Public Holidays

Discover upcoming public holiday dates for São Tomé and Príncipe and start planning to make the most of your time off.

2026 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Thu	New Year's Day
3 Feb	Tue	Martyrs' Day
1 May	Fri	Labour Day
12 Jul	Sun	Independence Day
6 Sep	Sun	Armed Forces Day
30 Sep	Wed	Agricultural Reform Day
21 Dec	Mon	São Tomé Day
25 Dec	Fri	Christmas Day
Visit mnec.gov.st for the original release.

2027 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Fri	New Year's Day
3 Feb	Wed	Martyrs' Day
1 May	Sat	Labour Day
12 Jul	Mon	Independence Day
6 Sep	Mon	Armed Forces Day
30 Sep	Thu	Agricultural Reform Day
21 Dec	Tue	São Tomé Day
25 Dec	Sat	Christmas Day
The dates in this table are an estimate. We will update this page once the official public holiday dates for 2027 are released.

2028 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Sat	New Year's Day
3 Feb	Thu	Martyrs' Day
1 May	Mon	Labour Day
12 Jul	Wed	Independence Day
6 Sep	Wed	Armed Forces Day
30 Sep	Sat	Agricultural Reform Day
21 Dec	Thu	São Tomé Day
25 Dec	Mon	Christmas Day
The dates in this table are an estimate. We will update this page once the official public holiday dates for 2028 are released.

São Tomé and Príncipe celebrate eight national holidays each year. These holidays are regulated by the Constitution of São Tomé and Príncipe under law 7/90 that was ratified on September 10, 1990 and officially published on the 20th day of the same month. Under these laws, all workers are entitled to paid days off for public holidays.

Employees that are required to work on a public holiday may have a choice of a paid day off in lieu of the holiday or work at a premium pay on that day. These choices are left to the work contract between the employee and their employer.

Holidays that occur on a weekend remain on that date. The government of São Tomé and Príncipe reserves the right to declare one-time non-working paid holidays if the occasion occurs. These holidays will be announced by official publication.