Red Days In Spain (Public & National Bank Holidays)

Public Holidays or Red Days happen throughout the year, it was traditional to mark these days on a calendar in Red hence they are widely known in Spain as a Red Day. Sunday has always been a traditional Red Day with many shops closing, however during the Summer Season most shops are open on a Sunday along the coast, however you should check with any shops in the main cities more inland before going, as you may find they are closed, for example IKEA in Murcia in 2016 was not open for most Sundays with the exception being a few around December. When it comes to the main Public Holidays the majority of businesses close, but you will find restaurants and bars in the main part open on these days. Different Areas will have some different Red Days, these are the ones that apply to Torrevieja in the Valencian Community.

It may interest you to know that San José (19th March) is Father’s Day and Dia de la Madre (the 1st Sunday of May) is Mother’s Day. Note that as Mother’s Day is always a Sunday, this fails into being a “traditional Red Day” as it’s a Sunday and so is not on the list of Red Days below.