Get an overview of all the red days of the year and plan your vacation in the best way possible. Here, travel agency Ticket guides you on how to stay free for as long as possible without wasting vacation days.
2026 is one of those years that requires more forethought. In total, the year contains 13 official public holidays, but several of them fall on weekends. When fewer public holidays fall on weekdays, vacation planning becomes more important as properly placed vacation days can still provide long, uninterrupted vacation time.
– 2026 is a year where planning ahead really pays off for those who want to get more out of their vacation. Even though many public holidays and public holidays fall on weekends, it is still possible to get a lot of time off with good planning, says Tiyoneh Jah, PR and communications manager at travel agency Ticket.
The vacation planner 2026:
Easter
Good Friday falls on Friday, April 3rd, and Easter Monday falls on Monday, April 6th.
10 days of continuous leave – 4 vacation days
Take a holiday: Monday March 30–Thursday April 2 or Tuesday April 7–Friday April 10.
Available March 28–April 6 or April 3–April 12
May Day
May Day falls on Friday, May 1, which makes for a natural long weekend. For those who want to be off for a longer period of time, it is also an excellent opportunity to build on the weekend with a few strategically placed vacation days.
9 days of continuous leave – 4 vacation days
Take a holiday: Monday, April 27–Thursday, April 30.
Available April 25–May 3
Ascension of Christ
Ascension Day falls on Thursday, May 14 and is one of the year's most significant occasions.
4 consecutive days off – 1 vacation day
Take a holiday: Friday, May 15.
Available May 14–May 17
9 days of continuous leave – 4 vacation days
Take a holiday: Monday, May 11–Wednesday, May 13 and Friday, May 15.
Available May 9–May 17
May Day + Ascension Day
Since May Day and Ascension Day occur just one week apart, you can combine these to get enough days off for a real long vacation.
17 days of continuous leave – 9 vacation days
Take a holiday: Monday, May 4–Friday, May 8, and Monday, May 11–Wednesday, May 13 and Friday, May 15.
Available May 1–May 17
Midsummer
Midsummer Eve falls on Friday, June 19th this year and is not a red day, but many people are still off work. This makes the period a good opportunity to create longer, continuous time off with the help of a few vacation days. At the same time, it is an attractive time to travel, for example to the Mediterranean, where temperatures are often pleasantly warm while prices are generally lower than during the height of summer.
9 days of continuous leave – 4 vacation days
Take a holiday: Monday, June 15–Thursday, June 18.
Available June 13–June 21
Christmas, New Year and Epiphany 2026/2027
The turn of the year 2026/2027 is the period that offers the greatest opportunity to create longer continuous leave, thanks to New Year's Day falling on a Friday and Boxing Day falling on a Wednesday.
9 days of continuous leave – 3 vacation days
Take a holiday: Monday, December 21–Wednesday, December 23.
Off 19 December–27 December
11 days of continuous leave – 3 vacation days
Take a holiday: Monday, December 28–Wednesday, December 30.
Available 24 December–January 3
14 days of continuous leave – 5 vacation days
Take a holiday: Monday, December 28–Wednesday, December 30 and Monday, January 4–Tuesday, January 5.
Available 24 December–January 6
16 days of continuous leave – 6 vacation days
Take a holiday: Monday, December 21–Thursday, December 23 and Monday, December 28–Wednesday, December 30.
Available December 19–January 3
19 days of consecutive leave – 8 vacation days
Take a holiday: Monday, December 21–Thursday, December 23, Monday, December 28–Wednesday, December 30, and January 4–5.
Available December 19–6 January
23 days of continuous leave – 10 vacation days
Take a holiday: Monday 21 December–Thursday 23 December and Monday 28 December–Wednesday 30 December and Monday 4 January–Tuesday 5 January and Thursday 7 January–Friday 8 January.
Available December 19–10 January
For those looking further ahead in the calendar, it will be a while before the next record year. 2028 stands out as the next peak year, when a total of 10 red days and holidays fall on weekdays, which creates even better conditions for squeeze days and longer continuous leave compared to both this year and next year.
