Madeira public holidays

2026 and 2027 dates · what opens and what closes

Madeira keeps all thirteen Portuguese national holidays and adds two of its own: 1 July, the Day of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, and 26 December, which is a regional holiday here but not on the mainland. Funchal also closes for its municipal holiday on 21 August. On any of these days banks, public offices, post offices and most non-tourist shops shut, buses run a Sunday timetable, and Funchal's big shopping centres, tourist restaurants, cable cars and levada trails stay open as normal.

Public holidays in Madeira, 2026 and 2027

National holidays apply across Madeira. The regional days and Funchal's municipal holiday are marked.

  • National
    New Year's Day
    2026
    1 January
    2027
    1 January
  • Customary
    Carnival Tuesday
    2026
    17 February
    2027
    9 February

    Not a statutory holiday, but it is granted almost everywhere in Madeira, and Funchal's Carnival parade makes it the busiest day of the winter.

  • National
    Good Friday
    2026
    3 April
    2027
    26 March
  • National
    Easter Sunday
    2026
    5 April
    2027
    28 March
  • National
    Freedom Day
    2026
    25 April
    2027
    25 April
  • National
    Labour Day
    2026
    1 May
    2027
    1 May
  • National
    Corpus Christi
    2026
    4 June
    2027
    27 May
  • National
    Portugal Day
    2026
    10 June
    2027
    10 June
  • Madeira only
    Day of the Autonomous Region of Madeira
    2026
    1 July
    2027
    1 July

    Madeira's own regional holiday, marking the region's autonomy and its emigrant communities. Official ceremonies in Funchal; everything else runs as a Sunday.

  • National
    Assumption of Our Lady
    2026
    15 August
    2027
    15 August
  • Funchal only
    Nossa Senhora do Monte, Funchal municipal holiday
    2026
    21 August
    2027
    21 August

    A holiday in the municipality of Funchal only. Monte is packed for the pilgrimage and the church festa; the rest of the island works normally.

  • National
    Republic Day
    2026
    5 October
    2027
    5 October
  • National
    All Saints' Day
    2026
    1 November
    2027
    1 November
  • National
    Restoration of Independence
    2026
    1 December
    2027
    1 December
  • National
    Immaculate Conception
    2026
    8 December
    2027
    8 December
  • National
    Christmas Day
    2026
    25 December
    2027
    25 December
  • Madeira only
    26 December, Madeira regional holiday
    2026
    26 December
    2027
    26 December

    A public holiday in Madeira but an ordinary working day on the Portuguese mainland. Expect a second quiet day after Christmas.

Movable dates calculated from Easter (5 April 2026, 28 March 2027). Source: Portugal's statutory holidays (Lei n.º 7/2009) and the Autonomous Region of Madeira holiday calendar · checked September 2026.

Travelling beyond Madeira? Days Off Atlas tracks public holidays in Portugal and 100+ other countries, including regional days off and school breaks, handy for planning around closures in other destinations.

What's open, what's closed

Buses (Horários do Funchal, SIGA, Rodoeste)
Sunday/holiday timetable, far fewer departures, and the last bus back from rural villages can be mid-afternoon. Check the timetable before you set out.
Supermarkets
Large ones inside shopping centres usually open, often on shorter hours. Small neighbourhood shops and Continente/Pingo Doce standalone stores often close on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 25 and 26 December.
Restaurants & cafés
Tourist-area restaurants in Funchal, Caniço and Calheta open as normal and get busy. Village places often close for the family day, 25 December especially. Book ahead for Christmas and New Year.
Banks, post offices, public services
Closed. ATMs (Multibanco) work throughout, and card payment is accepted almost everywhere.
Attractions, cable cars, museums
The Monte cable car, Cabo Girão skywalk and the botanical garden run on holidays. Public museums usually close on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December.
Levadas & trails
Open as usual, holidays are among the busiest trail days of the year because locals walk too. Start early for parking at Ribeiro Frio, Rabaçal and Pico do Arieiro.
Airport & car hire
Both operate every day of the year, holidays included. Flights are not affected.
Pharmacies
A rota system keeps one pharmacy open in each area, the duty list is posted on every pharmacy door and at the health centre.

The days that change the island

  • ·Carnival (February), the Funchal parade closes the Avenida do Mar and hotels sell out months ahead.
  • ·Flower Festival (spring, the weekend two weeks after Easter), not a public holiday, but the city is as busy as one.
  • ·1 July, regional day; official events in Funchal and a proper day off across the island.
  • ·15 and 21 August, Assumption and the Monte pilgrimage fall in the busiest tourist fortnight of the year.
  • ·New Year's Eve, the harbour fireworks are the island's single biggest night; 1 January is very quiet afterwards.

See everything coming up on the events calendar.

FAQ: Madeira public holidays

How many public holidays does Madeira have?
Fifteen days that most people get off: the thirteen Portuguese national holidays plus Madeira's two regional days, 1 July and 26 December. Carnival Tuesday is granted almost everywhere but is not a statutory holiday, and Funchal adds its municipal holiday on 21 August.
Which holidays does Madeira have that mainland Portugal does not?
1 July, the Day of the Autonomous Region of Madeira and the Madeiran Communities, and 26 December. Both are regional holidays under Madeira's own legislation and are ordinary working days in Lisbon or Porto.
Do buses run on public holidays in Madeira?
Yes, but on the Sunday and holiday timetable. Urban Funchal lines still run frequently; rural SIGA and Rodoeste routes drop to a handful of departures, and the last bus back from villages can leave in the mid-afternoon. Always check the holiday column before planning a day trip by bus.
Are shops open on public holidays in Madeira?
Shopping centres in Funchal, Madeira Shopping, Forum Madeira, La Vie, normally open on public holidays, often with shorter hours. Independent shops, banks and public services close. On 25 December and 1 January expect almost everything outside hotels and tourist restaurants to be shut.
Is 26 December a holiday in Madeira?
Yes. 26 December is a regional public holiday in Madeira, unlike the Portuguese mainland where it is a normal working day. Public offices and banks stay closed for a second day after Christmas.
Is Carnival Tuesday a public holiday in Madeira?
Not by law. It is a tolerance day granted by the regional government and by most employers, so in practice schools, public offices and many shops close. Buses run a holiday timetable and Funchal city centre is closed to traffic for the parade.

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