Lisbon Public Holidays: A Guide to Portuguese Bank Holidays

When visiting Lisbon for the first time, many things come to mind, like how they celebrate Christmas and their national and municipal holiday.

Well, here you can find all the Lisbon public holidays celebrated yearly. Checking the upcoming holidays can help you plan your trip without hiccups.

Why? Well, most Lisbon shops and attractions remain open on public holidays. Still, you may have problems with public transport compared to working days.

So, check out the Portuguese bank holidays before planning your trip. While planning, check out some of the best things you can do for free in Lisbon.

Upcoming Lisbon Public Holidays

As Portugal is a Catholic country, you find that the majority of public holidays are religious, at least in the name. Many festivals and parades honor a bible story or saint, while other holidays include Christmas and Christian holidays.

Hence, it helps to take note of the Portuguese Bank Holidays. Furthermore, many of these national holidays, while some are only celebrated in certain parts. In Portugal, they observe the holiday on the day it falls.

So, if it falls on a Sunday, it is not taken over to the Monday as in most other countries. Moreover, the Portuguese festivals are not official holidays like the Shrove Tuesday or the Lisbon Carnival.

LISBON PUBLIC HOLIDAYS	2024
New Year’s Day	Monday, January 1
Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras (Optional holiday)	Tuesday, February 13
Good Friday	Friday, March 29
Easter Sunday	Sunday, March 31
Freedom Day	Thursday, April 25
Labour Day	Wednesday, May 1
Corpus Christi (60 days after Easter Sunday)	Thursday, May 30
Portugal Day	Monday, June 10
Saint Anthony’s Day (Municipal holiday in Lisbon)	Thursday, June 13
Saint John’s Day (Municipal holiday in Porto)	Monday, June 24
Assumption	Thursday, August 15
Republic Day	Saturday, October 5
All Saints Day	Friday, November 1
Restoration of Independence	Sunday, December 1
Immaculate Conception	Sunday, December 8
Christmas Day	Wednesday, December 25

National Holidays

When looking at Portuguese holidays that are national holidays like Christmas and New Year, you can expect the following to take place in Lisbon and the rest of Portugal:

• On the 24th and 31st December all shops, including the shopping centers, all close at 7 pm.
• On December 25 and January 1, most of Lisbon’s shops, restaurants, and attractions are closed. Hence, it does affect public transport on Christmas and New Year’s Day as the service is reduced.

Hot Tip 🔥: Explore Lisbon on December 26, as this is when most shops start with winter sales. Still, if you have a limited budget, find out how you can save when visiting Lisbon on a budget.

Another regional holiday and a mandatory holiday is the Carnation Revolution in 1974, celebrated on April 25, called Freedom Day.

It was the day a military coup went up against the dictatorship of Estado Novo Marcel Caetano and paved the way for the Third Portuguese Republic. At present, carnations symbolize the socialist workers who pinned the flower to the soldiers’ rifle barrels and clothing.

As the revolution had the considerable support of the population, the regime became outnumbered, and it was primarily a peaceful takeover. Two years later, the military handed over state power, and the country became a democratically elected government, initiating a new constitution.

At the same time, it ended the colonial wars within Portugal and the former colonies:

• Angola, Mozambique São Tomé
• Guinea-Bissau
• Príncipe
• Cape Verde

Became independent within a year.

Religious Holidays

Portugal is a religious country, and like most Christian holidays, Eater is a Lisbon calendar festival celebrating the death of Jesus Christ. For the Portuguese, the Easter egg represents Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, the “Holy Week” before Easter marks the end of Semana Santa, known as Lent. Hence, in Lisbon, Holy Week on the calendar is only observed as Good Friday.

The Maundy Thursday, the Last Supper, is not marked as a public holiday, but part of the population attends the church that day. Instead of using Easter eggs depicting Jesus Christ’s tomb, the Portuguese bake them into bread made of folar, a sweet yeast dough.

So, if you visit Lisbon in April, the Easter processions are worth it.

Guide to School Holidays

In Lisbon, the school terms change yearly, but they have three school terms and three short mid-term breaks with a long break over the summer:

• From late June to early September, you have the summer holidays
• From late December to early January, it is the Christmas holidays
• Then the kids are off on Carnival Monday, Fat Tuesday, and Ash Wednesday
• The schools are closed for two weeks before Easter Sunday

So, why not start planning your Lisbon holiday and find budget-friendly hotels to save money?

Wrap-Up: Lisbon Public Holidays

When planning a trip to Lisbon, it helps to know the public to school holidays to schedule your trip accordingly, making it worth your while.

Lisbon is a city that comes alive throughout the year, whether Christmas, New Year, or any other celebration. One thing is sure: when visiting this vibrant city, you are always in for a magical surprise.

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