Public Holidays in Iceland — 2026
There are 16 public holidays in Iceland in 2026 — a middle-of-the-road calendar by international standards.
3 of them land on the Saturday + Sunday weekend, which leaves 13 genuine days off work.
The dates are spread fairly evenly — 11 before July and 5 after it — with April the busiest month.
The longest dry spell runs 143 days, from Monday, August 3, 2026 to Thursday, December 24, 2026; that is the stretch worth spending annual leave on.
6 holiday(s) sit next to the weekend, and 4 single bridge day(s) could turn into a four-day break.
Iceland sits in Northern Europe, is run from Reykjavik, pays in Iceland Krona, and has about 341,000 people planning around these same dates.
- Public holidays
- 16
- Days off work
- 13
- Weekend
- Saturday + Sunday
- Busiest month
- April (5)
- Longest gap
- 143 days
- Capital
- Reykjavik
| Date | Day | Holiday | Local name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Jan 1 | Thursday | New Year's Day | Nýársdagur |
| Thu, Apr 2 | Thursday | Maundy Thursday | Skírdagur |
| Fri, Apr 3 | Friday | Good Friday | Föstudagurinn langi |
| Sun, Apr 5 | Sunday | Easter Sunday | Páskadagur |
| Mon, Apr 6 | Monday | Easter Monday | Annar í páskum |
| Thu, Apr 23 | Thursday | First Day of Summer | Sumardagurinn fyrsti |
| Fri, May 1 | Friday | May Day | Verkalýðsdagurinn |
| Thu, May 14 | Thursday | Ascension Day | Uppstigningardagur |
| Sun, May 24 | Sunday | Pentecost | Hvítasunnudagur |
| Mon, May 25 | Monday | Whit Monday | Annar í hvítasunnu |
| Wed, Jun 17 | Wednesday | Icelandic National Day | Þjóðhátíðardagurinn |
| Mon, Aug 3 | Monday | Commerce Day | Frídagur verslunarmanna |
| Thu, Dec 24 | Thursday | Christmas Eve | Aðfangadagur |
| Fri, Dec 25 | Friday | Christmas Day | Jóladagur |
| Sat, Dec 26 | Saturday | St. Stephen's Day | Annar í jólum |
| Thu, Dec 31 | Thursday | New Year's Eve | Gamlársdagur |
How many public holidays does Iceland have in 2026?
16 — of which 13 fall on a working day and 3 fall on the Saturday + Sunday weekend.
What is the first public holiday in Iceland in 2026?
Nýársdagur on Thursday, January 1, 2026. The last one of the year is Gamlársdagur on Thursday, December 31, 2026.
Which days are the weekend in Iceland?
Saturday + Sunday. Working-day counts on this site use that pattern, not a fixed Saturday–Sunday assumption.
When is the longest period without a public holiday in Iceland in 2026?
Between Monday, August 3, 2026 and Thursday, December 24, 2026 — 143 days with nothing official in between.
Are these 2026 dates confirmed?
Yes, all 16 dates come from the official calendar (source: Nager.Date public holiday API) and none are moon-sighting estimates.