In 2026, the first possible bridge is in the first days of the year, as January 1st is on a Thursday. Soon after, there is another possibility in February, during Carnival, which is not a mandatory holiday. Check this calendar before booking next year’s vacation.
Want to start planning your 2026 vacation? So this is an essential calendar. Next year there are six long weekends — and five more where you can skip it.
The three-day weekends start in April, around Easter (Good Friday to 3 April). The following month, Labor Day, May 1st, also falls on a Friday. The holidays of June 29th (São Pedro, which is municipal) and October 5th (Implantation of the Republic) are both on Mondays. At the end of the year, Christmas and January 1, 2027 fall on a Friday.
When it comes to bridges, the five possibilities start in January, with the first day of the year falling on a Thursday. In February, regarding Carnival, you can take advantage of the previous day to bridge the gap (in cases where companies or local authorities “decree” it) – as February 17th will be on a Tuesday, as is always Shrovetide.
You can also take advantage of the additional day of rest on the Friday after Corpus Christi, which is celebrated on Thursday, June 4th.
In the last month of the year, both the 1st and 8th December holidays take place on Tuesdays, which can give you an extra vacation, using fewer days.
The year 2026 has five holidays that fall on a Saturday or Sunday.
Here is the list of holidays and possible bridges:
- The New Year (2026) begins with the holiday on a Thursday, the day January 1st.
- The second holiday of the year is Carnival Tuesday, which in 2026 is celebrated February 17th. It is not enjoyed in all local authorities, nor by all companies, but in recent years the Government has decreed time off for public employees. It allows for a long weekend, spending one working day on vacation (on Monday the 16th).
- Good Friday comes April 3followed by Easter Sunday, April 5th – a three-day weekend, as usual.
- THE April 25thFreedom Day, is one of the holidays that fall on a Saturday.
- Labor Day, May 1opens the door to three days of rest, as it takes place on a Friday.
- As always, the Body of God is celebrated on a Thursday, this time June 4thand could be one of several bridges of the year.
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June 10th — Portugal, Camões and Portuguese Communities Day — is on a Wednesday, a well-deserved break even in the middle of the week. - In the month of Popular Saints, the first holiday, June 13thSaint Anthony’s Day, falls on a Saturday. The next, Saint John, the June 24this celebrated on a Wednesday. The month ends with the possibility of a longer weekend, with São Pedro, the day June 29thuseful on a Monday. These holidays vary depending on the municipality and are not common across the country.
- In August, the only holiday is on day 15Assumption of Our Lady, and this year it takes place on a Saturday.
- In September there is no holiday, but in October there is another three-day weekend, with the October 5th (Implementation of the Republic) in handy on a Monday.
- In November there is another one of the holidays that falls on Sunday, this time the November 1All Saints Day.
- In December, the first two public holidays (December 1stRestoration of Independence and December 8thImaculada Conceição) fall on a Tuesday, the opportunity to have a four-day rest, if you choose to take a bridge.
- Christmas is celebrated on a Friday, the day December 25th.
