You couldn’t have timed it better. You finally made it to Paris after all these years, but when you get to the Louvre, it’s closed for… Ascension Day?
Or you arrive in Milan to find that you won’t be seeing Michelangelo’s Last Supper after all because it just happens to be The Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul Day….
Just like in the U.S., many museums, national monuments, banks — and in some cases, restaurants and shops — are closed for national holidays. So before you schedule your next vacation, make sure to find out in advance about any holidays or festivals that may occur in the country you will be visiting.
But remember, holidays can be a fun time to visit a country, just as long as you’re prepared for the fact that certain attractions and services may not be open.
The following is a partial list of some holidays around the world for 2007 (keep in mind that dates for some holidays, such as Easter, will change each year, and there are also several “bank holidays” in various countries).
CANADA
January 1 - New Year’s Day
April 6 - Good Friday
April 8 - Easter
April 9 - Easter Monday
May 21 - Victoria Day
June 24 - St. Jean-Baptiste Day (Quebec)
July 1 - Canada Day
August 6 (first Monday in August) - Civic Holiday (except in Quebec)
September 3 (first Monday in September) - Labor day
October 8 (second Monday in October) - Thanksgiving
November 11 - Remembrance Day
December 25 - Christmas
December 26 - Boxing Day
MEXICO
In Latin countries, there are many local anniversaries and saints’ days when everything in a given city may close down.
January 1 - New Year’s Day
January 6 - Epiphany (3 Kings’ Day)
February 5 - Mexican Constitution Day
March 21 - Benito Juarez’s Birthday
April 1 - Palm Sunday
April 5 - Maundy (Holy) Thursday
April 6 - Good Friday
April 8 - Easter
April 9 - Easter Monday
May 1 - May Day / Labor Day
May 5 - Cinco de Mayo - Battle of Pueblo Day
September 1 - Mexico National Day
September 16 - Mexican Independence Day
November 20 - Mexican Revolution Day
December 12 - Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe
December 25 - Christmas
December 31 - New Year’s Eve
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COSTA RICA
The week before Easter Sunday, much of the country shuts down. On Thursday and Friday, only essential services function. Even many public bus routes cease operation.
January 1 - New Year’s Day
March 19 - Feast of St Joseph
April 5 - Maundy (Holy) Thursday
April 6 - Good Friday
April 8 - Easter
April 9 - Easter Monday
April 11 - Juan Santamaria Day
May 1 - May Day / Labor Day
June 10 - Corpus Christi
June 29 - Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul
July 25 - Guanacaste Day
August 2 - Virgin de Los Angeles Day
August 15 - Assumption Day/Mother’s Day
September 15 - Independence Day
October 12 - Columbus Day / Dia de la Raza (variable)
November 2 - All Souls Day
December 24 - Christmas Eve
December 25 - Christmas
ENGLAND
January 1 - New Year’s Day
April 6 - Good Friday
April 8 - Easter
April 9 - Easter Monday
April 23 - St. George’s Day - (honoring England’s dragon-slaying patron saint)
May 3-25 - Brighton Festival Largest mixed arts festival in England
May 7 - Early May Bank Holiday (First Monday of May)
May 28 - Spring Bank Holiday (Last Monday of May)
Aug 27 - Summer Bank Holiday (Last Monday of August)
December 25 - Christmas
December 26 - Boxing Day
Come on, chaps. Get to know the real jolly ole England with Off the Brochure: London.
IRELAND
January 1 - New Year’s Day
March 17 - St. Patrick’s Day
April 6 - Good Friday
April 8 - Easter
April 9 - Easter Monday
May 7 - Bank Holiday
June 4 - Bank Holiday
August 6 - Summer Bank Holiday
July 12 - Queen’s Birthday (Second Saturday in June)
December 25 - Christmas
December 26 - Boxing Day
Headed to Ireland? Check out our Off-the-Brochure Travel Guide: Dublin, Ireland.
FRANCE
Arguably the most important national holiday is Bastille Day on July 14th. It commemorates the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille in 1789. The day is celebrated with a military march up the Champs-Elysees followed by dancing, drinking and fireworks all over the country. When Bastille Day falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, the French often take off the Monday or Friday before or after.
January 1 - New Year’s Day
April 6 - Good Friday
April 8 - Easter
April 9 - Easter Monday
May 7 - Bank Holiday
May 17 - Ascension Day (Variable)
June 4 - Bank Holiday
June 9 - Whit Monday (Variable)
July 14 - Bastille Day
August 6 - Summer Bank Holiday
August 15 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Assumption)
November 1 - All Saints Day
November 11 - Armistice Day (Jour d’armistice)
December 25 - Christmas
Don’t miss our inside look at the City of Lights with Off the Brochure: Paris.
ITALY
January 1 - New Year’s Day
January 6 - Epiphany
January 6 - Good Friday
January 8 - Easter
April 9 - Easter Monday
April 25 - Liberation Day
May 1 - Labor Day
June 2 - Founding of the Republic
August 15 - Feast of the Assumption (also known as Ferragosto)
November 1 - All Saints
December 8 - Feast of the Immaculate Conception
December 25 - Christmas Day
December 26 - St. Stephen’s Day (Boxing Day)
As well as the above national holidays, each town celebrates the feast-day of its patron saint, which differs from town to town.
Dates for the major cities are as follows:
-Rome: June 29 (Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul)
-Florence: June 24 (Feast of St. John the Baptist)
-Venice: April 25 (Feast of St. Mark - but also Liberation Day and a holiday anyway)
-Naples: September 19 (San Gennaro)
Find out the inside scoop on traveling to the Italian capital: Don’t miss our Off the Brochure: Rome article.
GERMANY
January 1 - New Year’s Day
January 6 - Epiphany
April 6 - Good Friday
April 8 - Easter
April 9 - Easter Monday
May 1 - Labor Day
May 17 - Ascension Day (Variable)
May 27 - Whit Sunday (Variable)
May 28 - Whit Monday (Variable)
June 7 - Corpus Christi Day (Variable)
August 15 - Assumption day
October 3 - Day of German Unity
December 25 - Christmas
GREECE
January 1 - New Year’s Day
January 6 - Epiphany
March 25 - Independence Day
April 6 - Good Friday
April 9 - Easter Monday
May 1 - Labor Day
May 28 - Whit Monday (Variable)
June 15 - Pentecost
August 15 - Assumption Day
October 28 - Ochi Day/National Day
December 25 - Christmas
December 26 - Second Day of Christmas
RUSSIA
January 1 - New Year’s Day
January 4 - Orthodox New Year’s Day
January 7 - Orthodox Christmas
April 8 - Easter
May 1 - Labor Day
May 9 - Victory Day
June 12 - Russia Day
November 4 - Unity Day (Variable)
Forget Red Square and the Kremlin, check out what’s Off the Brochure in Moscow.
CHINA
Because Chinese holidays are based on the lunar calendar, the dates change from one year to the next. There are many holidays and festivals — these are just some of them.
Feb 18 - Chinese New Year’s Day (3 days)
March 4 - Lantern Festival
April 6 - Kuan Yin’s Birthday
May 1 - May Day - Labor Day Holiday (3 days)
June 19 - Dragon Boat Festival
October 1 - National Liberation Day Holiday (3 days)
Get more info on traveling in China with Off the Brochure: Beijing.
INDIA
India has several regional and religious holidays that may vary by the lunar cycle, religious authorities or location. There are very few full national public holidays.
January 1 - New Year’s Day
January 26 - Republic Day
August 15 - Independence Day
October 2 - Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday
