Living in Spain: a guide to public holidays and local celebrations

National holidays, long weekends and local festivals in Spain, here’s your essential guide to help you plan a trip, relocation or property purchase in the country.

Like many countries, Spain has its own calendar of public holidays, but with a specific twist: non-working days vary depending on the region.

It is strongly recommended to take this into account if you are planning to buy a house or apartment in Spain, move there, manage paperwork, or simply travel.

1. National public holidays in Spain
2. Regional holidays in Spain
3. Unmissable local festivals in Spain

1. National public holidays in Spain

Spain has around ten nationwide public holidays that commemorate historical events or religious festivals. Some dates offer opportunities to take long weekends (puentes), a very common practice in the country.

January 1st: New Year's Day (Año Nuevo).
January 6th: Epiphany (Día de Reyes).
Maundy Thursday (Jueves Santo): falls in March or April. This day before Easter is a holiday in many regions, except in Catalonia and the Valencian Community.
Good Friday (Viernes Santo): follows Maundy Thursday and can create a 4 or 5-day weekend.
May 1st: Labour Day (Día del Trabajador).
August 15th: Assumption (Asunción de la Virgen).
October 12th: Spain’s National Day (Fiesta Nacional de España) commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492.
November 1st: All Saints' Day (Día de Todos los Santos).
December 6th: Constitution Day (Día de la Constitución) – many people take December 7th off to bridge the holiday to the 8th.
December 8th: Immaculate Conception (Inmaculada Concepción).
December 25th: Christmas (Navidad).

Many businesses and public services, including supermarkets, banks, and museums, close on public holidays. While some restaurants and tourist services remain open, these are not ideal days for shopping or handling administrative tasks when purchasing property in Spain.

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2. Regional holidays in Spain

While Easter Monday is not a national holiday, it is celebrated in Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Basque Country, Navarre, La Rioja, the Balearic Islands, Murcia, and Ceuta. Other regional celebrations include Saint Joseph’s Day (March 19th), observed in Valencia and Murcia.

Each autonomous community can add its own holidays, often commemorating religious or historical events.

Some key regional holidays:

Andalusia: February 28th (Andalusia Day), May 3rd (Day of the Cross).
Balearic Islands: March 1st (Balearic Islands Day). On this day, museums are free and parliament opens its doors to the public.
Aragon: April 23rd (Saint George and Aragon Day).
Madrid: May 2nd (Community of Madrid Day), May 15th (San Isidro), July 25th (Santiago Apóstol).
Galicia: May 17th (Galician Literature Day).
Canary Islands: May 30th.
Castilla-La Mancha: May 31st.
Murcia and La Rioja: June 9th.
Catalonia: June 24th (Saint John), September 11th (National Day of Catalonia), December 26th.
Ceuta: September 2nd.
Asturias and Extremadura: September 8th.
Cantabria: September 15th.
Melilla: September 17th.
Valencian Community: October 9th.
Basque Country: October 25th.

3. Unmissable local festivals in Spain

Local festivals (ferias, carnivals, religious processions) often include public holidays at the municipal level.

Some are particularly worthy of attention:

Las Fallas (Valencia, mid-March): Paper-mâché sculptures are paraded and then burned. A UNESCO intangible heritage event.
Feria de Abril (Seville): Starts with a traditional seafood dinner and includes fireworks, parades and bullfights.
Sanfermines (Pamplona, July 6–14): Bull runs, music, parades, and paella contests.
La Tomatina (Buñol, August): A massive tomato-throwing battle held the last Wednesday of August.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival: Lasts a month from late January to late February — the second most popular after Rio’s carnival.
Semana Santa (Holy Week): Celebrated nationwide with major processions in Seville and Granada.
Festa Major de Gràcia (Barcelona, August 15–21): A lively street festival with concerts and creative decorations.
Entierro de la Sardina: A satirical "Burial of the Sardine" carnival tradition in Murcia, Tenerife, and Madrid.