Brazil Public Holidays 2027 With Dates and Long Weekends

BRAZIL · PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

Brazil has ten national holidays in 2027, and three of them fall on a Saturday. Carnival, Corpus Christi and a run of Tuesday holidays decide where the real long weekends sit.

Brazil holidays 2027 start on Friday, 1 January 2027, and end with Christmas on Saturday, 25 December 2027. In between, federal law fixes eight more national holidays, while Carnival remains an optional day off rather than a legal holiday.

For a US traveler, investor or employer, the calendar decides when banks, the stock exchange and government offices shut. It also decides when flights, hotels and beach towns fill up with Brazilians on long weekends.

Brazil Holidays 2027, Every National Date

Brazil’s national holidays come from a handful of federal laws, published on the presidency’s Planalto legal portal. Law 662 of 1949, as amended in 2002, lists seven fixed dates, and separate laws add 12 October and 20 November.

Good Friday is a religious holiday under Law 9,093 of 1995, but the federal government lists it as a national holiday. Here is every national holiday in 2027 with its weekday, checked against the calendar.

• Friday, 1 January 2027: New Year’s Day (Confraternização Universal)
• Friday, 26 March 2027: Good Friday (Paixão de Cristo)
• Wednesday, 21 April 2027: Tiradentes Day
• Saturday, 1 May 2027: Labor Day (Dia do Trabalho)
• Tuesday, 7 September 2027: Independence Day
• Tuesday, 12 October 2027: Our Lady of Aparecida, patron saint of Brazil
• Tuesday, 2 November 2027: All Souls’ Day (Finados)
• Monday, 15 November 2027: Proclamation of the Republic
• Saturday, 20 November 2027: Zumbi and Black Consciousness Day
• Saturday, 25 December 2027: Christmas Day

The newest date, 20 November, became a national holiday under Law 14,759 of December 2023. The law names it the National Day of Zumbi and Black Consciousness, and 2027 is its fourth year.

Brazil also has no national holiday in June, July or August in 2027. That leaves the winter months without a federal day off, apart from local dates such as 9 July in São Paulo state.

Long Weekends and Bridge Days in 2027

Three national holidays create natural three-day weekends in 2027: New Year’s Day, Good Friday and the Proclamation of the Republic. They fall on Friday, 1 January 2027, Friday, 26 March 2027, and Monday, 15 November 2027.

Brazilians call a stretched holiday a feriadão, and the bridge day in between is often called an enforcado or ponte. Three Tuesday holidays invite such bridges in 2027, on 7 September, 12 October and 2 November.

Many private employers and city halls decide each year whether to give the Monday off, so the bridge is never guaranteed. Expect heavy road traffic out of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro on the Friday evening before these weekends.

Corpus Christi falls on Thursday, 27 May 2027, which makes Friday, 28 May 2027 an obvious bridge day. In 2026, the federal government declared the Friday after Corpus Christi an optional day, but the 2027 decision is still pending.

Tiradentes Day lands on Wednesday, 21 April 2027, in the middle of the week, so it creates no natural long weekend. Three holidays bring no weekday off for most office workers, because Labor Day, Black Consciousness Day and Christmas fall on Saturdays.

Carnival 2027 and Other Optional Days

Carnival is not a national holiday under federal law, even though most of Brazil stops for it. Instead, the federal government marks Carnival Monday and Tuesday as optional days, known as pontos facultativos, for its own offices.

Carnival moves with Easter, which falls on Sunday, 28 March 2027. That puts Carnival on Monday, 8 February 2027 and Tuesday, 9 February 2027.

Ash Wednesday follows on Wednesday, 10 February 2027, and was a federal optional day until 2 p.m. in 2026. That year, the B3 stock exchange began trading only at 1 p.m., after a pre-opening at 12:45 p.m.

In Rio de Janeiro, the samba schools are already rehearsing for the 2027 parades in the Sambódromo. Carnival week fills hotels in Rio, Salvador and Recife, so book early.

The 2026 federal calendar also made Corpus Christi and 28 October, the Day of the Federal Public Servant, optional days. It added bridge days on Monday, 20 April and Friday, 5 June, plus the afternoons of 24 and 31 December.

These optional days bind only federal offices, and private employers, states and cities decide for themselves. In 2027, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve both fall on a Friday, so a half day leads straight into the weekend.

The Religious Holidays and Their Roots

Four national dates have Catholic roots: Good Friday, Our Lady of Aparecida, All Souls’ Day and Christmas. Law 6,802 of 1980 made 12 October a national holiday for the public veneration of Our Lady of Aparecida, patron of Brazil.

The National Shrine of Aparecida, in the town of Aparecida in São Paulo state, draws large crowds of pilgrims around 12 October. On All Souls’ Day, 2 November, families visit cemeteries across the country.

Brazil is a secular state, and its faith map is changing, as the pillar Religion in Brazil Explained shows. Even so, the religious holidays remain fixed in law and are widely observed.

State and City Holidays in Rio and São Paulo

Federal law lets each state add a data magna, its main civic date, and lets cities add up to four religious holidays. That cap of four includes Good Friday, under Law 9,093 of 1995.

São Paulo state marks 9 July, the anniversary of the Constitutionalist Revolution, under state Law 9,497 of 1997. In 2027 that date falls on Friday, 9 July 2027, creating a long weekend across the state.

São Paulo city adds its anniversary on 25 January and treats Corpus Christi as a holiday, its 2026 calendar shows. In 2027, the anniversary falls on Monday, 25 January 2027, giving the city a three-day weekend.

In 2026, the B3 stock exchange in São Paulo kept trading on 9 July despite the state holiday. It did close on Corpus Christi, 4 June 2026, alongside the national holidays.

Rio de Janeiro state has marked Saint George’s Day on 23 April as a state holiday since 2008, under state Law 5,198. In 2027 it falls on Friday, 23 April 2027, two days after Tiradentes.

Rio de Janeiro city also stops for its patron, Saint Sebastian, on Wednesday, 20 January 2027. Like every city hall, Rio decides its own optional days, so local bridge days can differ from the federal list.

Banks, the Stock Exchange and Public Offices

Banks, notaries and federal offices close on national holidays, and Law 662 allows only indispensable private and public activities on those days. Retail opening on holidays depends on city rules and union agreements, so check a mall’s own hours.

B3, the São Paulo stock exchange that lists companies such as Petrobras and Vale, publishes a holiday calendar for each year. Its 2026 calendar, released on Friday, 9 January 2026, suspended trading on every national holiday that fell on a weekday.

It also closed on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, on Corpus Christi and on 24 and 31 December. If B3 follows the same pattern in 2027, local shares will not trade on 8 and 9 February or on 27 May.

The 2027 B3 calendar has not yet been published as of October 2026. Investors should confirm it once it appears, before planning trades, dividend dates or currency settlements.

Tips for Travelers and Businesses

Book flights and hotels for Carnival week and the Easter weekend as early as possible, since many Brazilians travel on both. Coastal towns near Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo fill quickly on every feriadão.

Plan bank transfers, document appointments and notary visits around the holiday list, because federal offices and notaries close on national holidays. Allow an extra business day for anything that needs a stamp, a signature or a wire transfer.

Businesses should set payroll and supplier payment dates away from holidays, since payments in reais move only on Brazilian business days. A Friday holiday such as Good Friday, 26 March 2027, can push a payment into the following week.

The year opens with Réveillon, the New Year’s Eve party on Copacabana beach covered in the Réveillon Copacabana 2027 guide. Banks and offices then stay closed until Monday, 4 January 2027.

What It Means for US Readers

Brazilian companies with New York listings, such as Petrobras and Vale, keep trading on Wall Street when B3 is closed. Payments in reais and local bank transfers wait until the next Brazilian business day, which matters for payroll and invoices.

For travelers, Carnival, Easter and the long weekends in September, October and November tend to fill flights and beach hotels. Museums, banks and public offices keep holiday hours, so plan errands for ordinary weekdays.

Employers in Brazil generally give staff the national holidays plus the state and city dates where they work. A worker in São Paulo gets 25 January and 9 July off, while one in Rio gets 20 January and 23 April.

Good Friday, on 26 March 2027, and New Year’s Day are Brazilian holidays when the New York Stock Exchange also closes. On most other Brazilian holidays, US markets trade while Brazilian ones stay shut.

Longer stays start with the Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo city guides and the Brazil residency visa guide. For schools and hospitals, see the education and healthcare pillar.

Daily coverage of the country sits on the Brazil news page. The power structure pillar, Who Dominates Brazil, explains the elites and regions behind national politics.

What Is Not Known

The federal government has not yet published its 2027 optional days, and the 2026 list appeared on Tuesday, 30 December 2025. It is not known whether the Friday after Corpus Christi or any Monday bridges will be granted.

B3 has not released its 2027 trading calendar, and state and city halls have not issued their 2027 decrees. Congress could also create a new national holiday by law, as it did for 20 November in 2023.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many public holidays does Brazil have in 2027?

Brazil has ten national holidays in 2027, including Good Friday on 26 March. Carnival Monday and Tuesday are optional days, not legal holidays.

When is Carnival 2027 in Brazil?

Carnival Monday and Tuesday fall on 8 and 9 February 2027, because Easter is on 28 March 2027. Ash Wednesday, 10 February 2027, was a half day for federal offices in the 2026 calendar.

Which 2027 holidays create long weekends?

New Year’s Day, Good Friday and the Proclamation of the Republic on 15 November fall on a Friday or a Monday. Corpus Christi on 27 May and three Tuesday holidays invite bridge days.

Is the stock exchange open on Brazilian holidays?

B3 suspended trading on every weekday national holiday in 2026, plus Carnival, Corpus Christi and 24 and 31 December. Its 2027 calendar has not yet been published.

Is 20 November a national holiday in Brazil?

Yes, Law 14,759 of December 2023 made 20 November a national holiday for Zumbi and Black Consciousness Day. In 2027 it falls on a Saturday.

Are there extra holidays in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo?

Rio de Janeiro adds Saint Sebastian on 20 January and the state holiday of Saint George on 23 April. São Paulo adds the city anniversary on 25 January, Corpus Christi and the state holiday on 9 July.

Sources: Law 662/1949, Planalto; Law 10,607/2002, Planalto; Law 6,802/1980, Planalto; Law 9,093/1995, Planalto; Law 14,759/2023, Planalto; Portaria MGI 11,460/2025, Diário Oficial da União; B3 trading calendar 2026; São Paulo state Law 9,497/1997, ALESP; Prefeitura de São Paulo, 2026 calendar; NYSE holidays and trading hours; Jornal do Brasil, Saint George’s Day law; Exame, Saint Sebastian holiday (all accessed 14 October 2026).