This guide lists the public holidays in Berlin, and what happens on those days.
List of public holidays in Berlin
These are the 10 public holidays in Berlin:
- New Year (January 1)
Neujahr celebrates the arrival of a new year. - International Women’s Day (March 8)
Public holiday since 2019. - Good Friday (late March or April)
Good Friday (Karfreitag) commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It’s celebrated on Friday before Easter. - Easter Monday (late March or April)
Easter Monday (Ostermontag) marks the second day of the Octave of Easter. It’s celebrated on Monday after Easter. - International Workers’ Day (May 1)
Workers’ Day, Labour Day or May Day (Tag der Arbeit) celebrates labourers and the working classes. - Ascension Day (late April to early June)
Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt) commemorates the Christian belief of Jesus’ Ascension into heaven. It’s always on a Thursday. - Whit Monday (May or June)
Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday (Pfingstmontag) is celebrated 50 days after Easter. - Day of German Unity (October 3)
The Day of German Unity (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) celebrates the reunification of East and West Germany in 1990. - Christmas (December 25)
- Boxing day (December 26)
Official list of public holidays (in German) – Berlin.de
List of public holidays in Germany – Wikipedia
Add public holidays to your calendar
- Instructions for Google Calendar
- Instructions for Apple Calendar (iOS)
- Instructions for Apple Calendar (Mac)
How public holidays work in Germany
Businesses are closed
On public holidays, most businesses are closed, just like on Sundays.
What is open on Sundays in Berlin? ➞
Employees get a paid vacation day
On public holidays, employees get the day off, but still get paid.
You celebrate the holidays of the state where you work, even if you live in a different state.1 For example, if you live in Brandenburg and you work in Berlin, you get a day off for International Women’s Day, even if it’s not a holiday in Brandenburg.
How vacation days work in Germany ➞
Each state is different
Each German state has different public holidays. For example, Women’s Day is a public holiday in Berlin, but not Epiphany or Corpus Christi.2 Some states have more public holidays than other. Bavaria has 13 public holidays, but Berlin only has 10.