Public holidays · 2026
Freedom Day falls on Saturday, 25 April 2026 in Portugal in 2026.
A public holiday across Portugal: most employees have the day off.
In 2026 it falls on a Saturday, a weekend day; check whether a substitute day is given.
Fixed date: it is on the same day of the year every year (25 Apr).
Saturday and Sunday · A public holiday does not always close every business. Essential services, shops and some industries keep working, and pay rules differ by country and contract.
Freedom Day is a name used for two different national holidays among the countries on this site. In Portugal, Dia da Liberdade on 25 April commemorates the Carnation Revolution of 1974, when a military coup by young officers, supported by huge crowds, overthrew the authoritarian regime that had ruled Portugal for decades. It opened the way to democracy and to the end of the colonial wars in Africa. Both are tied to the end of an era in national history. Both holidays are about regaining a country's self-determination, in different ways.
In Malta, Freedom Day on 31 March marks the date in 1979 when the last British troops and Royal Navy units left the island under the agreement that ended the British military presence, which had lasted since the Napoleonic period. The two holidays have different tones: in Portugal, red carnations are worn and sung about, notably the song Grândola, Vila Morena, which was a signal of the revolution, while in Malta there are ceremonies and commemorations by the state. Visitors in Lisbon may see large crowds on the main avenue and hear revolutionary songs.
Everywhere in Portugal.
Add to calendar (.ics)Print as PDFDownload as PNGDownload the national public holidays of Portugal 2026 for Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook. The PDF and PNG are a white A4 sheet with all twelve months.
Questions
A public holiday across Portugal: most employees have the day off.
Saturday, 25 April 2026.