Public holidays in Poland 2027: dates, weekends and the 24 Dec day off
Short answer: Poland has 14 public holidays in 2027, 8 of them on weekdays. 24 December is a Friday day off. 1 May and 25 December are Saturdays and cut working time by 8 hours.
Planning leave, school pickups or a trip for 2027? The list of public holidays (dni wolne od pracy) is fixed by law, so you can work out most of the year now. This guide uses the consolidated text of the Act on Days Free from Work, announced on 6 March 2025 (Dz.U. 2025 item 296), the school calendar for 2026/2027 on gov.pl and a Ministry of Family and Labour letter on work on Sundays and holidays, as checked on 17 October 2026.
What the law lists
Article 1 of the act says days free from work are: 1 January, 6 January, the first and second day of Easter, 1 May, 3 May, the first day of Pentecost, Corpus Christi, 15 August, 1 November, 11 November, 24 December, 25 December, 26 December, and all Sundays. Christmas Eve (24 December) was added by an amendment that, according to the notice, entered into force on 1 February 2025.
The 2027 calendar
Easter and the days tied to it move every year. The school calendar on gov.pl gives Corpus Christi 2027 as Thursday 27 May. We calculated the other Easter-linked dates from the standard Easter rule: Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027, Easter Monday 29 March, and Pentecost Sunday 16 May. The weekday of each date was checked with a calendar tool.
- Friday 1 January: New Year
- Wednesday 6 January: Epiphany
- Sunday 28 March: Easter Sunday
- Monday 29 March: Easter Monday
- Saturday 1 May: Labour Day
- Monday 3 May: Constitution Day
- Sunday 16 May: Pentecost Sunday
- Thursday 27 May: Corpus Christi
- Sunday 15 August: Assumption
- Monday 1 November: All Saints
- Thursday 11 November: Independence Day
- Friday 24 December: Christmas Eve
- Saturday 25 December: Christmas Day
- Sunday 26 December: Boxing Day (second day of Christmas)
That gives 14 holidays, but only 8 land on a weekday in 2027: 1 January, 6 January, 29 March, 3 May, 27 May, 1 November, 11 November and 24 December. Four fall on a Sunday (28 March, 16 May, 15 August, 26 December) and two on a Saturday (1 May, 25 December).
School days off around the holidays
The gov.pl school calendar for 2026/2027 lists these days off from classes around holidays: 4 and 5 January 2027 (two days before Epiphany) and Friday 28 May 2027 (the day after Corpus Christi). It also lists the school year 2026/2027 matura written exams starting on 4 May 2027. Check your school for any extra days, since the calendar says nothing about local decisions.
* Photos: 11 November celebrations in Bydgoszcz, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (illustrative).
When a holiday falls on a Saturday
The Ministry letter explains that every holiday that falls on a day other than Sunday reduces an employee's working time in the settlement period by eight hours, under article 130 paragraph 2 of the Labour Code. In 2027 that matters for 1 May and 25 December, which are Saturdays. The sources we read do not describe how employers usually choose the replacement day, so ask your employer or HR what they plan for these two dates, and note the rule in your contract or work regulations.
Working on a Sunday or holiday
According to the same Ministry letter:
- For work on a Sunday, the employer must give another day off within the 6 calendar days before or after that Sunday. This does not apply to weekend-system work.
- For work on a holiday, the employer must give another day off within the settlement period. If that is not possible, the employee gets normal pay plus a 100% supplement.
- Sunday or holiday work is counted from 6:00 that day to 6:00 the next day, unless the employer set a different hour.
Shopping on holidays
The same letter says the Act on Restricting Trade on Sundays and Holidays bans trade on Sundays and holidays, and also limits trade on 24 December and the Saturday before Easter (shops can open until 14:00). The sources we read do not list the 2027 trading Sundays, so check the shopping Sunday dates before you plan a big shop around a holiday.
Dates not covered here
This guide does not list school holiday periods by region for 2027 (see the school calendar), and it does not cover religious days that are not public holidays, such as Ash Wednesday. The legal list can change by amendment, so look at the current act before you book non-refundable travel.
Frequently asked questions
Is 24 December a public holiday in Poland?
Yes. Since the amendment in force from 1 February 2025, 24 December is listed in article 1 of the Act on Days Free from Work. In 2027 it falls on a Friday.
Which 2027 holidays fall on a weekend?
1 May and 25 December are Saturdays. 28 March, 16 May, 15 August and 26 December are Sundays.
What if I work on a public holiday?
According to the Ministry of Family and Labour letter, the employer must give another day off within the settlement period, or if that is not possible, pay a 100% supplement for each hour worked.
