Public Holidays in Spain and Mallorca 2026: National, Balearic and Municipal Holidays

Anyone who is new to life on Mallorca, is planning a tradesperson's appointment, or simply wants to know when offices, banks and the corner supermarket stay closed, cannot avoid Spain's public holidays. The system is more complicated than in Germany: there are nationwide holidays that apply to the whole of Spain, plus up to three holidays set by the Balearic regional government, and finally two local holidays that each municipality determines for itself. In this guide you'll get the complete calendar for 2026, find out why Balearic Day falls on a Monday this year, which holidays Palma and Manacor observe locally, and which holidays common in Germany simply don't exist in Spain.

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The three levels of Spanish public holidays

Unlike in Germany, where the federal government and the states determine public holidays, Spain has three authorities responsible at the same time. This means a public holiday on the mainland can be a completely normal working day, while on Mallorca the shutters stay down – and vice versa.

On nationwide public holidays, shops, offices and authorities remain closed throughout Spain. An exception applies to shops in busy tourist zones, which are permitted to open even on Sundays and public holidays. For 2026, the Balearic government has already approved its own calendar, while publication of the national calendar in the official gazette BOE was still pending at the time of research.

Note: Because the national calendar is only formally published in the BOE at a later date, details may still shift slightly. For binding planning purposes (e.g. company holidays or deadlines with a government office), it's worth checking the official Balearic government calendar shortly before the relevant date.

All statutory public holidays on Mallorca 2026

On Mallorca, a total of twelve statutory public holidays apply for 2026 – ten nationwide plus the additional Balearic days. They apply island-wide, regardless of which municipality you live in.

Behind this lies a fixed legal framework that doesn't change every year. Article 37.2 of the Estatuto de los Trabajadores stipulates: public holidays are paid and do not need to be made up afterwards, and there may be a maximum of fourteen per year, two of which are local. Four days are untouchable nationwide — Christmas, New Year, 1 May as Labour Day, and 12 October as Spain's National Day. Within the fourteen, the autonomous regions may set their own traditional days and replace certain national holidays with them. If a national holiday falls on a Sunday, the day off is moved to the immediately following Monday.

The specific list for a given year is published by the Dirección General de Trabajo in the Boletín Oficial del Estado; for 2026, this was done with the Resolución of 17 October 2025. The two local days of each municipality also appear in the official gazette of the autonomous region or the province, respectively.

Note: If a nationally set public holiday such as All Saints' Day or Constitution Day falls on a Sunday, there isn't automatically a substitute day off – unlike with the Balearic Day of the Balearics. Whether compensation takes place depends on the specific regulation. It's better to rely on your municipality's current calendar than on a rule of thumb here.

Balearic Day and Maundy Thursday: The island group's own public holidays

As an autonomous region, the Balearics are allowed to set their own public holidays each year, independently of the central government in Madrid. These apply exclusively on Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera – on the Spanish mainland, these days are completely normal working days.

The most important and best known of these days is the Dia de les Illes Balears on 1. März. It commemorates the adoption of the Balearic Statute of Autonomy by the Spanish Parliament on 1. März 1983 and is celebrated on the island with an extensive programme of events, including in Palma. As 1. März 2026 falls on a Sunday, the holiday is moved to the following Monday, 2. März – shops remain closed, and public transport runs on the Sunday/holiday timetable.

The second holiday specific to the Balearics is Maundy Thursday (Jueves Santo). Due to its great religious significance for the predominantly Catholic island population, processions take place in many places on this day, including the well-known Blood Procession in Palma.

What happens when a public holiday falls on a Sunday?

One peculiarity in Mallorca concerns above all Balearic Islands Day: if this regional holiday falls on a Sunday, it is moved to the following Monday so that no day off is "lost". The best-known example of this is Balearic Islands Day in 2026: instead of the actual date (Sunday, 1. März), it is officially observed on Monday, 2. März. For nationally established public holidays, however, such a shift is not guaranteed – in 2026, for example, All Saints' Day (1. November) and Constitution Day (6. Dezember) remain without an officially designated substitute date despite falling on a Sunday.

Local public holidays: what each municipality decides for itself

In addition to the twelve island-wide public holidays, each Mallorcan municipality sets two of its own local holidays – usually in honour of its patron saint. These apply only within the respective municipal boundaries. So someone living in Palma has different days off than someone in Manacor or Pollença.

Around 17 January, Sant Antoni, the patron saint of animals, is also traditionally celebrated in Artà, Pollença, Sa Pobla and Sóller with processions, bonfires and animal blessings – though not everywhere as an official public holiday, but mainly as a folk festival. If you want to find out which two days your own municipality has designated, the quickest way is to call or check the website of the relevant Ayuntamiento.

Long weekends 2026: Making clever use of the "Puentes"

For many residents and newcomers, the question of long weekends is at least as important as the calendar itself. According to an analysis by the Mallorca Zeitung, in 2026 six of the twelve public holidays fall on a Monday or Friday – resulting in five extended weekends. On top of that, there's the multi-day Easter break, with Maundy Thursday and Good Friday falling directly one after the other, followed by the regular weekend.

Note: Anyone planning a short trip from Mallorca should book flights and ferries for these "Puente" weekends well in advance – demand noticeably increases around long weekends. You'll find tips on this in the guide Excursions & Tours.

Holidays that don't exist in Spain

People coming from Germany, Austria or Switzerland often automatically expect certain days off – and are surprised when the office or school carries on as normal. Spain does not observe Ascension Day, Whitsun or Corpus Christi as public holidays. Easter Monday is also not a regional holiday on Mallorca; instead, the Balearic Islands have opted for Maundy Thursday.

Opening hours of shops, offices and local transport on public holidays

On nationwide and regional public holidays, shops, offices and authorities on Mallorca are generally closed. An exception are shops in busy tourist centres, which are allowed to open even on Sundays and public holidays. For public local transport, the Sunday and public holiday timetable applies on many of these days – for example on the Balearic Islands Day – usually with a reduced frequency of services. Anyone planning an appointment with an authority on a public holiday should definitely check this beforehand; you can find an overview of appointment scheduling in our guide Cita Previa Overview Mallorca.

Public holidays and employment law: what applies to employees?

For employees in Spain, national, regional and local public holidays are generally treated as paid days off. Details on working hours, holiday entitlement and special rules for employees on Mallorca can be found in the guide Working as an Employee. Anyone working as a self-employed Autónomo is generally not bound by public holidays, but should factor in closed opening hours when arranging appointments with clients or authorities – more on this in the guide Autónomo Spain.

Most common mistakes regarding public holidays in Spain

• Expecting German public holidays: Anyone automatically planning for Corpus Christi, Whit Monday or Easter Monday as days off will be disappointed on Mallorca – these do not exist here.
• Not knowing the local public holidays of your own municipality: Each municipality individually sets two additional days off per year – anyone who moves should check the calendar again.
• Wrongly generalising the Sunday shift rule: The shift to Monday is documented for Balearic Islands Day, but does not automatically apply to every national public holiday that falls on a Sunday.
• Scheduling appointments with authorities shortly before or after a public holiday: Many offices also have limited availability the day before a long weekend.
• Underestimating local transport on public holidays: On the Sunday and public holiday timetable there are significantly fewer connections – important for anyone reliant on buses or trains.

What comes next?

As soon as the national public holiday calendar for 2026 is officially published in the official gazette BOE, it's worth comparing it with the dates mentioned here – especially in case any individual dates are adjusted. At the same time, municipalities usually publish their two local public holidays via their town halls or official gazettes. Anyone planning long-term, for example tradesman appointments, removals or visits to authorities, should create an overview of the calendar early on and compare it with personal appointments.

Checklist: Keeping track of public holidays 2026

• Marked the twelve island-wide public holidays 2026 in your own calendar
• Asked the town hall about the two local public holidays of your own municipality
• Not scheduled appointments with authorities (Cita Previa) directly before or after a long weekend
• Booked flights/ferries early for trips around long weekends
• Checked the current, officially published calendar before important appointments

Conclusion

Public holidays in Spain follow a three-tier system of nationwide, Balearic and municipal dates – once you've understood this, you can plan everyday life, official errands and short trips on Mallorca much more relaxedly. 2026 brings twelve statutory public holidays to the island, led by Balearic Islands Day on 1 March, which is moved to Monday, 2 March, because it falls on a Sunday. Anyone who also knows the two local public holidays of their municipality and avoids typical misconceptions – such as assuming that Corpus Christi or Easter Monday are days off – is perfectly prepared.

Official sources

• Dirección General de Trabajo, Resolución of 17 October 2025 (public holidays 2026) – https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2025-21667

• Estatuto de los Trabajadores, Art. 37.2 – https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2015-11430

• Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) – https://www.boe.es

• Govern de les Illes Balears (CAIB) – https://www.caib.es

• Consell de Mallorca – https://www.conselldemallorca.cat

• Mallorca Zeitung: "Five long weekends: These are the statutory public holidays in 2026" – https://www.mallorcazeitung.es/behoerden/2025/10/07/feiertage-mallorca-2026-122354816.html

• feiertag.info: Public holidays Mallorca 2026 – https://feiertag.info/feiertage/spanien/mallorca