Spain operates a tiered public holiday system that can catch international teams off guard. Every employee in the country is entitled to 8 guaranteed national holidays, but each of the 17 autonomous communities adds 2 to 3 additional regional holidays on top of that. If your team includes people working in Madrid, Barcelona, and Bilbao, they are not all working from the same holiday calendar. Planning meetings, sprints, and deadlines without accounting for this layered structure means you will inevitably schedule something on a day when part of your Spanish team is off.
This guide covers all of Spain's national public holidays for 2026, along with the key regional holidays for Catalonia, the Community of Madrid, and the Basque Country — the three regions where most international companies have Spanish-based employees.
Spain's National Public Holidays 2026
These 10 holidays apply to all employees across every region of Spain. While the legal minimum is 8 guaranteed national holidays, Spain designates 10 public holidays at the national level for 2026, with the remaining days allocated at the regional and local level.
- 1 January — New Year's Day
- 6 January — Epiphany (Three Kings Day)
- 3 April — Good Friday
- 1 May — International Labour Day
- 15 August — Assumption of Mary
- 12 October — National Day of Spain (Día de la Hispanidad)
- 1 November — All Saints' Day (Día de Todos los Santos)
- 6 December — Constitution Day (Día de la Constitución)
- 8 December — Feast of the Immaculate Conception
- 25 December — Christmas Day
Regional Public Holidays 2026
Beyond the national holidays, each of Spain's 17 autonomous communities designates 2 to 3 additional public holidays specific to their region. Some municipalities also add local holidays on top of that. Below are the key regional holidays for the three regions with the largest concentration of international business activity.
Catalonia (Barcelona)
- 23 April — Sant Jordi's Day (Dia de Sant Jordi) — Catalonia's beloved book and rose festival, observed as a regional holiday
- 24 June — Sant Joan — Midsummer celebration, often the occasion for fireworks and street parties the night before
- 11 September — National Day of Catalonia (La Diada) — a major civic holiday in Catalonia, distinct from Spain's national day on 12 October
Community of Madrid
- 2 May — Dos de Mayo (Community of Madrid Day) — commemorates the 1808 uprising against French occupation, observed region-wide
- 15 May — San Isidro — patron saint of Madrid city, observed locally within the city of Madrid
- 9 November — Our Lady of the Almudena — patron saint of Madrid city, observed locally within the city of Madrid
Basque Country
- 25 July — St. James' Day (Santiago Apóstol) — observed as a regional holiday in the Basque Country
- Each of the three Basque provinces (Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia, and Álava) also observes its own local festival days, which can vary by municipality. Teams with employees in the Basque Country should confirm local holiday calendars directly with those employees.
The Epiphany vs Christmas Challenge
One of the most important cultural differences for international teams to understand about Spain is the role of Epiphany, or Three Kings Day, on 6 January. In Spain, this is traditionally the day when children receive gifts — not 25 December. Christmas Day exists as a holiday, but the bigger family event with gift-giving and celebration centers on 6 January.
What this means practically is that 5 January — the eve of Three Kings Day — tends to be a low-productivity day across Spain. Employees may leave early, schools close, and parades (Cabalgata de Reyes) are held in most cities the evening of 5 January. If you have Spanish team members, it is worth treating 5 January similarly to how you might treat 24 December: expect reduced capacity and avoid scheduling anything critical.
The span from 24 December through 6 January is essentially Spain's holiday season, and many employees take the entire period as leave. If you are planning Q1 kickoffs or launches in early January, assume limited Spanish availability until after 6 January.
Managing Spain's Holiday Calendar for Remote Teams
For companies with Spanish employees distributed across regions, the most important operational step is to track both levels of the holiday calendar: the 10 national holidays that everyone observes, and the regional additions specific to each employee's location. A developer in Barcelona and a developer in Madrid share 10 holidays but diverge on the rest.
Beyond official holidays, August deserves a special callout. The 15 August Assumption of Mary holiday falls in the middle of Spain's peak vacation month. Many Spanish employees take the entirety of August off, or at minimum the two weeks surrounding 15 August. Productivity across Spanish offices drops significantly in August regardless of whether a specific day is an official holiday. If you are scheduling cross-team initiatives or launches, plan around August availability early.
December is another complex month: Constitution Day on 6 December and the Immaculate Conception on 8 December fall close together, and when they align with the weekend in certain years, employees often bridge them into a long weekend known as the Puente de Diciembre. This can take out most of the first half of December in some years.
For a full breakdown of Spain's 2026 holidays organized by date and region, View Spain holidays at autolidays.com/holidays/spain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all regions in Spain observe the same holidays?
No. Spain has 8 guaranteed national holidays, but each autonomous community adds 2 to 3 additional ones. If you have employees in Madrid and Barcelona, they observe different total holiday calendars. Some local municipalities add further holidays on top of the regional ones.
Is Good Friday a public holiday in Spain?
Yes, Good Friday is observed as a national public holiday throughout Spain. Easter Monday is not a national holiday, though some regions observe it. In 2026, Good Friday falls on 3 April.
How do I add Spain's regional holidays to Google Calendar?
Google Calendar allows you to browse and subscribe to country holiday calendars, but these rarely include regional breakdowns. If you need Catalonia's La Diada or Madrid's Dos de Mayo alongside the national holidays, the default Google Calendar option will not cover them. Autolidays imports region-specific holidays automatically, ensuring your calendar reflects the complete picture for wherever your team is based.
Don't Miss Regional Holidays for Your Spanish Team
Managing a multi-region Spanish holiday calendar manually is error-prone. The combination of 10 national holidays, regional additions, local municipality holidays, and cultural patterns like the August vacation slowdown and the Three Kings Day season creates a complexity that a simple Google Calendar subscription cannot handle. Autolidays tracks both national and regional layers automatically, so your calendar stays accurate no matter where in Spain your team is located. View Spain holidays at autolidays.com/holidays/spain to see the full 2026 calendar and set up automated imports for your team.