Public Holidays in Germany in 2026

Complete list of official public holidays and observances

Managing staff leave around these holidays?

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Official Public Holidays

3 holidays in Germany for 2026

Germany flag
Holiday Date Day Applies To
New Year's Day
New Year's Day, which is on January 1, or the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, is...
January 01 Thursday Nationwide
May Day
May Day in Germany is a holiday to celebrate the start of spring and to campaign for workers' rig...
May 01 Friday Nationwide
Day of German Unity
German Unity Day celebrates Germany's unification in 1990. It is on October 3 each year.
October 03 Saturday Nationwide

Legal Notice: This information is for guidance only and should not be considered legal advice. Always validate with local authorities or legal practitioners in Germany.

Why HR Teams Choose Leavetrack

Everything you need for seamless leave management

Automatic Public Holiday Import
All public holidays for Germany and 180+ other countries automatically loaded. No manual data entry required.
Save 5+ Hours Per Week
Eliminate manual leave calculations and reduce administrative overhead by up to 80%.
Compliance Made Easy
Built-in compliance tracking ensures you meet local employment laws and holiday entitlements.
Team Visibility
Everyone sees who's off when, preventing scheduling conflicts and ensuring adequate coverage.

Trusted by HR teams worldwide

160,478
Absences managed
5048
Employees using Leavetrack
4.8/5
Average customer rating

"With a team of over 50 employees, keeping track of absences and holidays using a paper based system used to be time consuming and prone to errors. Since introducing Leavetrack, the whole process has become a lot simpler and easier."

Cynthia Fisher
Commercial Director, Intatec Limited

How It Works

Simple, powerful leave management in four steps

1

Employees Request Leave

Simple, intuitive interface lets employees request time off in seconds. Public holidays are automatically excluded from calculations.

  • Book leave in under 30 seconds
  • See available leave balance instantly
  • Mobile-friendly for on-the-go requests
2

Managers Approve Instantly

Managers see all request details including conflicts with public holidays and other team members' leave.

  • Approve/reject directly from email
  • See team coverage at a glance
  • Complete audit trail of decisions
3

Plan Team Coverage

Beautiful visual calendar shows exactly who's off when, including public holidays, so you can plan optimal team coverage.

  • Color-coded wall chart
  • Filter by department or team
  • Spot conflicts before they happen
4

Generate Reports

Comprehensive reporting gives you insights into leave patterns, costs, and compliance - all exportable to Excel.

  • Full audit trail of all leave
  • Export to CSV for further analysis
  • Track entitlements and accruals

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About Public Holidays in Germany

In Germany, public holidays, known as "gesetzliche Feiertage," are an essential aspect of the country's cultural and social fabric. Each federal state has its own designated public holidays, which can lead to variations in observance across the nation. Major public holidays include New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, and Christmas Day, among others. These holidays not only provide employees with time off to relax and celebrate but also play a significant role in absence management and staff leave planning within organizations. Understanding the public holiday calendar is crucial for businesses to effectively manage employee leave and ensure smooth operations throughout the year.