visitor hoping to avoid public holidays when you book your next vacation or you live in Spain and you’re planning a party, knowing the dates of the key Spanish public holidays in 2020 is essential.

On the vast majority of public holidays, most businesses and public institutions will either be closed or operating with reduced hours. So if you want to renew your driving license or upgrade your mobile phone, these are dates that should be avoided! You may also find that hotel and airline prices increase during the holiday period, so if you are looking to travel on a budget, and you have plenty of flexibility with dates, you might want to choose to travel during quieter and cheaper dates. Spanish national holidays tend to be incredibly busy periods, with many families taking the long weekends as an opportunity to visit the coast, enjoy a weekend away, or even take a family holiday.

It’s important to note that Spanish Public Holiday dates change each year, and are determined by the Spanish government, so this list of dates is only valid for 2020: another list of dates will be released for 2021.

After Cyprus, Spain is the country with the most public holidays in Europe. In 2020, every region has a total of 12 Spanish bank holidays, of which eight are celebrated as Spanish national holidays and four are celebrated as regional Spanish public holidays or municipal days. The eight national holidays will obviously be the busiest days where you are likely to experience the most disruption to your day-to-day life, whilst the regional holidays are only like to have a significant impact if it is the region you are staying or living in that are enjoying a holiday.

With that in mind, here is a full break-down of the Spanish public holidays, and other significant public occasions, for 2020:

Spanish National Holidays

These are holidays that are scheduled to be country-wide. No matter where you are based in Spain, you will find that businesses and services are stopped or reduced for these days, and therefore the impact will be significant.

Wednesday, 1 January: New Year’s Day – In Spanish this is known as Año Nuevo

Monday, 06 Jan: Epiphany

Friday, 10 April: Good Friday- In Spanish this is known as Viernes Santo

Friday, 1 May: Labour Day/Worker’s Day – In Spanish this is known as Día del Trabajo

Saturday, 15 August: Assumption of Mary – In Spanish this is known as Asunción de la Virgen

Monday, 12 October: Spain’s National Day/Columbus Day

Sunday, 1 November: All Saints’ Day – In Spanish this is known as Fiesta de Todos los Santos

Sunday, 6 December: Spanish Constitution Day- In Spanish this is known as Día de la Constitución

Friday, 25 December: Christmas Day (Navidad)

Spanish Regional Holidays

Different regions have considerably more autonomy in Spain than in many other European countries, and this is never more apparent than when looking at their unique and independent holiday schedules. Here is a list of the Spanish regional holidays, and the regions that will be impacted:

Monday, 6 January: Epiphany/Three Kings’ Day- In Spanish this is known as Dia de los Reyes Magos. This is a holiday in all regions except Basque Country and La Rioja

Friday, 28 February: Day of Andalusia

Sunday, 1 March: Day of Balearic Islands

Thursday, 19 March: Saint Joseph’s day – In Spanish this known as Dia de San José). Celebrated in Extremadura and Madrid

Thursday, 9 April: Holy Thursday – In Spanish this is known as Jueves Santo.  This is a holiday in all regions except Catalonia

Monday, 13 April: Easter Monday = In Spanish this is known as Lunes de Pascua. It is a public holiday in the Balearic Islands, Basque Country, Catalonia, La Rioja, Navarre and Valencia

Thursday, 23 April: St George’s Day  - In Spanish this is known as Dia de San Jorge.  Celebrated in Catalonia although not an official holiday.

Thursday, 23 April: Day of Aragon/Day of Castile and Léon

Saturday, 2 May: Day of Madrid -  In Spanish this is known as Fiesta de la Comunidad de Madrid

Sunday, 17 May: Galician Literature Day

Saturday, 30 May: Day of the Canary Islands

Sunday, 31 May: Day of Castilla-La Mancha

Monday, 1 June: Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday. This is a public holiday in Catalonia

Tuesday, 9 June: Day of Murcia/Day of La Rioja

Thursday, 11 June: Corpus Christi – Known in Spanish as the Fiesta del Corpus Christi. This is a public holiday in Castilla-La Mancha

Saturday, 13 June: San Antonio. This is a public holiday in Ceuta

Wednesday, 24 June: St John’s Day Known as San Juan. This is a public holiday in Catalonia

Saturday, 25 July: St James’ Day- known in Spanish as Santiago Apostol. This is a public holiday in Basque Country and Navarre

Saturday, 25 July: Day of Galicia

Tuesday, 28 July: Cantabrian Institutions Day. This is a public holiday in Cantabria

Friday, 31 August: Eid al-Adha. This is a public holiday in Ceuta and Melilla

Wednesday, 5 August: Santa Maria de Africa. This is a public holiday in Ceuta

Wednesday, 2 September: Day of Ceuta

Tuesday, 8 September: Day of Asturias/Day of Extremadura

Friday, 11 September: Day of Catalonia- known in SPanish as the Fiesta Nacional de Catalunya

Tuesday, 15 September: Day of the Bien Aparecida (patron saint) This is a public holiday in Cantabria

Thursday, 17 September: Day of Melilla

Friday, 9 October: Day of Valencia

Sunday, 25 October: Basque National Day

Thursday, 3 December: San Francisco Javier. This is a public holiday in Navarre

Monday, 7 December: Spanish Constitution Day holiday. This is not an official holiday but is celebrated in most communities

Tuesday, 8 December: Immaculate Conception Known in Spanish as La Immaculada. This is celebrated inall regions except Basque Country, Canary Islands, Catalonia, Ceuta and Navarre

Saturday, 26 December: Saint Stephen’s Day. This is a public holiday in Catalonia

 Are you thinking of buying a property in Spain? Attracted by the year-round sun and the abundance of public holidays? Then our team of property experts can help! With years of local experience in the field, why not get in touch with us today, and we can help turn your property dream into a reality.