Dates, holidays and deadlines

Public holidays in Colombia

The holiday calendar of any year, with the Monday moves and the long weekends they make.

Year

Next public holiday

Monday 16 November

Independence of Cartagena · 12 days to go

holidays
19
on weekdays
19
on Mondays
12
long weekends
16

Public holidays in 2026

  1. New Year’s DayThursday 1 January 2026 · past
  2. EpiphanyMonday 12 January 2026 · pastMoved from Tuesday 6 January
  3. Saint Joseph’s DayMonday 23 March 2026 · pastMoved from Thursday 19 March
  4. Maundy ThursdayThursday 2 April 2026 · past
  5. Good FridayFriday 3 April 2026 · past
  6. Labour DayFriday 1 May 2026 · past
  7. Ascension DayMonday 18 May 2026 · pastMoved from Thursday 14 May
  8. Corpus ChristiMonday 8 June 2026 · pastMoved from Thursday 4 June
  9. Sacred HeartMonday 15 June 2026 · pastMoved from Friday 12 June
  10. Saints Peter and PaulMonday 29 June 2026 · past
  11. Our Lady of ChiquinquiráMonday 13 July 2026 · pastMoved from Thursday 9 July
  12. Independence DayMonday 20 July 2026 · past
  13. Battle of BoyacáFriday 7 August 2026 · past
  14. Assumption DayMonday 17 August 2026 · pastMoved from Saturday 15 August
  15. Columbus DayMonday 12 October 2026 · past
  16. All Saints’ DayMonday 2 November 2026 · pastMoved from Sunday 1 November
  17. Independence of CartagenaMonday 16 November 2026Moved from Wednesday 11 November
  18. Immaculate ConceptionTuesday 8 December 2026
  19. Christmas DayFriday 25 December 2026

Long weekends in 2026

  • 10 Jan – 12 Jan3 daysEpiphany
  • 21 Mar – 23 Mar3 daysSaint Joseph’s Day
  • 2 Apr – 5 Apr4 daysMaundy Thursday · Good Friday
  • 1 May – 3 May3 daysLabour Day
  • 16 May – 18 May3 daysAscension Day
  • 6 Jun – 8 Jun3 daysCorpus Christi
  • 13 Jun – 15 Jun3 daysSacred Heart
  • 27 Jun – 29 Jun3 daysSaints Peter and Paul
  • 11 Jul – 13 Jul3 daysOur Lady of Chiquinquirá
  • 18 Jul – 20 Jul3 daysIndependence Day
  • 7 Aug – 9 Aug3 daysBattle of Boyacá
  • 15 Aug – 17 Aug3 daysAssumption Day
  • 10 Oct – 12 Oct3 daysColumbus Day
  • 31 Oct – 2 Nov3 daysAll Saints’ Day
  • 14 Nov – 16 Nov3 daysIndependence of Cartagena
  • 25 Dec – 27 Dec3 daysChristmas Day

How it is worked out

Every public holiday in Colombia by year, with the day it is rested, the date the Emiliani Law moved it from, the long weekends and how long until the next one.

Colombia has 19 public holidays since 2026. Six are kept on their date whatever the weekday; eight move to the following Monday under the Emiliani Law, and five depend on Holy Week, which changes every year with Easter: Maundy Thursday and Good Friday stay on their day, while Ascension, Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart are rested on Mondays. That is why the calendar is worked out for each year instead of copied.

The rules it applies

  1. On their date: New Year’s Day, 1 May, 20 July, 7 August, 8 December and Christmas, even on a weekend.
  2. On the following Monday unless already one: Epiphany, Saint Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, Our Lady of Chiquinquirá, Assumption, Columbus Day, All Saints and Independence of Cartagena.
  3. From Easter: Maundy Thursday and Good Friday on their day; Ascension, Corpus Christi and Sacred Heart 43, 64 and 71 days after Easter Sunday, already on a Monday.
  4. A long weekend is three days off in a row or more, with at least one holiday.
holidays(2027) = 19 · long weekends = 13

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2027 has three fewer weekday holidays

In 2026 all 19 holidays fell on weekdays and made 16 long weekends. In 2027, 1 May, 7 August and 25 December fall on a Saturday, and since they are among those that are not moved, only 16 are rested on weekdays and there are 13 long weekends.

Eleven of the 2027 holidays are Mondays. New Year’s Day is a Friday, so the year starts with a long weekend, and Holy Week runs from 21 to 28 March: Monday 22 is a holiday for Saint Joseph, moved from Friday 19, and Thursday 25 and Friday 26 are Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

What the Emiliani Law is, and why so many holidays are Mondays

Ley 51 de 1983, named after Senator Raimundo Emiliani Román, who championed it, moved the holidays that do not fall on a Monday to the following one, to make longer weekends and boost domestic tourism. A holiday already on a Monday stays there, and one on a Sunday is rested the next day: 15 August 2027 is a Sunday, and the holiday is Monday 16.

The law kept six dates out of the move for their historical or religious weight —New Year’s Day, Labour Day, 20 July, 7 August, the Immaculate Conception and Christmas—, kept on their day even on a weekend. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday do not move either.

The new 9 July holiday

Ley 2578 of 1 June 2026 made 9 July, the day of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá, a national holiday. It moves like the Emiliani holidays: in 2026 it was rested on Monday 13 July, and in 2027 it will be Monday 12, a week after Saints Peter and Paul.

The law has been challenged before the Constitutional Court. Until the Court strikes it down or suspends it, the holiday stands, and this calendar includes it.

If you work on a holiday

Work on a Sunday or a holiday is paid with a premium on the ordinary hour, which the labour reform raises in steps: 80 % from 1 July 2025, 90 % from 1 July 2026 and 100 % from 1 July 2027 (Ley 2466 de 2025). The overtime and premiums calculator works it out with the value of your hour.

A holiday within a vacation is not taken off its 15 business days, so a vacation that spans holidays ends later. To choose where it goes furthest, there is the vacation planner.

Frequently asked questions

How many public holidays are there in Colombia in 2027?
19, with the 9 July one created by Ley 2578 de 2026. Three fall on a Saturday —1 May, 7 August and 25 December— and are not moved, so 16 fall on weekdays, making 13 long weekends.
When is Holy Week in 2027?
From Palm Sunday, 21 March, to Easter Sunday, 28 March. Thursday 25 and Friday 26 are holidays, and so is Monday 22, for Saint Joseph, moved from Friday 19.
Which holidays are not moved to a Monday?
New Year’s Day, 1 May, 20 July, 7 August, 8 December, Christmas, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. The rest are rested on the following Monday when they do not fall on one.
Is a holiday on a Sunday moved to Monday?
Only if it is one the Emiliani Law moves: 15 August 2027 is a Sunday and is rested on Monday 16. The six kept on their date do not move even on a Saturday or a Sunday.