Belgium Public Holidays 2027

About Belgium Public Holidays

Belgium recognises ten official public holidays per year, established by the Act of 4 January 1974 and subsequent amendments. These holidays apply across all three of Belgium's regions — the Brussels-Capital Region, Flanders, and Wallonia — and to all three language communities (French, Dutch, and German). On public holidays, most businesses, banks, and public administrations are closed, and employees are entitled to a paid day off. When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, many employers grant a substitute day off on the following Monday, though this is governed by sector-level collective bargaining agreements rather than a universal legal requirement.

Four of Belgium's ten public holidays are tied to the Christian liturgical calendar and move each year based on the date of Easter: Easter Monday, Ascension Day (39 days after Easter), and Whit Monday (50 days after Easter). In 2027, Easter falls on Sunday, 28 March, placing Easter Monday on 29 March, Ascension on 6 May, and Whit Monday on 17 May. The remaining six holidays — New Year's Day, Labour Day, Belgian National Day, Assumption of Mary, All Saints' Day, Armistice Day, and Christmas Day — are fixed to the same calendar date every year. Belgian National Day on 21 July is the country's most prominent secular holiday, marking the oath taken by King Leopold I upon his accession in 1831, and is celebrated with a military parade on the Place des Palais in Brussels followed by evening fireworks.