With its rich cultural heritage and numerous festivities, Madrid offers a year punctuated by public holidays and school holidays. These days generally correspond to traditional festivals. Some are celebrated throughout Spain, while others are specific to a region, city or village… It’s not always easy to find your way around. Personally, I’m still having trouble finding my way around! For example, there are a few days a year when there’s no school (‘no lectivo’ days). But these are not non-working public holidays.
In this article, you’ll find a complete, up-to-date guide to public holidays, school holidays and tips for organising your leisure time and travel around these periods. Get ready to experience Madrid as it celebrates and relaxes! For an overview, we also take a look at the school holidays.
A few explanations
Different public holidays for different Autonomous Communities (Comunidad)
Spain is made up of 17 autonomous communities (‘Comunidad’ in Spanish). Certain powers that are not exclusive to the State are assumed by the Autonomous Communities. For example, certain public holidays may be defined by these communities.
Each year, a list of public holidays is published, along with the days that may be modified by the communities. There are a total of 12 national public holidays. Of these 12 days, between 7 and 9 will be national public holidays that cannot be changed. And between 3 and 5 days may be modified by the Autonomous Communities. This distribution varies from year to year, depending, for example, on public holidays that fall on Sundays, bridging days, etc. And finally, there are 2 days for local festivities. For example, festivities in honour of the patron saint of a town or village.
To sum up, there are 3 cases:
- National public holidays that cannot be changed. They will be public holidays throughout Spain (between 7 and 9 days, depending on the year).
- National public holidays that can be changed by the autonomous communities (between 3 and 5 days).
- In addition, each municipality has 2 public holidays for its own local festivals.
The difference between public holidays and ‘no lectivo’ days
There are also a few ‘no lectivo’ days in addition to public holidays. This depends on the Autonomous Community. These are days when there is no school, but they are not public holidays. It’s a sort of school holiday. In reality, it’s not very practical for families, because parents have to organise childcare if they can’t keep their child(ren) or take a day off.
For example, in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, every year during Carnival there is a day when children do not go to school, but it is not a public holiday.
Public holidays
For the years 2024-2025, here is the distribution of public holidays. Between those common to the whole of Spain, which cannot be changed, those that can be changed according to the autonomous communities and those specific to each city.
A – National public holidays that cannot be changed (8 days) :
- 1 January: New Year’s Day
- 6 January: Three Kings’ Day (Epiphany)
- 18 April: Good Friday
- 1 May: Labour Day
- 15 August: Assumption Day
- 12 October: Spanish National Day
- 1 November: All Saints’ Day
- 6 December: Constitution Day
- 25 December: Christmas Day
If a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Autonomous Communities may decide to move it to the following Monday or replace it with a public holiday that reflects the history of the region.
B – National public holidays that can be changed by the Autonomous Communities
These days may be modified by other local holidays, as decided by each Autonomous Community. In Madrid, for example, these are :
- 8 December 2024: Immaculate Conception (can be changed)
- 17 April 2025: Maundy Thursday (can be changed)
C – Public holidays in Madrid
These are public holidays linked solely to the history of the town. Each locality is entitled to 2 public holidays. However, Madrid has 3:
- 9 November 2024: Madrid celebrates its patron saint, the Virgin of Almudena.
- 2 May 2025: Day of the Community of Madrid (Dia de la Comunidad).
- 15 May 2025: San Isidro Labrador, Patron Saint of Madrid. This is an important festival for Madrid. A very festive time. It’s a great time to visit Madrid.
The ‘no lectivo’ (no school) days in the Comunidad de Madrid
As mentioned above, there are days off at school level but these are not public holidays that are not worked. The children are off, but not the parents! But don’t worry. Many organisations (schools, private bodies, etc.) offer workshops to look after children on these days. But of course, there’s a charge.
These days vary from region to region. For the Autonomous Community of Madrid, the ‘no lectivo’ days to come are :
- 14 October: Monday following Spain’s National Day
- 8 December: Monday following the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
- 7 January (Monday following the Feast of the Three Wise Men)
- 28 February 2025: Carnival Friday
- 3 March 2025: Carnival Monday
- 18 March 2025: Saint Joseph’s Day (public holiday in some regions, but may be ‘no lectivo’ in Madrid)
- 8 and 18 April 2025 (one day before and one day after Semana Santa)
- 2 May (linked to the Comunidad de Madrid festival).
School holidays in Spain
There are 3 school holiday periods (i.e. fewer than in France). The dates may change slightly depending on the Autonomous Community.
Things to remember about the school holiday periods :
- Carnival holidays: 28 February to 3 March 2025
- Easter holidays (Semana Santa): From 11 to 21 April 2025
- Summer holidays: From 20 June 2025, mid/late June to early/mid-September (summer school holidays vary slightly depending on the level).
- Christmas holidays: From 23 December 2024 to 7 January 2025. They last just over 15 days because the Three Wise Men are celebrated on 6 January.
To find out more about schools in Spain, we invite you to read: the school system in Spain.
School holidays for French schools in Madrid
French schools follow a different calendar, based on that of the French school zones:
- All Saints’ Day holidays: 24 October 2024 to 3 November 2024
- Constitution Day: 6 to 8 December
- Christmas holidays: 23 December 2024 to 7 January 2025
- Winter holidays: 20 February to 2 March 2025
- Spring holidays: 12 April to 27 April 2025
- Labour Day: 01 to 04 May
- Point San Isidro: 15 to 18 May
- Summer holidays: Beginning of July 2025
We hope you’ll find the Spanish public holiday calendar a little clearer so that you can plan your life in Madrid between September 2024 and December 2025. Whether you’re planning trips, family activities or just want to know when school will be out, this information will help you plan ahead and make the most of life in Madrid.
A word of advice: if you want to organise a getaway during these public holidays or bank holidays, we recommend that you book your accommodation early. Everything gets snapped up very quickly, as there are very few school holidays!
If you’re looking for inspiration, read our following articles:
To find ideas for getting away from it all around Madrid, you can download our Guide to 52 ideas for outings around Madrid.
