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.

DateSpanish NameEnglish Name
1st JanuaryAño NuevoNew Year's Day
6th JanuaryEl Día de los ReyesEpiphany Day
19th MarchSan JoséSt. Joseph's Day
March or AprilEl Jueves SantoHoly Thursday
March or AprilViernes SantoGood Friday
March or AprilLunes de PascuaEaster Monday
1st MayDía del TrabajadorLabour Day
16th JulyVirgen del CarmenVirgin Carmen Day
15th AugustAsunciónAssumption
9th OctoberDia de la Comunitat ValencianaDay of the Valencian Community
12th OctoberFiesta Nacional de EspañaNational Day of Spain
1st NovemberDía de todos los SantosAll Saints Day
6th DecemberDía de la ConstituciónConstitution Day
8th DecemberInmaculada ConcepciónImmaculate Conception
25th DecemberNavidadChristmas Day