The calendar
Ecuador legislates which holidays shift to the Friday or Monday to build long weekends, so the effective date of much of the calendar changes from year to year.
Country view
Ecuador · 2026
11 recorded days · 11 public · 0 bank · 0 school · 0 regional
SponsoredYour ad here · 728 × 90
09In 23 days
Independencia de Guayaquil
Friday · 9 Oct 2026 · Public
DateHolidayTypeShops shut?
01JanAño Nuevo
New Year's Day · Nationwide
PublicShut
Carnaval
Carnival · Nationwide
PublicShut
Carnaval
Carnival · Nationwide
PublicShut
Good Friday
Nationwide
PublicShut
International Workers' Day
Nationwide
PublicShut
Batalla de Pichincha
The Battle of Pichincha · Nationwide
PublicShut
Primer Grito de Independencia
Declaration of Independence of Quito · Nationwide
PublicShut
Independencia de Guayaquil
Independence of Guayaquil · Nationwide
PublicShut
Día de los Difuntos, Día de Muertos
All Souls' Day · Nationwide
PublicShut
Independencia de Cuenca
Independence of Cuenca · Nationwide
PublicShut
Día de Navidad
Christmas Day · Nationwide
PublicShut
● Public most things closed · ● Bank banks only · ● Regional some areas · ● School term dates
Bridge days worth booking
One day of leave, four days off. These are the 2026 dates where the maths works.
Independencia de Cuenca
Tuesday · 3 Nov 2026
Falls on a Tuesday. Book the Monday off and you get a four-day weekend — expect a lot of colleagues to do exactly that.
Book off: 2 Nov 2026
How the holiday year works in Ecuador
How people take the days
That shifting makes the country plan in puentes: the tourism ministry publishes the annual calendar and domestic travel concentrates on those dates.
If you're visiting
Carnival and the Day of the Dead — colada morada and guaguas de pan — are the heaviest travel moments towards the coast and the highlands.
If you live here
Check the ministerial decree each December for the next year's shifts; the historical date and the actual day off rarely coincide.
What these days actually mean
Observance, business closures and transport impact for the next few dates.
Independence of Guayaquil
9 Oct 2026
- Observance
- Officially recognised as a public holiday, so most people have the day off work.
- Business
- Expect offices, banks and the majority of shops to be closed.
- Transport
- Public transport usually runs a Sunday or holiday timetable.
General guidance based on this day's official classification, not country-specific reporting.
All Souls' Day
2 Nov 2026
- Observance
- Officially recognised as a public holiday, so most people have the day off work.
- Business
- Expect offices, banks and the majority of shops to be closed.
- Transport
- Public transport usually runs a Sunday or holiday timetable.
General guidance based on this day's official classification, not country-specific reporting.
Independence of Cuenca
3 Nov 2026
- Observance
- Officially recognised as a public holiday, so most people have the day off work.
- Business
- Expect offices, banks and the majority of shops to be closed.
- Transport
- Public transport usually runs a Sunday or holiday timetable.
General guidance based on this day's official classification, not country-specific reporting.
Christmas Day
25 Dec 2026
- Observance
- The central Christian winter feast; in most countries the household gathering matters more than the church service.
- Business
- Near-total closure of retail, offices and banks. Expect the preceding afternoon to shut early too.
- Transport
- Skeleton or suspended services in many countries. Book intercity travel well ahead.