Public holidays
Albania: 23 public holiday dates in 2026 (23 days off) and 24 in 2027 (24 days off), with 246 working days in 2026 and 246 in 2027. National holidays only: regional ones are not included.
| Date | ISO week | Holiday | Day off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday 1 January 2026 | 2026-W01 | New Year's Day | Yes |
| Friday 2 January 2026 | 2026-W01 | New Year's Day | Yes |
| Saturday 14 March 2026 | 2026-W11 | Summer Day | Yes |
| Monday 16 March 2026 | 2026-W12 | Summer Day | Yes |
| Friday 20 March 2026 | 2026-W12 | Eid al-Fitr | Yes |
| Sunday 22 March 2026 | 2026-W12 | Nowruz Day | Yes |
| Monday 23 March 2026 | 2026-W13 | Nowruz Day | Yes |
| Sunday 5 April 2026 | 2026-W14 | Catholic Easter Sunday | Yes |
| Monday 6 April 2026 | 2026-W15 | Catholic Easter Sunday | Yes |
| Sunday 12 April 2026 | 2026-W15 | Orthodox Easter Sunday | Yes |
| Monday 13 April 2026 | 2026-W16 | Orthodox Easter Sunday | Yes |
| Friday 1 May 2026 | 2026-W18 | International Workers' Day | Yes |
| Wednesday 27 May 2026 | 2026-W22 | Eid al-Adha | Yes |
| Saturday 5 September 2026 | 2026-W36 | Mother Teresa Canonization Day | Yes |
| Monday 7 September 2026 | 2026-W37 | Mother Teresa Canonization Day | Yes |
| Sunday 22 November 2026 | 2026-W47 | Alphabet Day | Yes |
| Monday 23 November 2026 | 2026-W48 | Alphabet Day | Yes |
| Saturday 28 November 2026 | 2026-W48 | Flag and Independence Day | Yes |
| Sunday 29 November 2026 | 2026-W48 | Liberation Day | Yes |
| Monday 30 November 2026 | 2026-W49 | Flag and Independence Day | Yes |
| Tuesday 1 December 2026 | 2026-W49 | Liberation Day | Yes |
| Tuesday 8 December 2026 | 2026-W50 | National Youth Day | Yes |
| Friday 25 December 2026 | 2026-W52 | Christmas Day | Yes |
| Date | ISO week | Holiday | Day off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 1 January 2027 | 2026-W53 | New Year's Day | Yes |
| Saturday 2 January 2027 | 2026-W53 | New Year's Day | Yes |
| Monday 4 January 2027 | 2027-W01 | New Year's Day | Yes |
| Tuesday 9 March 2027 | 2027-W10 | Eid al-Fitr | Yes |
| Sunday 14 March 2027 | 2027-W10 | Summer Day | Yes |
| Monday 15 March 2027 | 2027-W11 | Summer Day | Yes |
| Monday 22 March 2027 | 2027-W12 | Nowruz Day | Yes |
| Sunday 28 March 2027 | 2027-W12 | Catholic Easter Sunday | Yes |
| Monday 29 March 2027 | 2027-W13 | Catholic Easter Sunday | Yes |
| Saturday 1 May 2027 | 2027-W17 | International Workers' Day | Yes |
| Sunday 2 May 2027 | 2027-W17 | Orthodox Easter Sunday | Yes |
| Monday 3 May 2027 | 2027-W18 | International Workers' Day | Yes |
| Tuesday 4 May 2027 | 2027-W18 | Orthodox Easter Sunday | Yes |
| Sunday 16 May 2027 | 2027-W19 | Eid al-Adha | Yes |
| Monday 17 May 2027 | 2027-W20 | Eid al-Adha | Yes |
| Sunday 5 September 2027 | 2027-W35 | Mother Teresa Canonization Day | Yes |
| Monday 6 September 2027 | 2027-W36 | Mother Teresa Canonization Day | Yes |
| Monday 22 November 2027 | 2027-W47 | Alphabet Day | Yes |
| Sunday 28 November 2027 | 2027-W47 | Flag and Independence Day | Yes |
| Monday 29 November 2027 | 2027-W48 | Liberation Day | Yes |
| Tuesday 30 November 2027 | 2027-W48 | Flag and Independence Day | Yes |
| Wednesday 8 December 2027 | 2027-W49 | National Youth Day | Yes |
| Saturday 25 December 2027 | 2027-W51 | Christmas Day | Yes |
| Monday 27 December 2027 | 2027-W52 | Christmas Day | Yes |
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eid al-Fitr | Friday 20 March 2026 | Tuesday 9 March 2027 | −11 days |
A shift ignores the year: +19 days means 19 days later in the calendar.
| Month | 2026 | 2027 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 19 | −1 |
| February | 20 | 20 | 0 |
| March | 19 | 19 | 0 |
| April | 20 | 22 | +2 |
| May | 19 | 18 | −1 |
| June | 22 | 22 | 0 |
| July | 23 | 22 | −1 |
| August | 21 | 22 | +1 |
| September | 21 | 21 | 0 |
| October | 22 | 21 | −1 |
| November | 19 | 19 | 0 |
| December | 20 | 21 | +1 |
| Q1 | 59 | 58 | −1 |
| Q2 | 61 | 62 | +1 |
| Q3 | 65 | 65 | 0 |
| Q4 | 61 | 61 | 0 |
| Year | 246 | 246 | 0 |
Weekdays by the local weekend (Sunday and Saturday), minus the public holidays most people have off.
The first day of the calendar year in the Gregorian calendar, 1 January. Cultures and religions that follow a lunisolar or lunar calendar celebrate their New Year at other points of the year. Japan celebrates New Year on 1 January, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, instead of with the Chinese calendar that was in use until 1873.
At work: Fine to mention, and a natural moment to wish colleagues well.
Dita e Verës, on 14 March, is an Albanian spring festival that marks the start of the spring–summer period. Bonfires are traditionally lit to give strength to the sun, people dance and sing around them or jump across them, and ballokume, a cornmeal sugar cookie, is baked. It was ratified as an official holiday in 2004.
At work: Welcome to mention. A day off.
Eid al-Fitr, the "festival of breaking the fast", is the first of the two main festivals in Islam. It falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar, and marks the end of the month-long, dawn-to-dusk fasting of Ramadan. It begins with a communal prayer and is followed by visits to relatives, giving gifts and sharing meals.
At work: Very welcome to mention. Its date follows the lunar calendar and shifts every year, so keep plans flexible. During Ramadan itself, colleagues who fast may prefer meetings earlier in the day and not over lunch.
22 March is Nevruz (Sultan Nevruz) in Albania, a spring festival that commemorates the birthday of Ali ibn Abi Talib and the arrival of spring. It is most prominent among the Bektashi.
At work: Welcome to mention. A day off.
Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus and is the most important feast of the Christian year. Families go to church and share a festive meal, and in many places Easter eggs are decorated and broken together as a symbol of the empty tomb. Easter is a moveable feast, with its date set by a lunisolar calendar. Easter Monday, the day after, is a public holiday in more than 50 predominantly Christian countries.
At work: Widely welcome to mention. Colleagues may be away for the whole long weekend.
Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus and is the most important feast of the Christian year. Families go to church and share a festive meal, and in many places Easter eggs are decorated and broken together as a symbol of the empty tomb. Easter is a moveable feast, with its date set by a lunisolar calendar. Easter Monday, the day after, is a public holiday in more than 50 predominantly Christian countries.
At work: Widely welcome to mention. Colleagues may be away for the whole long weekend.
International Workers' Day, on 1 May, honours workers and the labour movement. The date was chosen to commemorate the 1886 general strike in the United States that culminated in the Haymarket affair, and the day was adopted in support of a "great international demonstration" for the eight-hour day.
At work: Fine to mention the day off. In some countries it has a political side, so keep it about the break.
Eid al-Adha, the "festival of the sacrifice", is the second of the two main festivals in Islam. It falls on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja, the last month of the Islamic calendar. It honours the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son at God's command. The Eid prayer is held in the morning, followed by the ritual sacrifice of a livestock animal, and celebrations carry on for the three following days.
At work: Very welcome to mention. As with Eid al-Fitr, the date follows the lunar calendar, so keep plans flexible.
5 September honours Mother Teresa, the Albanian-Indian Catholic nun born in Skopje. She was canonised on 4 September 2016, and 5 September, the anniversary of her death, is her feast day. It was made an official holiday by the Albanian Parliament.
At work: Welcome to mention. A day off.
22 November commemorates the Congress of Manastir, held in 1908 to standardise the Albanian alphabet, which had been written in six or more distinct alphabets. It is also kept in Kosovo and North Macedonia and by the Albanian diaspora.
At work: Welcome to mention. A day off.
28 November marks the declaration of Albania's independence from the Ottoman Empire, proclaimed by an assembly of delegates in Vlorë on 28 November 1912.
At work: Very welcome to mention. A day off.
Dita e Çlirimit on 29 November marks the liberation of Albania from German occupation in 1944. It comes the day after Flag Day (Independence Day) on 28 November. Today there is a national ceremony with the armed forces and a wreath-laying at the National Martyrs' Cemetery.
At work: Fine to mention. A day off, together with Independence Day the day before.
8 December is National Youth Day in Albania, ratified as a public holiday by the Albanian Parliament in 2010.
At work: Welcome to mention. A day off.
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on 25 December. Eastern Christian Churches that follow the older Julian calendar celebrate it on 25 December of that calendar, which currently corresponds to 7 January. It is a public holiday in many countries, and many non-Christians celebrate it culturally too.
At work: Widely welcome to mention. Plan important meetings before the break. If you're unsure whether someone celebrates it, "Happy holidays" is a safe choice.
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