Brazil public holidays and festivals: dates and closures

Brazil mixes fixed national holidays with Catholic dates that move each year, plus two days of Carnival that are not federal holidays but are treated as days off almost everywhere. State and city holidays add more: São Paulo has its own anniversary on 25 January, Rio on 20 January, and many towns close for a local saint's day.

The table below lists the national days for 2026. Dates that follow Easter (Carnival, Good Friday, Corpus Christi) shift every year, so check the current calendar before booking.

On a national holiday, banks, federal offices, courts and most schools close. Shopping malls and supermarkets usually open with shorter hours, and pharmacies keep a rota so at least one in each neighbourhood stays open. Restaurants, bars and beach kiosks generally trade as normal, especially in tourist areas.

Long-distance transport runs, but seats sell out early around Carnival, Easter, 7 September and Christmas. Airport and bus station queues are longer, and app-car prices surge. If you need a bank, an exchange office or a government service, do it on a working day.

Carnival is the big one. Rio's samba schools parade at the Sambadrome over two nights, with street blocos running for weeks before and after. Salvador runs a different model: trio elétrico trucks with live music through the streets, and you pay for a rope-enclosed area (camarote) or watch free from the side. Recife and Olinda have frevo and giant puppets, and are cheaper and less crowded than Rio.

Outside Carnival, the June festivals (festas juninas) are the most interesting for a visitor who wants local life rather than a show. They honour St Anthony, St John and St Peter with forró music, bonfires, quadrilha dancing and food stalls selling corn dishes. Caruaru in Pernambuco and Campina Grande in Paraíba host the largest, but every town has one.

New Year's Eve in Rio means millions of people in white on Copacabana beach, with fireworks over the water. It is free and spectacular, but hotel prices peak and the beach is packed. Book accommodation months ahead or stay in a quieter neighbourhood.

If you want Carnival, book flights and accommodation three to six months ahead. Rio hotel rates for the five nights around Carnival can be three to five times normal, and the best hostels sell out by October. Salvador and Recife are cheaper and still huge. If you want to avoid the crowds, travel in late April, May, August or early November, when the weather is still good in most of the country and prices are normal.

Domestic flights and buses are the pinch point. Brazilians travel home for the holidays, so seats on the Rio–São Paulo shuttle, the Salvador–Rio route and buses into Minas Gerais sell out days in advance. Book two to four weeks ahead for holiday weekends, and expect airport queues to be longer.

Check whether your trip overlaps a state or city holiday. A local saint's day can close museums and shops in a small town even when the rest of the country is working.

Public holidays are not a reason to cancel a trip, but they change what you can do. Museums and government sites may close, banks will not change money, and popular beaches and attractions get much busier. Restaurants often add a service charge or a holiday surcharge on these days.

Safety advice does not change on holidays, but crowds do. Carnival and New Year attract pickpockets, and the usual advice applies: carry little, use app cars at night, and keep an eye on your drink. If you are travelling with children, holiday weekends mean longer queues and fuller beaches, so plan mornings for the big sights.

Travel insurance is worth checking before a festival trip: some policies exclude claims if you are injured while intoxicated, and Carnival involves a lot of both.