Do you know which days fall on public holidays and the possibilities of long weekends and bridges in 2023? Discover, in this article, all the work breaks that the new year has in store for you
We all want to keep up to date with the calendar and of course all the compulsory holidays it has in store for us. Whether you need to plan your holidays, long weekends or rest periods in advance, it is important that you are aware of the public holidays and bridging days in 2022. See how public holidays are distributed throughout the year and on which day of the week they fall and start planning now.
In Portugal, labour law establishes two types of public holidays: compulsory and optional. Compulsory holidays are those which must be taken and apply to the whole country. The majority of optional holidays are regional holidays. Their use depends on a collective bargaining agreement or employment contract. This category includes Carnival Tuesday and local public holidays. In 2023, the main public holidays are distributed over the days of the week as follows:
1 January (Sunday) - New Year's Day
April 7 (Friday) - Good Friday
9 April (Sunday) - Easter Sunday
25 April (Tuesday) - Liberty Day
1 May (Monday) - Labour Day
10 June (Saturday) - Day of Portugal, Camões and Portuguese Communities
8 June (Thursday) - Corpus Christi
15 August (Tuesday) - Assumption Day
5 October (Thursday) - Implantation of the Republic
1 November (Wednesday) - All Saints' Day
1 December 1 (Friday) - Independence Restoration Day
8 December 8 (Friday) - Day of Immaculate Conception
25 December 25 (Monday) - Christmas Day
Optional/municipal holidays 2023 in Portugal
In addition to optional holidays, such as Carnival, there are also municipal holidays, which vary according to the municipality.
Lisbon: June 13 (Tuesday), Santo António.
Oporto: June 24 (Saturday), Saint John.
Sintra: June 29 (Thursday), São Pedro.
Loures: July 26 (Wednesday), day of the creation of the municipality.
Matosinhos: 30 May, Pentecost Tuesday.
Oeiras: 7 June (Wednesday), day of creation of the municipality.
Long weekends and bridging days in 2023
In 2023, the calendar offers us the following long weekends:
April 7 to 9: Good Friday will be on the 7th.
April 29 to May 1: Labour Day (May 1) will be on a Monday.
December 1 to 3: Restoration of Independence Day (December 1) will be on a Friday.
December 8 to 10: Immaculate Conception Day will be on Friday the 8th.
December 23 to 25 - Christmas (the 25th), which will be on a Monday.
Bridges or "mini holidays" in 2023
As far as bridges or "mini holidays" are concerned, 2023 brings us the following possibilities:
Bridge on 20 February: for those who have time off, there is Carnival (or Entrudo), on 21 February. Monday 20th is a possible bridge, taking advantage of the school calendar (kids don't have classes on February 20th).
April 24th bridge: Freedom Day (25th) will be on a Tuesday, allowing a 4-day weekend from 22nd to 25th April.
Bridge on 9th and 12th June: for those who have St Anthony's holiday (13th, a Tuesday), adding the 8th (Corpus Christi, on a Thursday), can take a "mini holiday", between 8th and 13th June (6 consecutive days).
June 9 bridge: if Corpus Christi is on the 8th, if you don't have Santo António, you can always take 4 days between the 8th and the 11th of June, by doing the bridge on the 9th.
30 June Bridge: for those who can take advantage of St. Peter's (on the 29th, a Thursday) will have the possibility of a bridge on the 30th and 4 weekend days (between June 29 and July 2).
14 August bridge: with the public holiday on the 15th, the day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Tuesday, a bridge and a 4 day weekend is possible, between the 12th and 15th August.
October 6 Bridge: the public holiday of the Implantation of the Republic, on the 5th, will be on a Thursday, allowing a long weekend between the 5th and 8th of October.