Public Holidays in Belgium 2026

The 2026 Public Holiday Calendar

Thirteen official jours fériés land on the Belgian calendar in 2026. No regional differences exist: Flanders, Wallonia, and the Brussels-Capital Region share the same dates.

Easter Monday, Ascension, and Whit Monday

Three observances shift each year with the lunar calendar.

• Easter Monday (6 April 2026): Monday after Easter Sunday. A guaranteed three-day weekend.
• Ascension Day (14 May 2026): Falls on a Thursday, 39 days after Easter Sunday. This is the prime pont candidate.
• Pentecost Monday (25 May 2026): Also called Whit Monday. Lands on the Monday after Pentecost.

Because Ascension is a Thursday and Pentecost Monday is a Monday, 2026 hands you two natural long weekends without any extra planning.

What Is a 'Pont'?

A pont (bridge) is the practice of taking a single day off that sits between a public holiday and the weekend. One extra leave day turns a three-day break into four.

2026's best pont opportunities:

• Ascension pont (14 May, Thursday): Take Friday 15 May off. You get four days from Thursday to Sunday. The Friday is not a public holiday. You need to use a leave day or arrange it with your employer.
• National Day pont (21 July, Tuesday): Take Monday 20 July off. Four days from Saturday to Tuesday.
• Armistice Day pont (11 November, Wednesday): Take Thursday 12 November or Monday 10 November off. Either gives you four straight days.
• Christmas pont (25 December, Friday): Already a Friday. No bridge needed. It is a three-day weekend automatically.

The Ascension pont is the most popular in Belgium. Many offices run at half capacity that Friday or close entirely.

What's Open and Closed

On every jour férié:

• Shops: Closed. Exceptions in tourist areas (Grand Place vicinity, Rue Neuve) and designated shopping Sundays. See the /brussels-sunday-trading-guide for specifics.
• Banks: Closed. No over-the-counter transactions.
• Offices: Closed. Private sector follows collective agreements; most white-collar workers get the day off.
• Museums and attractions: Many remain open, especially in Brussels. Check individual venue websites.
• Restaurants and cafés: Usually open, particularly in city centres. Lunch and dinner service runs normally.

If an observance lands on a weekend (Easter Sunday, Pentecost, Assumption, All Saints'), no replacement day is given. You do not get Monday off.

Public Transport: Sunday Schedules

STIB (Brussels metro, tram, bus), De Lijn (Flanders), and TEC (Wallonia) all run a Sunday/reduced schedule on public holidays.

• First and last services: Later start, earlier finish than weekdays.
• Frequency: Every 15 to 30 minutes on metro lines; trams and buses every 20 to 40 minutes.
• Night buses (Noctis): Run Friday and Saturday nights only. Check if your observance falls on a Friday or Saturday.

NMBS/SNCB trains also run a Sunday timetable. Fewer intercity connections; some local lines have hourly service.

If a holiday lands on a Saturday or Sunday, the Sunday schedule still applies. But it is the same schedule that runs every weekend anyway.

Do Belgium's Regions Have Different Public Holidays?

No. All three regions observe the same 13 dates. There is no separate "Flemish holiday" or "Walloon holiday" at the national level.

Some municipalities in the German-speaking Community may add a local patron saint day. This does not affect the national calendar and is not a public holiday for the rest of Belgium.