Public holidays in São Tomé & Príncipe 2026
There are 12 nationwide public holidays in 2026. Another 5 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 5 regional holidays in 2026
| Date | Weekday | Holiday | Local name | Applies in | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | New Year's Day | Ano Novo | nationwide | ||
| Sunday | Day of King Amador | Dia do Rei Amador | nationwide | ||
| Monday | Day of King Amador (observed) | Dia do Rei Amador (observado) | nationwide | ||
| Friday | Discovery of Príncipe Island (observed) | Descobrimento da Ilha do Príncipe (observado) | Príncipe | ||
| Saturday | Discovery of Príncipe Island | Descobrimento da Ilha do Príncipe | Príncipe | ||
| Tuesday | Martyrs' Day | Dia dos Mártires | nationwide | ||
| Wednesday | Autonomy Day | Dia da Autonomia do Príncipe | Príncipe | ||
| Friday | Worker's Day | Dia do Trabalhador | nationwide | ||
| Sunday | Independence Day | Dia da Independência | nationwide | ||
| Monday | Independence Day (observed) | Dia da Independência (observado) | nationwide | ||
| Friday | São Lourenço Day (observed) | Dia de São Lourenço (observado) | Príncipe | ||
| Saturday | São Lourenço Day | Dia de São Lourenço | Príncipe | ||
| Sunday | Armed Forces Day | Dia das Forças Armadas | nationwide | ||
| Monday | Armed Forces Day (observed) | Dia das Forças Armadas (observado) | nationwide | ||
| Wednesday | Agricultural Reform Day | Dia da Reforma Agrária | nationwide | ||
| Monday | São Tomé Day | Dia de São Tomé | nationwide | ||
| Friday | Christmas Day | 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 Água Grande | 12 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Cantagalo | 12 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Caué | 12 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Lembá | 12 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Lobata | 12 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Mé-Zóchi | 12 | 9 |
| Public holidays 2026 Príncipe | 17 | 12 |
Long weekends 2026
11 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 – 5 Jan 2026 | 1 | 5 | 5 | New Year's Day, Day of King Amador, Day of King Amador (observed) |
| Tue 6 Jan, Wed 7 Jan, Thu 8 Jan, Fri 9 Jan | 3 Jan – 11 Jan 2026 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | Day of King Amador, Day of King Amador (observed) |
| Mon 2 Feb | 31 Jan – 3 Feb 2026 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Martyrs' Day |
| Wed 4 Feb, Thu 5 Feb, Fri 6 Feb | 3 Feb – 8 Feb 2026 | 3 | 6 | 2 | Martyrs' Day |
| 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 14 Jul, Wed 15 Jul, Thu 16 Jul, Fri 17 Jul | 11 Jul – 19 Jul 2026 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | Independence Day, Independence Day (observed) |
| Tue 8 Sep, Wed 9 Sep, Thu 10 Sep, Fri 11 Sep | 5 Sep – 13 Sep 2026 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | Armed Forces Day, Armed Forces Day (observed) |
| Mon 28 Sep, Tue 29 Sep | 26 Sep – 30 Sep 2026 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | Agricultural Reform Day |
| Thu 1 Oct, Fri 2 Oct | 30 Sep – 4 Oct 2026 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | Agricultural Reform Day |
| Tue 22 Dec, Wed 23 Dec, Thu 24 Dec | 19 Dec – 27 Dec 2026 | 3 | 9 | 3 | São Tomé Day, Christmas Day |
| Mon 28 Dec, Tue 29 Dec, Wed 30 Dec, Thu 31 Dec | 25 Dec – 4 Jan 2027 | 4 | 11 | 2.8 | Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Day of King Amador |
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 São Tomé & Príncipe have in 2026?
12 nationwide holidays, plus 5 that apply only in some regions. 3 of them fall on a weekend in 2026.
What is the next public holiday in São Tomé & Príncipe?
As of 9 Nov 2026, the next nationwide holiday is São Tomé Day on Monday, 21 Dec 2026.
Which public holiday gives the best long weekend in 2026?
New Year's Day, Day of King Amador, Day of King Amador (observed): take 1 day of leave (2 Jan) and you get 5 days off in a row, 1 Jan – 5 Jan 2026.
Which region has the most public holidays in 2026?
Príncipe with 17; 6 regions have the fewest with 12.
Sources
- Data: python-holidays 0.105 (MIT licence), country code ST (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.st) (retrieved Sep 28, 2026)
Last updated:
Other years
- Public holidays 2026
- Public holidays 2027
- Public holidays 2028