Public holidays in Benin 2026
Data updated Saturday, 17 October 2026.
Next public holiday in Benin
Armed Forces Day
Is today a holiday in Benin? · Is tomorrow a holiday? · All public holidays
Benin public holidays 2026
Benin has 14 nationwide public holidays in 2026.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | Thu | New Year's Day | Nationwide |
| 10 Jan | Sat | Traditional Day | Nationwide |
| 5 Apr | Sun | Easter Sunday | Nationwide |
| 6 Apr | Mon | Easter Monday | Nationwide |
| 1 May | Fri | Labour Day | Nationwide |
| 14 May | Thu | Ascension Day | Nationwide |
| 25 May | Mon | Whit Monday | Nationwide |
| 1 Aug | Sat | Independence Day | Nationwide |
| 15 Aug | Sat | Assumption Day | Nationwide |
| 26 Oct | Mon | Armed Forces Day | Nationwide |
| 1 Nov | Sun | All Saints' Day | Nationwide |
| 30 Nov | Mon | National Day | Nationwide |
| 25 Dec | Fri | Christmas Day | Nationwide |
| 26 Dec | Sat | St. Stephen's Day Boxing Day | Nationwide |
Long weekends in Benin in 2026
Nationwide holidays that fall on a Friday or Monday give a three-day weekend:
- Monday, 6 April 2026: Easter Monday (Saturday to Monday)
- Friday, 1 May 2026: Labour Day (Friday to Sunday)
- Monday, 25 May 2026: Whit Monday (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 26 October 2026: Armed Forces Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 30 November 2026: National Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Friday, 25 December 2026: Christmas Day (Friday to Sunday)
Benin public holidays 2027
Benin has 14 nationwide public holidays in 2027.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | Fri | New Year's Day | Nationwide |
| 10 Jan | Sun | Traditional Day | Nationwide |
| 28 Mar | Sun | Easter Sunday | Nationwide |
| 29 Mar | Mon | Easter Monday | Nationwide |
| 1 May | Sat | Labour Day | Nationwide |
| 6 May | Thu | Ascension Day | Nationwide |
| 17 May | Mon | Whit Monday | Nationwide |
| 1 Aug | Sun | Independence Day | Nationwide |
| 15 Aug | Sun | Assumption Day | Nationwide |
| 26 Oct | Tue | Armed Forces Day | Nationwide |
| 1 Nov | Mon | All Saints' Day | Nationwide |
| 30 Nov | Tue | National Day | Nationwide |
| 25 Dec | Sat | Christmas Day | Nationwide |
| 26 Dec | Sun | St. Stephen's Day Boxing Day | Nationwide |
Long weekends in Benin in 2027
Nationwide holidays that fall on a Friday or Monday give a three-day weekend:
- Friday, 1 January 2027: New Year's Day (Friday to Sunday)
- Monday, 29 March 2027: Easter Monday (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 17 May 2027: Whit Monday (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 1 November 2027: All Saints' Day (Saturday to Monday)
Benin public holidays by month in 2026
- January: New Year's Day (1); Traditional Day (10)
- April: Easter Sunday (5); Easter Monday (6)
- May: Labour Day (1); Ascension Day (14); Whit Monday (25)
- August: Independence Day (1); Assumption Day (15)
- October: Armed Forces Day (26)
- November: All Saints' Day (1); National Day (30)
- December: Christmas Day (25); St. Stephen's Day (26)
No nationwide public holidays in February, March, June, July, September.
How the holidays fall in 2026
The first nationwide public holiday of 2026 is New Year's Day on Thursday, 1 January 2026, and the last is St. Stephen's Day on Saturday, 26 December 2026. May is the busiest month, with 3 holidays. For people who work a standard Monday to Friday week, the 8 holidays on weekdays are the ones that usually mean a day away from work or school.
About public holidays in Benin
This page lists the public holidays of Benin for 2026 and 2027, with the date and weekday of each one. A holiday marked Nationwide applies everywhere in the country. One marked Some regions applies only to part of it, for example a state or province. Where the official name is different from the English one, the local name appears under it.
Moveable holidays, such as the ones counted from Easter, change their date from year to year, so it is worth checking the table each year before you plan. Our main time zone for Benin is Africa/Porto-Novo, which is what the live countdown and the "is today a holiday" pages use.
More public holiday calendars in Africa
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Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo
DR Congo
Djibouti
Egypt
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does Benin have in 2026?
Benin has 14 nationwide public holidays in 2026. The full list with dates and weekdays is in the table above.
What is the next public holiday in Benin?
The next nationwide public holiday is Armed Forces Day on Monday, 26 October 2026. The countdown at the top of this page shows the days left.
Is today a public holiday in Benin?
Use the live checker: is today a public holiday in Benin. It works out the date in Benin's own time zone. You can also check tomorrow.
Which public holidays in Benin fall on a weekend in 2026?
Traditional Day (Saturday, 10 January 2026); Easter Sunday (Sunday, 5 April 2026); Independence Day (Saturday, 1 August 2026); Assumption Day (Saturday, 15 August 2026); All Saints' Day (Sunday, 1 November 2026); St. Stephen's Day (Saturday, 26 December 2026). Whether a day in lieu is given depends on local rules.
Are there long weekends in Benin in 2026?
Yes. 6 nationwide holidays fall on a Friday or a Monday: Easter Monday (Monday, 6 April 2026); Labour Day (Friday, 1 May 2026); Whit Monday (Monday, 25 May 2026); Armed Forces Day (Monday, 26 October 2026); National Day (Monday, 30 November 2026); Christmas Day (Friday, 25 December 2026). Taking a bridge day next to a holiday on a Tuesday or Thursday can also give a longer break.
Which month has the most public holidays in Benin?
May has the most nationwide public holidays in 2026: 3 holidays.
Are the public holidays the same in all regions of Benin?
The holidays listed here apply nationwide. If Benin has local or regional days off, they are not part of this list.
How often is this page updated?
The whole site is rebuilt every day from the latest data, and the countdown on the page is calculated in your browser, so it stays correct without a reload.