Brazil Public Holidays 2025
Brazil has 10 federal feriados nacionais in 2025, plus Corpus Christi (Thu, Jun 19) gazetted virtually everywhere. It is a year of losses: four holidays land on a weekend with no substitute, though Carnival still delivers a four-day shutdown from Saturday, Mar 1 to Tuesday, Mar 4.
Federal holidays
10 (+ Corpus Christi)
Carnival
Sat Mar 1 – Tue Mar 4
Lost to weekends
4 dates
Thursday holidays
May 1 · Jun 19 · Dec 25
2025 Brazil calendar
01January
02February
03March
04April
05May
06June
07July
08August
09September
10October
11November
12December
Brazil public holiday list
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2025 | Wednesday | New Year's DayWednesday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| March 3, 2025 | Monday | Carnival MondayNot a statutory national holiday — a ponto facultativo declared each year. In practice banks close and most of the country stops.Observance | Observance |
| March 4, 2025 | Tuesday | Carnival TuesdayNot a statutory national holiday — a ponto facultativo declared each year. In practice banks close and most of the country stops.Observance | Observance |
| April 18, 2025 | Friday | Good FridayGuaranteed nationwide as a religious holiday under Lei 9.093/1995.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| April 21, 2025 | Monday | TiradentesMonday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| May 1, 2025 | Thursday | Labour DayThursday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| June 19, 2025 | Thursday | Corpus ChristiA religious holiday under Lei 9.093/1995, gazetted by municipal law across virtually the whole country (the federal administration gazettes it yearly); banks and most businesses close.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| September 7, 2025 | Sunday | Independence DayFalls on a Sunday — Brazil grants no substitute weekday, so the day off is lost.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| October 12, 2025 | Sunday | Our Lady of AparecidaFalls on a Sunday — Brazil grants no substitute weekday, so the day off is lost.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| November 2, 2025 | Sunday | All Souls' DayFalls on a Sunday — Brazil grants no substitute weekday, so the day off is lost.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| November 15, 2025 | Saturday | Republic Proclamation DayFalls on a Saturday — Brazil grants no substitute weekday, so the day off is lost.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| November 20, 2025 | Thursday | Black Awareness DayNational holiday since 2024 under Lei 14.759/2023 — previously a state or municipal holiday in many places.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| December 25, 2025 | Thursday | Christmas DayThursday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
Brazil long weekends in 2025
Carnival
4 daysMar 1 – 4
Carnival Monday and Tuesday are ponto facultativo, not statutory holidays — but the country effectively shuts down from Saturday to Tuesday.
Good Friday & Tiradentes
4 daysApr 18 – 21
Feriado nacional vs ponto facultativo
Brazil's statutory national holidays (feriados nacionais) are set by federal law — Lei 662/1949 and its amendments, Lei 6.802/1980 for Our Lady of Aparecida, and Lei 14.759/2023 for Black Awareness Day — with Good Friday guaranteed nationwide as a religious holiday under Lei 9.093/1995. A ponto facultativo is different: an optional day declared each year by the federal administration for the public sector, which private employers follow by custom or collective agreement.
The most famous pontos are Carnival Monday and Carnival Tuesday, plus Ash Wednesday until 2pm — none of them statutory, yet banks close and the country effectively stops. Half-day pontos on December 24 and 31 are also customary. Because pontos are declared by annual ordinance (portaria), always check the current year's list.
No substitute rule — the art of "emendar"
Brazil has no substitute-holiday rule: when a holiday falls on a weekend, it is simply lost. 2025 is a harsh example — Independence Day (Sep 7), Our Lady of Aparecida (Oct 12) and All Souls' Day (Nov 2) all land on Sunday, and Republic Proclamation Day (Nov 15) on Saturday. Four days off vanish with no compensation.
Instead, Brazilians "emendar" — they bridge. When a holiday lands on a Tuesday or Thursday, workers take the adjacent Monday or Friday off (a ponto facultativo or a vacation day) to build a four-day break, and many businesses run on skeleton staff in between. In 2025, Labour Day (Thu, May 1), Corpus Christi (Thu, Jun 19) and Christmas (Thu, Dec 25) are the prime bridging candidates.
State and municipal holidays add more days off
On top of the national list, every state and municipality adds its own holidays. São Paulo state keeps July 9, the anniversary of the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution. City days matter too: São Paulo city rests on its anniversary, January 25, while Rio de Janeiro marks January 20 (St Sebastian, the city's patron) and April 23 (St George). Always check the local calendar for the city you are in.
Black Awareness Day (Nov 20) followed exactly this path: it was a state or municipal holiday in many parts of Brazil for years — honouring Zumbi dos Palmares — before Lei 14.759/2023 made it a national holiday from 2024.
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Official sources & data
- Lei nº 662, de 6 de abril de 1949 (feriados nacionais)Visit sourcePresidência da República — Planalto
- Lei nº 6.802, de 30 de junho de 1980 (Nossa Senhora Aparecida)Visit sourcePresidência da República — Planalto
- Lei nº 14.759, de 21 de dezembro de 2023 (Dia Nacional de Zumbi e da Consciência Negra)Visit sourcePresidência da República — Planalto
- Feriados e pontos facultativosVisit sourceMinistério das Relações Exteriores — gov.br
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does Brazil have in 2025?+
Brazil has 10 federal feriados nacionais in 2025 — with Good Friday guaranteed nationwide under Lei 9.093/1995 — plus Corpus Christi (Jun 19), which is gazetted by municipal law virtually everywhere. Carnival Monday and Tuesday (Mar 3–4) are ponto facultativo, not statutory holidays, though the country stops anyway.
Is Carnival a public holiday in Brazil?+
Not by federal statute. Carnival Monday and Tuesday are declared ponto facultativo each year, and Ash Wednesday is a ponto until 2pm. In practice, though, banks close, government offices stop and much of the private sector shuts down from Saturday to Wednesday noon — longer than most statutory holidays manage.
What is a ponto facultativo?+
An optional day off declared by the federal administration (by annual portaria) for public-sector workers. It is not a statutory holiday: private employers decide whether to follow, and most do by custom or collective agreement. The classic pontos are Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Ash Wednesday until 2pm, and half days on December 24 and 31.
What happens when a holiday falls on a weekend in Brazil?+
It is lost — Brazil has no substitute-holiday rule, so no weekday is given in return. In 2025 this happens four times: Independence Day, Our Lady of Aparecida and All Souls' Day fall on Sunday, and Republic Proclamation Day on Saturday. The consolation is the "emenda": when a holiday lands on a Tuesday or Thursday, workers bridge the gap with a ponto or vacation day to make a four-day weekend.
Is Corpus Christi a national holiday in Brazil?+
Technically it is a religious holiday under Lei 9.093/1995, which lets municipalities gazette religious holidays — and virtually every municipality has gazetted Corpus Christi. The federal administration also gazettes it yearly. So while it is not on the statutory feriados nacionais list, banks and most businesses close across the country on June 19, 2025.
When is Black Awareness Day, and is it a national holiday?+
Black Awareness Day (Dia Nacional de Zumbi e da Consciência Negra) is November 20. Yes — Lei 14.759/2023 made it a national holiday from 2024, honouring Zumbi dos Palmares. Before that it was already a state or municipal holiday in many parts of Brazil. In 2025 it falls on a Thursday, a classic emenda opportunity.
