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New Year's Day
São Tomé and Príncipe

New Year’s Day 2024, 2025 and 2026 in São Tomé and Príncipe

New Year’s Day is a holiday in São Tomé and Príncipe as part of celebrations that start on New Year’s Eve and reach a high point with the turning of the clock from 11:59pm on 31 December to midnight on 1 January.

YearDateDayHoliday
20241 JanMonNew Year's Day
20251 JanWedNew Year's Day
20261 JanThuNew Year's Day
Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates.

New Year’s Day is a time of resolutions and starting fresh for some, while for others it is spent recovering from a big, late night spent with friends and family.

Lying just off the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, São Tomé and Príncipe is fast becoming a centre of trade, business, and culture. It is rising a tourist destination too, including for New Year’s season.

Being a former Portuguese colony, the twin islands partake of some of the Carnival spirit of Brazil and Cape Verde. And islanders are not shy about bringing that spirit to bear in electrifying New Year’s Eve celebrations.

You will find traditions similar to those in other countries, such as watching the clock till midnight, dancing, singing, feasting, and partying till the next morning, and making “resolutions” for the coming year that often are not kept.

But additionally, you may run into some “tchiloli” around this time of year, which are traditional, costumed plays put on for up to six hours straight by locals. These plays are about the days of Charlemagne and were imported from France during the colonial era.

Previous Years

YearDateDayHoliday
20231 JanSunNew Year's Day
20221 JanSatNew Year's Day
20211 JanFriNew Year's Day
20201 JanWedNew Year's Day
20191 JanTueNew Year's Day
20181 JanMonNew Year's Day
20171 JanSunNew Year's Day