Public Holidays in Denmark [2026]

Are you living in Denmark or going on holiday there? Here’s a full guide to the public holidays you need to know in 2026, plus the already listed dates for 2027 and 2028.

Whether you live in Denmark or are just visiting, it is worth checking the calendar early. On some of these dates, offices, public services, banks, and many businesses will close or operate with reduced hours. Denmark’s holiday calendar also has a few details that often confuse visitors, especially Constitution Day, Christmas Eve, and the Friday after Ascension Day, which are widely treated as closure days in practice but are not all the same kind of holiday legally.

How many public holidays are there in Denmark?

Denmark’s standard nationwide public holiday list for 2026 includes 10 core public holidays: New Year’s Day, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Sunday, Whit Monday, Christmas Day, and the Second Day of Christmas. Nordic official guidance also notes that Constitution Day is not an official public holiday, even though many people have time off and many shops close.

One major update matters for any 2026 article: Great Prayer Day (Store Bededag) is no longer a public holiday from 2024 onward, so it should not appear in a current Denmark holiday table. Several current 2026 calendars now list it only as an observance, not as a public holiday.

The most important public holidays in Denmark

The best-known public holidays in Denmark are New Year’s Day, the Easter holidays, Ascension Day, Whit Sunday, Whit Monday, Christmas Day, and the Second Day of Christmas. Alongside those, many residents also plan around Constitution Day on 5 June, Christmas Eve on 24 December, and New Year’s Eve on 31 December, because many public-facing services close or shorten hours on those dates even though they are not all official public holidays in the same way.

Public Holidays in Denmark in 2026

The core holiday dates above match the currently published 2026 Denmark holiday calendar. Constitution Day is widely observed, but Nordic official guidance says it is not an official public holiday. Several official Danish public services also state that they are closed on the Friday after Ascension Day, 5 June, and from 24 December to 31 December.

What are the public holidays in Denmark?

New Year’s Day

New Year’s Day on 1 January is one of Denmark’s official public holidays.

Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

Denmark treats both Maundy Thursday and Good Friday as public holidays. In 2026 they fall on 2 April and 3 April.

Easter Sunday and Easter Monday

Unlike in some countries, Easter Sunday itself is a public holiday in Denmark, and so is Easter Monday. In 2026 these fall on 5 April and 6 April.

Great Prayer Day

Great Prayer Day used to be part of older Denmark holiday lists, but that is no longer correct for 2026. The holiday was abolished with effect from 1 January 2024, and current 2026 calendars now show it only as an observance.

Ascension Day

Ascension Day remains an official public holiday. In 2026 it falls on 14 May.

Friday after Ascension Day

The Friday after Ascension Day is not one of Denmark’s core statutory public holidays, but a number of official Danish public services state that they are closed on that day. That makes it an important practical closure date, especially for appointments and paperwork.

Whit Sunday and Whit Monday

Both Whit Sunday and Whit Monday are public holidays in Denmark. In 2026 they fall on 24 May and 25 May.

Constitution Day

Constitution Day on 5 June is often mistaken for a full official public holiday. Nordic official guidance says it is not an official public holiday, but many people have part or all of the day off, many shops are closed, and several public services explicitly close on that date.

Christmas Eve

24 December is not one of the core official public holidays listed in the standard Denmark holiday calendar, but in practice many services close and it is widely treated as a closure day.

Christmas Day and the Second Day of Christmas

25 December and 26 December are official public holidays in Denmark.

New Year’s Eve

31 December is another date that often brings reduced hours or closures in practice, even though it is not one of the core public holidays in the same way as Christmas Day.

Public Holidays in Denmark in 2027

These 2027 dates follow the currently published Denmark holiday calendar pattern, with Great Prayer Day no longer included as a public holiday.

Public Holidays in Denmark in 2028

In 2028, Whit Monday and Constitution Day fall on the same date, 5 June. The public-holiday structure otherwise follows the same current Denmark pattern.

Conclusion

Denmark’s holiday calendar is fairly easy to use once you separate the official public holidays from the widely observed closure days. The biggest correction for a 2026 article is that Great Prayer Day should no longer be listed as a public holiday, while Constitution Day, C

Last Updated on 04/04/2026