Only Unity Day on 3 October is federal; everything else is set by the Länder. Bavaria observes thirteen, Berlin and most northern states nine or ten, and the Catholic south keeps feasts the Protestant north does not.

How people take the days

Brückentage are planned months ahead — the Ascension Thursday to Friday bridge is nearly universal. Sunday and holiday trading law is strict: retail closes and stays closed, with only station shops, bakeries and petrol stations trading.

If you're visiting

Expect genuinely shut shops on every holiday, including supermarkets. Restaurants, museums and Christmas markets open. Quiet-day rules on Good Friday restrict dancing and public events in most states.

If you live here

Your entitlement follows the state you work in, not where you live — commuters across state lines regularly lose days. Statutory minimum leave is 20 days on a five-day week, but 28 to 30 is the norm in practice.

What these days actually mean

Observance, business closures and transport impact for the next few dates.

World Children's Day

20 Sep 2026

Regional

Observance: Officially recognised as a public holiday, so most people have the day off work. It applies only in certain regions rather than nationwide.
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.

German Unity Day

3 Oct 2026

Public

Observance: The only federal holiday, marking reunification on 3 October 1990. The central Bürgerfest rotates between state capitals each year; it is civic and low-key rather than patriotic in tone.
Business: Banks, offices and all retail close nationwide — one of the few days that shuts every state at once.
Transport: Sunday timetables; host-city centre closures for the festival.

Written for this country

Reformation Day

31 Oct 2026

Regional

Observance: Marks Luther's theses of 1517 and is a holiday across the eastern states plus the northern ones that adopted it in 2018 — Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.
Business: Closed where observed; normal trading in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and the west.
Transport: Normal or Sunday services depending on the state.

Written for this country

All Saints' Day

1 Nov 2026

Regional

Observance: Families visit cemeteries with flowers and candles. Quiet and reflective rather than festive.
Business: Banks and most shops closed in Catholic-majority countries; florists do their busiest day of the year.
Transport: Extra services to cemeteries; heavy intercity travel over the weekend.

DEGermany · 2026

How the holiday year works in Germany

The calendar

How people take the days

If you're visiting

If you live here

What these days actually mean

World Children's Day

German Unity Day

Reformation Day

All Saints' Day

Germany · 2026