The Federal Government on Monday published in the Union Gazette the order that establishes the schedule of national holidays and optional points for 2026. In total, next year there will be ten holidays, including nine working days — one of the most favorable scenarios in recent years for those planning to plan extended days off. Seven holidays will occur on Monday or Friday, making it easier to form holidays without requiring additional days off. Among them are Labor Day, May 1, which falls on a Friday, and Brazilian Independence Day, September 7, which falls on a Monday.
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Other dates also increase the chances of amendments. The Universal Confraternization, on January 1, will take place on a Thursday, while the feast of Tiradentes, on April 21, will fall on a Tuesday. With the possibility of an additional day off, these dates may become extended holidays. In this scenario, up to nine national holidays may be changed during the year.
See the full list of 2026 public holidays
- January 1 (Thursday) — Universal fraternization
- April 3 (Friday) — Passion of Christ
- April 21 (Tuesday) — Tiradentes
- May 1 (Friday) – World Labor Day
- September 7 (Monday) – Brazilian Independence
- October 12 (Monday) — Our Lady of Aparecida
- November 2 (Monday) – Feast of All Souls
- November 15 (Sunday) — Proclamation of the Republic
- November 20 (Friday) – National Zombie and Black Awareness Day
- December 25 (Friday) — Christmas
See the list of optional points for 2026
- February 16 (Monday) — Carnival
- February 17 (Tuesday) — Carnival
- February 18 (Wednesday) — Ash Wednesday (until 2 p.m.)
- April 20 (Monday) — Eve of Tiradentes
- June 4 (Thursday) — Corpus Christi
- June 5 (Friday) — Corpus Christi Amendment
- October 28 (Wednesday) — Federal Public Service Day
- December 24 (Thursday) — Christmas Eve (after 1 p.m.)
- December 31 (Thursday) — New Year’s Eve (after 1 p.m.)
The calendar also includes traditional optional points, such as Carnival and Corpus Christi, which increase the number of working days with the possibility of days off or modifications to more than ten. In the case of Carnival, which in 2026 will take place on February 16 and 17, with Ash Wednesday on February 18 (optional until 2 p.m.), the period has been considered together, because it is generally considered a single holiday in much of the country, although it is not a national holiday.
The order, signed by the Alternate Minister of Management and Innovation in Public Services, establishes that leave and optional leave must be observed by bodies and entities of the direct, autonomous and founding federal public administration, without prejudice to essential services. The text also details the rules relating to compensatory schedules for days of religious celebration not provided for in the official calendar, as well as the limits to the adoption of national, municipal and religious holidays.
Local holidays can make the calendar even more advantageous, depending on the region. In São Paulo, for example, the city’s birthday, celebrated on January 25, is a municipal holiday and can generate new opportunities for rest.
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