Spain is famous for its extended calendar of public holidays. There are two types of public holiday in Spain: national holidays and regional holidays. The national holidays are fixed by the government whereas local or regional holidays will be determined by a regional government in accordance with century-long traditions.

There are eight official national public holidays in Spain, although this can increase to a maximum of nine days, should the government wish to implement them. The standard official public holidays are:

January 1st: New Year’s Day
January 6th: Epiphany
Good Friday
May 1st: Labour Day/May Bank Holiday
August 15th: Assumption of Mary
October 12th: Día de la Hispanidad: Spanish National Day
December 8th: Immaculate Conception
December 25th: Christmas Day

If a public holiday falls on a Thursday or Tuesday, the Spanish often do what is known in Spanish as ´hacer puente´ which means ´make a bridge’. The day in between the public holiday, whether it is a Friday or Monday, will also normally be offered by an employer, for example, and the Spanish will take advantage of this to have a long weekend, often staying with friends and family in another part of Spain.

Public holidays in Spain tend to be a time for celebration and for families to get together. The list above shows that the key days are generally based on religious events, so in Andalucía, for example, anyone visiting Seville will enjoy the Good Friday parades as part of the Semana Santa celebrations (Easter). If you own an apartment or house in Málaga or on the Costa del Sol, you are in the ideal location to enjoy the spectacular processions that take place in Seville and the Fiesta de las Cruces de Mayo which takes place in Córdoba in May of every year.

Regional holidays are also celebrated on a large scale in cities such as Valencia which is home to Las Fallas in March and Pamplona which sees the running of the bulls as part of the San Fermín festival in July. There’s also the Tomatina, a tomato throwing festival which takes place on the last Wednesday of August in Valencia, located near many of our properties in Alicante and the Costa Blanca.

Why not join in with the locals at one of the fiestas then escape back to your own home for dinner with your own family and friends? Click at this link to see our offer: property for sale in Spain