Brazil Public Holidays 2028
Brazil has 10 federal feriados nacionais in 2028, plus Corpus Christi (Thu, Jun 15) gazetted virtually everywhere and the two Carnival pontos — 13 days off in total, and only New Year's Day (Sat) is lost to a weekend. Four Thursday holidays (Corpus Christi, Independence Day, Aparecida, All Souls) and two Fridays (Good Friday, Tiradentes) make 2028 a banner year for "emendar" bridging.
Days off (incl. pontos)
13
Carnival
Mon Feb 28 – Tue Feb 29
Lost to weekends
1 date (Jan 1)
Thursday holidays
Jun 15 · Sep 7 · Oct 12 · Nov 2
2028 Brazil calendar
01January
02February
03March
04April
05May
06June
07July
08August
09September
10October
11November
12December
Brazil public holiday list
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2028 | Saturday | New Year's DayFalls on a Saturday — Brazil grants no substitute weekday, so the day off is lost. The only holiday lost to a weekend in 2028.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| February 28, 2028 | 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 |
| February 29, 2028 | Tuesday | Carnival TuesdayNot a statutory national holiday — a ponto facultativo declared each year. In practice banks close and most of the country stops. Carnival Tuesday 2028 falls on February 29, leap day — the first time since 1992.Observance | Observance |
| April 14, 2028 | Friday | Good FridayGuaranteed nationwide as a religious holiday under Lei 9.093/1995. Friday — the first of two bridging Fridays in 2028.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| April 21, 2028 | Friday | TiradentesFriday — one week after Good Friday, giving two consecutive three-day weekends in April.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| May 1, 2028 | Monday | Labour DayMonday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| June 15, 2028 | 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. Thursday — take Friday June 16 off to bridge.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| September 7, 2028 | Thursday | Independence DayThursday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| October 12, 2028 | Thursday | Our Lady of AparecidaThursday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| November 2, 2028 | Thursday | All Souls' DayThursday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| November 15, 2028 | Wednesday | Republic Proclamation DayWednesday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| November 20, 2028 | Monday | Black Awareness DayNational holiday since 2024 under Lei 14.759/2023. Falls on a Monday in 2028, after three straight years of weekend losses (2025 Thu, 2026 Fri, 2027 Sat).Public holiday | Public holiday |
| December 25, 2028 | Monday | Christmas DayMonday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
Brazil long weekends in 2028
Carnival
4 daysFeb 26 – 29
Carnival Monday and Tuesday are ponto facultativo, not statutory holidays — but the country effectively shuts down from Saturday to Tuesday.
Easter
4 daysApr 14 – 17
Good Friday (Apr 14) and Easter Sunday bracket the weekend — four days off nationwide.
Tiradentes
3 daysApr 21 – 23
Tiradentes falls on a Friday, a week after Easter — the second three-day weekend in April 2028.
Labour Day
3 daysApr 29 – May 1
Corpus Christi bridge
4 daysJun 15 – 18
Corpus Christi is always a Thursday. Take Friday June 16 off (a ponto facultativo or a vacation day) and the weekend does the rest — four days off.
Black Awareness Day
3 daysNov 18 – 20
Christmas Day
3 daysDec 23 – 25
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 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 once it is published.
No substitute rule — 2028 is an "emendar" golden year
Brazil has no substitute-holiday rule: when a holiday falls on a weekend, it is simply lost. 2028 loses just one day this way — New Year's Day (Saturday, Jan 1). Every other holiday falls on a weekday, which has not happened since 2024.
Instead, Brazilians "emendar" — they bridge. When a holiday lands on a Tuesday or Thursday, workers take the adjacent Monday or Friday off to build a four-day break. 2028 is the richest year for this in recent memory: Good Friday (Apr 14) and Tiradentes (Apr 21) are both Fridays, and four holidays land on Thursdays — Corpus Christi (Jun 15), Independence Day (Sep 7), Our Lady of Aparecida (Oct 12) and All Souls' Day (Nov 2). Each Thursday is a one-vacation-day bridge to a four-day weekend.
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. In 2028 it falls on a Monday, one week after Republic Proclamation Day (Wed, Nov 15) — a rare week with two national holidays.
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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 2028?+
13 scheduled days off: 10 federal feriados nacionais — with Good Friday guaranteed nationwide under Lei 9.093/1995 — plus Corpus Christi (Jun 15), gazetted by municipal law virtually everywhere, and the two Carnival pontos (Feb 28–29). Only New Year's Day (Jan 1) falls on a weekend.
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 Tuesday — longer than most statutory holidays manage. In 2028 that window runs February 26–29, with Carnival Tuesday falling on leap day.
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 2028 this happens only once: New Year's Day on Saturday, January 1. 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 15, 2028 — a Thursday that is the year's best bridge candidate.
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 2028 it falls on a Monday, one week after Republic Proclamation Day (Nov 15) — two national holidays within one week.
