November 2 will be a public holiday in nine Spanish regions in 2026, giving some residents a three-day weekend. Photo: A_Iv, Shutterstock
A three-day weekend is coming to Spain in November, but millions of Spaniards will not be participating. Those living in Madrid, Malaga and the Canary Islands are all set for an extra day off, but those living in Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona and the Balearic Islands will have to work as usual. The reason? Monday, November 2, 2026 is a public holiday only in nine of the 17 Spanish autonomous communities.
The difference comes down to All Saints’ Day, celebrated every year on November 1. This year, the date falls on a Sunday, meaning some Spanish regions have chosen to observe the holiday the following Monday, creating a long weekend from Saturday, October 31, to Monday, November 2.
But this doesn’t apply to everyone. It may be a holiday where you are, or just the start of a new work week.
Spain’s official working calendar for 2026, published in the BOE, has confirmed which regions will observe the holiday.
Which regions in Spain have a public holiday on November 2?
Nine autonomous communities have included Monday, November 2, in their official public holiday calendars.
They are:
- Andalusia: Including Malaga, Marbella, Seville, Granada, Cordoba and Almeria.
- Aragon: Including Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel.
- Asturias: Including Oviedo and Gijon.
- Canary Islands: Including Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
- Castilla-La Mancha: Including Toledo, Albacete and Ciudad Real.
- Castilla y León: Including Valladolid, Salamanca, Burgos and León.
- Extremadura: Including Badajoz, Cáceres and Mérida.
- Community of Madrid: Including Madrid city and surrounding municipalities.
- Navarre: Including Pamplona.
The holiday means that for those who work from Monday to Friday, three days off without the need for annual leave.
Residents on the Costa del Sol may be especially affected by this. Malaga, Marbella, Fuengirola, Estepona and other cities will be celebrating the festival as part of Andalusia. The same goes for expatriates living in the Canary Islands, including popular destinations like Tenerife and Lanzarote.
However, the Valencian Community will not have a regional public holiday on November 2. That means residents in Alicante, Benidorm, Torrevieja, Orihuela, Elche and Valencia should expect a normal working Monday, unless a separate local or workplace arrangement applies.
The holiday will also not be observed at regional level in:
- Catalonia, including Barcelona and Girona.
- Balearic Islands, including Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca.
- Region of Murcia.
- Galicia.
- Cantabria.
- Basque Country.
- La Rioja.
- Ceuta and Melilla.
Why is November 2 a holiday in some parts of Spain but not others?
The explanation lies in Spain’s system of national, regional and local public holidays.
All Saints Day, or Dia de Todos los Santos, is traditionally held on November 1. It is an important day in Spain. Families often visit cemeteries to decorate their loved ones’ graves and remember the lost.
November 1 is a Sunday in 2026, so some of the autonomous communities have decided to celebrate it on Monday, November 2. Other regions have chosen different dates, as Spain’s rules allow autonomous communities to set parts of their own public holiday calendars.
In Spain, there are 14 paid public holidays in a year according to Spanish labor law. Two of these are municipal holidays.
This is the reason why the calendar of public holidays can vary so much between neighboring provinces and even towns.
For foreign residents, the distinction is worth remembering, particularly when arranging appointments, planning travel or requesting annual leave.
For those who won’t get a day off on November 2, there’s another opportunity for a longer break in December.
Constitution Day is on Sunday, December 6, and many regions will hold a public holiday on Monday, December 7, in advance of the national day of Immaculate Conception on Tuesday, December 8.
Depending on the regional calendar and working conditions, it could be possible to enjoy a four-day break without using annual leave.
The important date for now is Monday, November 2. If you live in Madrid, Andalusia, the Canary Islands or any of the other six participating regions, you may be enjoying a long weekend. In the Valencian Community, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and some other areas in Spain, it will be business as usual.