Public Holidays

Discover upcoming public holiday dates for Benin and start planning to make the most of your time off.

2026 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Thu	New Year's Day
10 Jan	Sat	Vaudoun Day
20 Mar	Fri	Korité
6 Apr	Mon	Easter Monday
1 May	Fri	Labour Day
14 May	Thu	Ascension Day
25 May	Mon	Whit Monday
27 May	Wed	Tabaski
1 Aug	Sat	Independence Day
15 Aug	Sat	Assumption Day
25 Aug	Tue	Maouloud
1 Nov	Sun	All Saints' Day
25 Dec	Fri	Christmas Day

2027 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Fri	New Year's Day
10 Jan	Sun	Vaudoun Day
9 Mar	Tue	Korité
29 Mar	Mon	Easter Monday
1 May	Sat	Labour Day
6 May	Thu	Ascension Day
16 May	Sun	Tabaski
17 May	Mon	Whit Monday
1 Aug	Sun	Independence Day
14 Aug	Sat	Maouloud
15 Aug	Sun	Assumption Day
1 Nov	Mon	All Saints' Day
25 Dec	Sat	Christmas Day

2028 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Sat	New Year's Day
10 Jan	Mon	Vaudoun Day
26 Feb	Sat	Korité
17 Apr	Mon	Easter Monday
1 May	Mon	Labour Day
5 May	Fri	Tabaski
25 May	Thu	Ascension Day
5 Jun	Mon	Whit Monday
1 Aug	Tue	Independence Day
3 Aug	Thu	Maouloud
15 Aug	Tue	Assumption Day
1 Nov	Wed	All Saints' Day
25 Dec	Mon	Christmas Day

The Republic of Benin currently celebrates 13 national holidays each year. It is also not unusual for the government of Benin to declare national holidays throughout the year for different purposes. For instance, the government declared a 5-day national holiday for the inauguration of its president in 2016. In the previous year, there were national holidays declared to register to vote and to vote.

National holidays in Benin are regulated by Ordinance 79-33 issued on July 2, 1979 and by the Labour Code. Ordinance 79-33 establishes the current 13 holidays and has only been changed twice. One amendment removed Vaudoun Day from the list and the second amendment reinstated Vaudoun Day as a national holiday.

The government has the authority to issue one-time holidays at any point if they make an official public announcement. However, these holidays can only be recognised for that one time. Changes to the national holiday list can only be made through a vote of government.