Public Holidays in Germany 2026 and 2027: By State
German public holidays 2026 and 2027 with exact dates for all 16 states, what closes, how bridge days work and when a holiday falls on a weekend.
Germany does not have one national list of public holidays. Nine days apply everywhere, and the rest depend on the state you live in. That surprises many newcomers, who move from Munich to Berlin and find that a day off has quietly disappeared. This guide gives you the dates for 2026 and 2027, a state-by-state table, and the practical side: what closes, how to plan bridge days and how holidays affect your pay.
Quick facts
- Nationwide holidays: 9 per year, including New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, German Unity Day and both Christmas days.
- State holidays: Epiphany, International Women's Day, Corpus Christi, Assumption Day, Children's Day, Reformation Day, All Saints' Day and the Repentance and Prayer Day apply only in some states.
- Easter dates: Easter Sunday is 5 April 2026 and 28 March 2027. The movable holidays follow from that.
- Weekend holidays: there is no substitute day when a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
- Shops: supermarkets and most shops are closed on public holidays and Sundays. Exceptions exist (see below).
- Pay: employers pay you for working time lost because of a public holiday.
What are the national public holidays in Germany in 2026 and 2027?
These nine apply in all 16 states. If you search for "public holidays Germany 2026" or "German bank holidays 2027", this is the core list. Note that Germans say "gesetzliche Feiertage" (statutory holidays) rather than bank holidays.
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day (Neujahr) | Thu 1 Jan | Fri 1 Jan |
| Good Friday (Karfreitag) | Fri 3 Apr | Fri 26 Mar |
| Easter Monday (Ostermontag) | Mon 6 Apr | Mon 29 Mar |
| Labour Day (Tag der Arbeit) | Fri 1 May | Sat 1 May |
| Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt) | Thu 14 May | Thu 6 May |
| Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag) | Mon 25 May | Mon 17 May |
| German Unity Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) | Sat 3 Oct | Sun 3 Oct |
| Christmas Day (1. Weihnachtstag) | Fri 25 Dec | Sat 25 Dec |
| Second Christmas Day (2. Weihnachtstag) | Sat 26 Dec | Sun 26 Dec |
The movable dates all hang on Easter. Good Friday is two days before Easter Sunday, Easter Monday is the day after, Ascension Day is 39 days after, and Whit Monday is 50 days after. That is why they shift by a week or more between 2026 and 2027, when Easter falls on 5 April and 28 March respectively.
The weekday count matters if you care about days off. In 2026, seven of the nine fall on a weekday. In 2027 only five do, because Labour Day, German Unity Day and both Christmas days land on a weekend.
Which holidays depend on the state you live in?
Each state sets its own extra holidays, mostly following its religious history. Catholic regions in the south and west have Epiphany, Corpus Christi and All Saints' Day. Several northern and eastern states mark Reformation Day. Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have International Women's Day, and Thuringia has World Children's Day.
| State | Extra public holidays |
|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | Epiphany, Corpus Christi, All Saints' Day |
| Bavaria (Bayern) | Epiphany, Corpus Christi, All Saints' Day. Assumption Day only in mainly Catholic municipalities. Augsburg Peace Festival (8 Aug) only in the city of Augsburg |
| Berlin | International Women's Day |
| Brandenburg | Reformation Day |
| Bremen | Reformation Day |
| Hamburg | Reformation Day |
| Hesse (Hessen) | Corpus Christi |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | International Women's Day, Reformation Day |
| Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) | Reformation Day |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | Corpus Christi, All Saints' Day |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | Corpus Christi, All Saints' Day |
| Saarland | Corpus Christi, Assumption Day, All Saints' Day |
| Saxony (Sachsen) | Reformation Day, Repentance and Prayer Day. Corpus Christi in some municipalities only |
| Saxony-Anhalt | Epiphany, Reformation Day |
| Schleswig-Holstein | Reformation Day |
| Thuringia (Thüringen) | World Children's Day, Reformation Day. Corpus Christi in some municipalities only |
Here are the dates of those extra days in 2026 and 2027:
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Epiphany (Heilige Drei Könige) | Tue 6 Jan | Wed 6 Jan |
| International Women's Day | Sun 8 Mar | Mon 8 Mar |
| Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam) | Thu 4 Jun | Thu 27 May |
| Assumption Day (Mariä Himmelfahrt) | Sat 15 Aug | Sun 15 Aug |
| World Children's Day (Weltkindertag) | Sun 20 Sep | Mon 20 Sep |
| Reformation Day (Reformationstag) | Sat 31 Oct | Sun 31 Oct |
| All Saints' Day (Allerheiligen) | Sun 1 Nov | Mon 1 Nov |
| Repentance and Prayer Day (Buß- und Bettag, Saxony) | Wed 18 Nov | Wed 17 Nov |
Two things to watch. First, municipality-level rules in Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia mean your neighbour town may have a different calendar from yours, so check your own municipality. Second, Berlin's 8 May was a one-off holiday in 2020 and 2025 and is not a regular one. If you are moving between cities, the moving to Berlin guide covers the other practical differences you will run into.
What is closed on a German public holiday?
Almost everything that sells things to the public. Shops, supermarkets, drugstores and department stores are closed on public holidays, just as on Sundays. Government offices and most branch services are closed too, so do not plan errands for a holiday. Public transport timetables can change, so check the operator's app before you travel.
The legal background is the Basic Law, which protects Sundays and recognised public holidays as days of rest. Shop opening hours themselves have been a state matter since the 2006 federalism reform. In practice that means weekday evening hours differ between states, but the Sunday and holiday closure is the common thread.
Some places stay open under the state shop-hours laws. These usually include:
- Pharmacies with emergency service (Notdienst). Look for the rota posted on the door or on the Apotheken-Notdienst website.
- Petrol stations, which sell a limited range.
- Shops at main train stations and airports.
- Restaurants, cafes, cinemas and museums, which often do more business on holidays.
The exact exceptions differ by state, so treat this list as a guide and check your local rules. Some towns also allow a small number of "verkaufsoffene Sonntage" per year, but these are set locally and rarely fall on a public holiday.
The practical rule for expats: shop the day before. Stock up on groceries, and if a holiday weekend is stacked with a Friday or Monday holiday, you may face three closed days in a row. In winter, many people plan the same way around the Christmas period. Our guide to Christmas markets in Germany is useful if you want something to do while the shops are shut.
Is 24 December or 31 December a public holiday?
No. Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are not statutory public holidays. Many employers give the afternoon or the whole day off by contract or custom, and many shops close early, but you have no automatic right to the day. Check your employment contract or ask HR.
What happens if a holiday falls on a weekend?
You lose it. German law has no substitute day, so a holiday on a Saturday or Sunday simply passes without a day off. This affects several dates:
- 2026: German Unity Day (Sat 3 Oct), the second Christmas Day (Sat 26 Dec), and in the states that observe them, Women's Day (Sun 8 Mar), World Children's Day (Sun 20 Sep), Assumption Day (Sat 15 Aug), Reformation Day (Sat 31 Oct) and All Saints' Day (Sun 1 Nov).
- 2027: Labour Day (Sat 1 May), German Unity Day (Sun 3 Oct), both Christmas days, and in the states that observe them, Assumption Day (Sun 15 Aug) and Reformation Day (Sun 31 Oct).
If you are working a Monday to Friday week, there is no legal claim to make up the missing day. A separate rule applies when you are asked to work on a holiday that does not fall on a Sunday: you should get a replacement rest day within eight weeks, though a collective agreement can change that. Ask your employer or works council how it applies to you.
What are the best bridge days in 2026 and 2027?
A Brückentag is a working day sandwiched between a holiday and a weekend. Taking one day of leave gives you a four-day weekend. The best opportunities:
2026
- Friday 2 January: New Year's Day is a Thursday, so one leave day gives you four days off.
- Monday 5 January: in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt, Epiphany is Tuesday 6 January. Take the Monday for a four-day stretch.
- Friday 15 May: after Ascension Day on Thursday 14 May.
- Friday 5 June: after Corpus Christi on Thursday 4 June, in the states that observe it.
Easter 2026 needs no bridge day: Good Friday and Easter Monday already make a four-day weekend. The same is true for 2027.
2027
- Friday 7 May: after Ascension Day on Thursday 6 May.
- Friday 28 May: after Corpus Christi on Thursday 27 May, in the states that observe it.
2027 is a thin year for bridge days because so many holidays land on weekends. The good news is that Whitsun (Whit Monday, 17 May) and Easter both give long weekends without any leave. Because school holidays and bridge weekends are popular, book travel and accommodation early (our list of weekend trips in Germany by train has ideas for a long weekend), and check your employer's leave rules before you plan. Many companies ask staff to submit holiday requests early in the year, and those who plan late find the popular bridge days already taken.
How do public holidays affect your pay?
If you have a regular job, you do not lose money on a public holiday. Under the German continued-pay law (Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz), employers must pay you for working time lost because of a statutory public holiday, at the amount you would have earned had the holiday not cancelled the work. Monthly salaried staff will not notice anything on their payslip. Hourly and shift workers should be paid for the hours they would have worked.
There is one exception worth knowing. If you are absent without excuse on the last working day before or the first working day after a holiday, you can lose the pay for the holiday. Calling in sick with a valid note is not "without excuse", but skipping a bridge day without leave approval is.
For what a typical salary looks like and how contracts work, see our salary in Germany guide, and for the wider budget picture, the cost of living in Germany guide.
FAQ
How many public holidays does Germany have in 2026?
Nine apply nationwide, and seven of those fall on a weekday in 2026. Every state adds at least one more, and most add between one and three. Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Saarland have the most, and Bavaria adds a fourth (Assumption Day) in mainly Catholic municipalities.
Which state has the most public holidays?
Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are usually named at the top, with Epiphany, Corpus Christi and All Saints' Day on top of the nationwide days. Bavaria also has Assumption Day in mainly Catholic municipalities. Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen and several other states have just one extra.
Is Good Friday a holiday in all of Germany?
Yes. Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays in every state. Good Friday is 3 April 2026 and 26 March 2027.
Are shops open on public holidays in Germany?
Generally not. Supermarkets and most retail shops are closed, with exceptions such as emergency pharmacies, petrol stations and shops at train stations and airports. The details depend on the state, so check local rules.
Do I get a day off if a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday?
No. Germany has no substitute holiday. German Unity Day on 3 October falls on a Saturday in 2026 and a Sunday in 2027, so both years lose it. A replacement rest day only applies if you are required to work on the holiday itself.
Planning a move or a new job? Holidays, notice periods and benefits sit in your contract, so read it closely. Our health insurance in Germany guide covers the other thing you need sorted before you start.