Next year’s festivities
With summer over, we are already thinking about Christmas and the new year to come. Calendar in hand, let’s figure out how best to plan for the holidays. The year 2026 includes 9 midweek holidays, 1 less than last year. After New Year’s Day (Thursday), we will be able to enjoy Epiphany at home on Tuesday, January 6.
Then, on Monday, April 6, we will finally be able to celebrate Easter Monday and continue eating the chocolate from the previous day’s eggs. In 2026, in fact, Easter will be Sunday, April 5. Also in the same month, we will celebrate the Anniversary of the Liberation of Italy on Saturday, April 25.
Labor Day, May 1, will happen on a Friday. June 2 (Italy’s Republic Day) will be on Tuesday and June 29 on Monday. The feast of St. Peter and St. Paul will give a day off work (to those who work Monday through Friday).
In July no vacation, but maybe some of us will already be on vacation (
). The following month comes the long-awaited Ferragosto, this time on Saturday the 15th. September and October no escape from the city for any bridges or holidays. On the first day of November, however, we will celebrate “All Saints” (Sunday), perhaps eating some delicious roasted chestnuts.
In December we end 2026 on a high note with the Immaculate Conception (Tuesday), Christmas and Boxing Day on Thursday, December 25 and Friday, December 26.
Calendar public holidays 2026
- New Year’s Day: Thursday, January 1
- Epiphany (Epiphany): Tuesday, January 6
- Easter: Sunday, April 5
- Angel Monday (Easter Monday): Monday, April 6
- Liberation Day: Saturday, April 25
- Labor Day: Friday, May 1
- Republic Day: Tuesday, June 2
- St. Peter and Paul (Rome’s patron saint’s day): Monday, June 29
- Ferragosto (Assumption): Saturday, Aug. 15
- All Saints (All Saints’ Day): Sunday, Nov. 1
- Immaculate Conception: Tuesday, Dec. 8
- Christmas: Thursday, Dec. 25
- Boxing Day: Friday, Dec. 26
These vacations provide opportunities for extended bridges and vacations, especially when they fall near weekends. The feast of St. Peter and Paul, patron saints of Rome, falls on a Monday offering a bridging opportunity for Romans. Easter and Easter Monday also fall so as to allow for a long weekend, as does Labor Day on May 1, Friday. Some holidays fall on the weekend, limiting the possibility of bridges instead.
Overall, 2026 offers several opportunities for extended weekends in Rome, particularly with Pasquetta, the city’s patron saint, and May bridges.
Where to celebrate if you live in Rome
Rome is a very big city that never ceases to amaze us. During the Christmas season, it is nice to walk through the streets of the center and admire the illuminations. On New Year’s Eve, then there is a great celebration with a musical concert with well-known faces. For Epiphany, you can’t miss the markets in Piazza Navona…
Spring festivities capture all the beauty of the Eternal City in bloom. The municipal rose garden returns to open its gates and Roman parks become colorful thanks to the many little flowers present. Not to be missed: the azaleas on the Spanish Steps of Trinità dei Monti.
With the good season then you go to the Roman coast, for an aperitif by the sea or a lunch on the beach.
In autumn the spectacle of foliage brightens the view!