Public holidays in Cape Verde 2026
There are 12 nationwide public holidays in 2026. Another 24 apply only in some regions – the table shows where. The exact list for each region is on its own page.
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12 national and 24 regional holidays in 2026
| Date | Weekday | Holiday | Local name | Applies in | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | New Year's Day | Ano Novo | nationwide | ||
| Tuesday | Democracy and Freedom Day | Dia da Liberdade e da Democracia | nationwide | ||
| Thursday | Tarrafal de Santiago Municipality Day | Dia do Município do Tarrafal de Santiago | Tarrafal | ||
| Saturday | Santo Antão Island Day | Dia da Ilha de Santo Antão | Paul, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande | ||
| Tuesday | National Heroes Day | Dia da Nacionalidade e dos Heróis Nacionais | nationwide | ||
| Thursday | São Vicente Municipality Day | Dia do Município de São Vicente | São Vicente | ||
| Saturday | Ribeira Grande de Santiago Municipality Day | Dia do Município de Ribeira Grande de Santiago | Ribeira Grande de Santiago | ||
| Tuesday | Carnival Tuesday | Terça-feira de Carnaval | São Vicente | ||
| Wednesday | Ash Wednesday | Quarta-feira de Cinzas | nationwide | ||
| Friday | São Domingos Municipality Day | Dia do Município de São Domingos | São Domingos | ||
| Friday | Good Friday | Sexta-feira Santa | nationwide | ||
| Sunday | Easter Sunday | Páscoa | nationwide | ||
| Friday | Worker's Day | Dia do Trabalhador | nationwide | ||
| Friday | São Filipe Municipality Day | Dia do Município de São Filipe | São Filipe | ||
| Thursday | Ribeira Grande Municipality Day | Dia do Município de Ribeira Grande | Ribeira Grande | ||
| Saturday | São Lourenço dos Órgãos Municipality Day | Dia do Município de São Lourenço dos Órgãos | São Lourenço dos Órgãos | ||
| Tuesday | Praia Municipality Day | Dia do Município da Praia | Praia | ||
| Monday | International Children's Day | Dia Mundial da Criança | nationwide | ||
| Saturday | Paúl Municipality Day | Dia do Município do Paúl | Paul | ||
| Wednesday | Brava Municipality Day | Dia do Município da Brava | Brava | ||
| Saturday | Boa Vista Municipality Day | Dia do Município da Boa Vista | Boa Vista | ||
| Sunday | National Independence Day | Dia da Independência Nacional | nationwide | ||
| Sunday | São Salvador do Mundo Municipality Day | Dia do Município de São Salvador do Mundo | São Salvador do Mundo | ||
| Saturday | Santa Cruz Municipality Day | Dia do Município de Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | ||
| Sunday | Tarrafal de São Nicolau Municipality Day | Dia do Município do Tarrafal de São Nicolau | Tarrafal de São Nicolau | ||
| Saturday | Assumption Day | Dia da Assunção | nationwide | ||
| Saturday | Mosteiros Municipality Day | Dia do Município dos Mosteiros | Mosteiros | ||
| Wednesday | Porto Novo Municipality Day | Dia do Município do Porto Novo | Porto Novo | ||
| Tuesday | Maio Municipality Day | Dia do Município do Maio | Maio | ||
| Tuesday | Sal Municipality Day | Dia do Município do Sal | Sal | ||
| Tuesday | São Miguel Municipality Day | Dia do Município de São Miguel | São Miguel | ||
| Sunday | All Saints' Day | Dia de Todos os Santos | nationwide | ||
| Wednesday | Santa Catarina de Santiago Municipality Day | Dia do Município de Santa Catarina de Santiago | Santa Catarina | ||
| Wednesday | Santa Catarina do Fogo Municipality Day | Dia do Município de Santa Catarina do Fogo | Santa Catarina do Fogo | ||
| Sunday | Ribeira Brava Municipality Day | Dia do Município de Ribeira Brava | Ribeira Brava | ||
| Friday | Christmas Day | Dia do Natal | nationwide |
Days marked "observed" are substitute days off when a holiday falls on a weekend. Holidays based on a lunar calendar can shift by a day once the official announcement is made.
Public holidays by region
| region | public holidays | on Mon–Fri |
|---|---|---|
| Public holidays 2026 Boa Vista | 13 | 8 |
| Public holidays 2026 Brava | 13 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Maio | 13 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Mosteiros | 13 | 8 |
| Public holidays 2026 Paul | 14 | 8 |
| Public holidays 2026 Porto Novo | 14 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Praia | 13 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Ribeira Brava | 13 | 8 |
| Public holidays 2026 Ribeira Grande | 14 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Ribeira Grande de Santiago | 13 | 8 |
| Public holidays 2026 Sal | 13 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Santa Catarina | 13 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Santa Catarina do Fogo | 13 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Santa Cruz | 13 | 8 |
| Public holidays 2026 São Domingos | 13 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 São Filipe | 13 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 São Lourenço dos Órgãos | 13 | 8 |
| Public holidays 2026 São Miguel | 13 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 São Salvador do Mundo | 13 | 8 |
| Public holidays 2026 São Vicente | 14 | 10 |
| Public holidays 2026 Tarrafal | 13 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Tarrafal de São Nicolau | 13 | 8 |
Long weekends 2026
12 times a public holiday lies close to a weekend – with a little leave it becomes a long weekend: (nationwide)
| Take leave | Off | Days of leave | Days off | Ratio | Occasion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 2 Jan | 1 Jan – 4 Jan 2026 | 1 | 4 | 4 | New Year's Day |
| Mon 12 Jan | 10 Jan – 13 Jan 2026 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Democracy and Freedom Day |
| Wed 14 Jan, Thu 15 Jan, Fri 16 Jan | 13 Jan – 18 Jan 2026 | 3 | 6 | 2 | Democracy and Freedom Day |
| Mon 19 Jan | 17 Jan – 20 Jan 2026 | 1 | 4 | 4 | National Heroes Day |
| Wed 21 Jan, Thu 22 Jan, Fri 23 Jan | 20 Jan – 25 Jan 2026 | 3 | 6 | 2 | National Heroes Day |
| Mon 16 Feb, Tue 17 Feb | 14 Feb – 18 Feb 2026 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | Ash Wednesday |
| Thu 19 Feb, Fri 20 Feb | 18 Feb – 22 Feb 2026 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | Ash Wednesday |
| Mon 30 Mar, Tue 31 Mar, Wed 1 Apr, Thu 2 Apr | 28 Mar – 5 Apr 2026 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | Good Friday, Easter Sunday |
| Mon 27 Apr, Tue 28 Apr, Wed 29 Apr, Thu 30 Apr | 25 Apr – 3 May 2026 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | Worker's Day |
| Tue 2 Jun, Wed 3 Jun, Thu 4 Jun, Fri 5 Jun | 30 May – 7 Jun 2026 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | International Children's Day |
| Mon 21 Dec, Tue 22 Dec, Wed 23 Dec, Thu 24 Dec | 19 Dec – 27 Dec 2026 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | Christmas Day |
| Mon 28 Dec, Tue 29 Dec, Wed 30 Dec, Thu 31 Dec | 25 Dec – 3 Jan 2027 | 4 | 10 | 2.5 | Christmas Day, New Year's Day |
Counted are gaps of up to four working days between a public holiday and the weekend or another public holiday. "Ratio" = days off per day of leave. Weekends follow the local working week.
Dates are generated from the open-source library python-holidays and automatically cross-checked against Nager.Date and the public Google Calendar holiday calendars; every holiday on a working day must be confirmed by a second source. Official announcements take precedence, especially for holidays that depend on the moon or are declared at short notice.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does Cape Verde have in 2026?
12 nationwide holidays, plus 24 that apply only in some regions. 4 of them fall on a weekend in 2026.
What is the next public holiday in Cape Verde?
As of 9 Nov 2026, the next nationwide holiday is Christmas Day on Friday, 25 Dec 2026.
Which public holiday gives the best long weekend in 2026?
New Year's Day: take 1 day of leave (2 Jan) and you get 4 days off in a row, 1 Jan – 4 Jan 2026.
Which region has the most public holidays in 2026?
Paul, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande and São Vicente with 14 each; 18 regions have the fewest with 13.
Sources
- Data: python-holidays 0.105 (MIT licence), country code CV (retrieved Sep 28, 2026)
- Cross-check: Nager.Date public holiday API (MIT licence) (retrieved Sep 28, 2026)
- Cross-check: Google Calendar public holiday calendar (en.cv) (retrieved Sep 28, 2026)
Last updated:
Other years
- Public holidays 2026
- Public holidays 2027
- Public holidays 2028