Spain Holidays 2024 | Holidays in Spain | Travel Department (2024)

FAQs

What are the national holidays in Spain in 2024? ›

Specifically, in 2024 there will be public holidays throughout Spain on Monday 1st January (New Year's Day), Saturday 6th January (Epiphany of the Lord), Friday 29th March (Good Friday), Wednesday 1st May (Labour Day), Thursday 15th August (Assumption of the Virgin), Saturday 12th October (Spanish National Day), Friday ...

It remains 262 days. Now, let's remove 8 public holidays that do not fall during a weekend and we obtain 254 working days in 2024.

SEMANA SANTA

A religious festival, Semana Santa (Holy Week) is a big deal in Spain. It commemorates the Passion of Christ in the Catholic tradition the week before Easter.

The Spanish calendar has a total of 14 public holidays throughout the year. But it's not just as simple: 8 of them are for the entire country, 2 more are regional holidays (that some regions might share or not), then each town and city can choose two more holidays of their choice.

14 bank holidays in Spain a year

In addition to the national and regional bank holidays 2024, there are two local bank holidays in Spain in each municipality, making a total of 14 bank holidays in Spain per year. In 2024 there are fewer long weekends but more long weekends.

For those living in England and Wales, there are eight bank holidays in 2024. We've already had to two Easter bank holidays for Good Friday and Easter Monday (which fell on March 29th and April 1st in 2024), plus the Early May Bank Holiday, and the next one we can look forward to is at the end of May.

Does Spain have a 4-day work week? Spain was one of the nations that proposed a three-year trial of the four-day work week, which was authorized by the government in 2021. With a bit of delay, the trial is currently ongoing. Meanwhile, Valencia conducted a mini-trial for one month in 2023 with very positive results.

Future of Work

Unlike other employer schemes, such as those run by non-profit 4 Day Week Global, the city on Spain's east coast scheduled local holidays to fall on four consecutive Mondays between 10 April and 7 May, effectively giving Valencia's 800,000 residents a four-day work-week over a one-month period.

In 2024, there are 251 work days. The other 115 days of the year consist of weekend days and Federal holidays. While some holidays fall on the weekend, there are also quite a few weekday holidays scattered throughout the year.

Paella: A Spanish Rice Delight

Widely regarded by tourists as Spain's national dish, paella is always a crowd-pleaser and family favorite. While it's now a staple in households and restaurants throughout Spain, the dish originally hails from the country's Valencia region.

What is the main religion in Spain? ›

95% of Spaniards are Catholic and the remaining 5% follow Islam. Catholicism is everywhere and its influence can be seen in churches and museums, of course, but also in everyday life, with religious holidays and festivals. Each city, town and village in Spain has its own patron saint.

The 2024 work calendar includes a total of 12 holidays, of which nine will be common throughout Spain, the same number as this year, according to a resolution of the Department of Labour published last Friday in the Official State Gazette (BOE). To these 12 days are added two regional holidays.

Annual leave in Spain

Under the leave policy in Spain, full-time employees are entitled to 22 days of paid annual leave. Employees may split the annual leave into separate periods, with at least one period being two weeks long.

Apart from the national holidays, there are also two regional holidays and two local holidays, summing up to a total of 16 public holidays annually. In Spain it is traditional for public holidays to be called 'Red Days', this is because it was customary to mark them in red on the calendar.

12 October became one of two national celebrations, along with Constitution Day on December 6. Spain's "national day" had moved around several times during the various regime changes of the 20th century.

On December 6, 1978, the Spanish people approved the new constitution by 88% in a referendum. This marked a crucial turning point in the transition from a dictatorship to modern-day Spain and is an important anniversary. December 8 is a Holy Day of Obligation in the Catholic Church.

Traditions and Celebrations

Celebrations include military parades, cultural performances and sporting events. One of the most famous parades is held in Madrid, with the impressive presence of the Spanish armed forces and a large display of flags and uniforms.