Fiestas Patrias
National holiday
Friday, 18 Sep 2026 · Chile · Nationwide · Public holiday
Bridge day check
Falls on a Friday, so it makes a three-day weekend with no leave needed.
What the day is for
Fiestas Patrias on 18 September marks the 1810 first governing junta. The country moves to the fondas and ramadas — temporary dance halls serving empanadas, chicha and terremotos — for cueca dancing that runs for days.
Do shops and banks close?
Public holiday, and in practice much of the country shuts for the whole dieciochero week. Supermarkets stock up beforehand and close on the day.
Getting around
The heaviest travel week of the Chilean year; intercity buses and flights sell out and police run mass roadside alcohol checks.
When it falls each year
Floating holidays shift; fixed ones move only in which weekday they land on.
See the full Chile holiday calendar or count the working days.