Living in Germany or going on holiday there? Here’s a list of the public holidays in Germany you need to know in 2026, plus 2027 and 2028 tables to help you plan ahead.
Germany does not have one single nationwide holiday calendar for every date. Some holidays apply in all 16 federal states, while others are observed only in specific states such as Bavaria, Berlin, Saxony, or Thuringia. The German Trade Union Confederation notes that public holidays are determined by the holiday laws of the individual federal states.
In 2026, Germany has 9 holidays observed in all states, with additional state-specific holidays depending on where you are. The main nationwide dates are New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, German Unity Day, Christmas Day, and the Second Day of Christmas.
Public holidays in Germany in 2026
| Date | Day of week | Holiday name | Local holiday name | Where it applies | Is it a day off work? |
| 1 January 2026 | Thursday | New Year’s Day | Neujahr | All states | Yes |
| 6 January 2026 | Tuesday | Epiphany | Heilige Drei Könige | BW, BY, ST | Yes |
| 8 March 2026 | Sunday | International Women’s Day | Internationaler Frauentag | BE, MV | Yes |
| 3 April 2026 | Friday | Good Friday | Karfreitag | All states | Yes |
| 5 April 2026 | Sunday | Easter Sunday | Ostersonntag | BB | Yes |
| 6 April 2026 | Monday | Easter Monday | Ostermontag | All states | Yes |
| 1 May 2026 | Friday | Labour Day | Tag der Arbeit | All states | Yes |
| 14 May 2026 | Thursday | Ascension Day | Christi Himmelfahrt | All states | Yes |
| 24 May 2026 | Sunday | Whit Sunday | Pfingstsonntag | BB | Yes |
| 25 May 2026 | Monday | Whit Monday | Pfingstmontag | All states | Yes |
| 4 June 2026 | Thursday | Corpus Christi | Fronleichnam | BW, BY, HE, NW, RP, SL | Yes |
| 15 August 2026 | Saturday | Assumption Day | Mariä Himmelfahrt | SL | Yes |
| 20 September 2026 | Sunday | World Children’s Day | Weltkindertag | TH | Yes |
| 3 October 2026 | Saturday | German Unity Day | Tag der Deutschen Einheit | All states | Yes |
| 31 October 2026 | Saturday | Reformation Day | Reformationstag | BB, HB, HH, MV, NI, SN, ST, SH, TH | Yes |
| 1 November 2026 | Sunday | All Saints’ Day | Allerheiligen | BW, BY, NW, RP, SL | Yes |
| 18 November 2026 | Wednesday | Repentance and Prayer Day | Buß- und Bettag | SN | Yes |
| 25 December 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day | Erster Weihnachtstag | All states | Yes |
| 26 December 2026 | Saturday | Second Day of Christmas | Zweiter Weihnachtstag | All states | Yes |
These 2026 dates match current Germany holiday listings, with the nationwide dates confirmed separately by Bundesbank’s Germany-wide TARGET holiday calendar.
How many public holidays are observed in Germany?
Germany has 9 holidays that apply in all federal states each year. On top of that, several holidays apply only in certain states, which is why the total number of days off depends on where you live. Bavaria usually has one of the highest totals, while other states have fewer regional holidays.
That also means there is no single national total for “all German public holidays” unless you include state-specific dates together in one list, as done in the table above.
The most popular holidays in Germany
The most widely observed public holidays are the ones celebrated in all states, especially Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, German Unity Day, and the two Christmas holidays.
Among the regional holidays, some of the best-known are Epiphany in parts of southern and eastern Germany, International Women’s Day in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Corpus Christi in several western and southern states, Reformation Day across much of northern and eastern Germany, and All Saints’ Day in several Catholic-majority states.
What the public holidays and days off are in Germany
New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day on 1 January is a public holiday in all German states.
Epiphany
Epiphany, or Heilige Drei Könige, is observed on 6 January in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Saxony-Anhalt.
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day on 8 March is a public holiday in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Good Friday
Good Friday is one of Germany’s nationwide Easter holidays and is observed in all states.
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday is a public holiday in Brandenburg. Older sources sometimes also mention Hesse, but current Germany-wide listings show it for Brandenburg.
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is a nationwide public holiday in Germany. In 2026, it falls on 6 April.
Labour Day
Labour Day on 1 May is observed in all 16 federal states.
Ascension Day
Ascension Day, or Christi Himmelfahrt, is another nationwide public holiday. In 2026, it falls on 14 May.
Whit Sunday
Whit Sunday, or Pfingstsonntag, is a public holiday in Brandenburg.
Whit Monday
Whit Monday, or Pfingstmontag, is observed in all states.
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, or Fronleichnam, is a public holiday in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland.
Assumption Day
Assumption Day, or Mariä Himmelfahrt, is a public holiday in Saarland.
World Children’s Day
World Children’s Day, or Weltkindertag, is observed as a public holiday in Thuringia.
German Unity Day
German Unity Day on 3 October is a nationwide public holiday.
Reformation Day
Reformation Day, or Reformationstag, is a public holiday in Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, and Thuringia.
All Saints’ Day
All Saints’ Day, or Allerheiligen, is a public holiday in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland.
Repentance and Prayer Day
Repentance and Prayer Day, or Buß- und Bettag, is observed in Saxony.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day on 25 December is a public holiday in all states.
Second Day of Christmas
The Second Day of Christmas, or Zweiter Weihnachtstag, falls on 26 December and is also observed in all states.
Public holidays in Germany in 2027
| Date | Day of week | Holiday name | Local holiday name | Where it applies | Is it a day off work? |
| 1 January 2027 | Friday | New Year’s Day | Neujahr | All states | Yes |
| 6 January 2027 | Wednesday | Epiphany | Heilige Drei Könige | BW, BY, ST | Yes |
| 8 March 2027 | Monday | International Women’s Day | Internationaler Frauentag | BE, MV | Yes |
| 26 March 2027 | Friday | Good Friday | Karfreitag | All states | Yes |
| 28 March 2027 | Sunday | Easter Sunday | Ostersonntag | BB | Yes |
| 29 March 2027 | Monday | Easter Monday | Ostermontag | All states | Yes |
| 1 May 2027 | Saturday | Labour Day | Tag der Arbeit | All states | Yes |
| 6 May 2027 | Thursday | Ascension Day | Christi Himmelfahrt | All states | Yes |
| 16 May 2027 | Sunday | Whit Sunday | Pfingstsonntag | BB | Yes |
| 17 May 2027 | Monday | Whit Monday | Pfingstmontag | All states | Yes |
| 27 May 2027 | Thursday | Corpus Christi | Fronleichnam | BW, BY, HE, NW, RP, SL | Yes |
| 15 August 2027 | Sunday | Assumption Day | Mariä Himmelfahrt | SL | Yes |
| 20 September 2027 | Monday | World Children’s Day | Weltkindertag | TH | Yes |
| 3 October 2027 | Sunday | German Unity Day | Tag der Deutschen Einheit | All states | Yes |
| 31 October 2027 | Sunday | Reformation Day | Reformationstag | BB, HB, HH, MV, NI, SN, ST, SH, TH | Yes |
| 1 November 2027 | Monday | All Saints’ Day | Allerheiligen | BW, BY, NW, RP, SL | Yes |
| 17 November 2027 | Wednesday | Repentance and Prayer Day | Buß- und Bettag | SN | Yes |
| 25 December 2027 | Saturday | Christmas Day | Erster Weihnachtstag | All states | Yes |
| 26 December 2027 | Sunday | Second Day of Christmas | Zweiter Weihnachtstag | All states | Yes |
The 2027 movable dates line up with currently published Germany holiday calendars and official state holiday pages.
Public holidays in Germany in 2028
| Date | Day of week | Holiday name | Local holiday name | Where it applies | Is it a day off work? |
| 1 January 2028 | Saturday | New Year’s Day | Neujahr | All states | Yes |
| 6 January 2028 | Thursday | Epiphany | Heilige Drei Könige | BW, BY, ST | Yes |
| 8 March 2028 | Wednesday | International Women’s Day | Internationaler Frauentag | BE, MV | Yes |
| 14 April 2028 | Friday | Good Friday | Karfreitag | All states | Yes |
| 16 April 2028 | Sunday | Easter Sunday | Ostersonntag | BB | Yes |
| 17 April 2028 | Monday | Easter Monday | Ostermontag | All states | Yes |
| 1 May 2028 | Monday | Labour Day | Tag der Arbeit | All states | Yes |
| 25 May 2028 | Thursday | Ascension Day | Christi Himmelfahrt | All states | Yes |
| 4 June 2028 | Sunday | Whit Sunday | Pfingstsonntag | BB | Yes |
| 5 June 2028 | Monday | Whit Monday | Pfingstmontag | All states | Yes |
| 15 June 2028 | Thursday | Corpus Christi | Fronleichnam | BW, BY, HE, NW, RP, SL | Yes |
| 15 August 2028 | Tuesday | Assumption Day | Mariä Himmelfahrt | SL | Yes |
| 20 September 2028 | Wednesday | World Children’s Day | Weltkindertag | TH | Yes |
| 3 October 2028 | Tuesday | German Unity Day | Tag der Deutschen Einheit | All states | Yes |
| 31 October 2028 | Tuesday | Reformation Day | Reformationstag | BB, HB, HH, MV, NI, SN, ST, SH, TH | Yes |
| 1 November 2028 | Wednesday | All Saints’ Day | Allerheiligen | BW, BY, NW, RP, SL | Yes |
| 22 November 2028 | Wednesday | Repentance and Prayer Day | Buß- und Bettag | SN | Yes |
| 25 December 2028 | Monday | Christmas Day | Erster Weihnachtstag | All states | Yes |
| 26 December 2028 | Tuesday | Second Day of Christmas | Zweiter Weihnachtstag | All states | Yes |
These 2028 dates follow the same state-by-state holiday pattern used in current published calendars.
Conclusion
Germany’s 2026 holiday calendar is straightforward once you separate the nationwide public holidays from the state-specific ones. That matters a lot for travel, business planning, and annual leave, especially if you are moving between states or booking around long weekends.
Last Updated on 04/05/2026