Colombia public holidays 2027 add up to 19 paid days off: 11 fall on a Monday under the Emiliani Law, creating 12 three-day weekends, plus a four-day Easter break from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 March 2027.
This guide gives the full calendar with weekdays and legal basis, explains which holidays move to Monday, covers the new Virgin of Chiquinquirá holiday and the extra pay for working on a holiday. Dates were calculated from Law 51 of 1983 and Law 2578 of 2026, both in force as of October 2026.
Colombia public holidays 2027: full calendar
The calendar of Colombia public holidays 2027 has 19 dates: six fixed holidays, two Easter holidays that never move and eleven that shift to the following Monday. The table shows the actual day off, not the original date of the celebration.
| Date 2027 | Holiday | Type | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 1 January | New Year’s Day | Fixed | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Monday 11 January | Epiphany (6 January) | Moved to Monday | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Monday 22 March | Saint Joseph’s Day (19 March) | Moved to Monday | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Thursday 25 March | Maundy Thursday | Easter, does not move | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Friday 26 March | Good Friday | Easter, does not move | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Saturday 1 May | Labour Day | Fixed | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Monday 10 May | Ascension Day | Moved to Monday | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Monday 31 May | Corpus Christi | Moved to Monday | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Monday 7 June | Sacred Heart | Moved to Monday | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Monday 5 July | Saints Peter and Paul (29 June) | Moved to Monday | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Monday 12 July | Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá (9 July) | Moved to Monday | Law 2578 of 2026 and Law 51 of 1983 |
| Tuesday 20 July | Independence Day | Fixed | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Saturday 7 August | Battle of Boyacá | Fixed | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Monday 16 August | Assumption of Mary (15 August) | Moved to Monday | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Monday 18 October | Día de la Raza (12 October) | Moved to Monday | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Monday 1 November | All Saints’ Day | Falls on Monday | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Monday 15 November | Independence of Cartagena (11 November) | Moved to Monday | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Wednesday 8 December | Immaculate Conception | Fixed | Law 51 of 1983 |
| Saturday 25 December | Christmas Day | Fixed | Law 51 of 1983 |
Easter Sunday 2027 falls on 28 March, and the Easter-based holidays are counted from that date. Every weekday in the table was checked with a calendar calculation.
How the Emiliani Law moves holidays to Monday
The Emiliani Law (Law 51 of 1983) moves ten holidays to the following Monday whenever they do not fall on a Monday, and also when they fall on a Sunday. The celebration keeps its religious or historical date; only the paid day off moves.
Under article 1 of the law, these dates move:
- 6 January (Epiphany), 19 March (Saint Joseph), 29 June (Saints Peter and Paul) and 15 August (Assumption).
- 12 October (Día de la Raza), 1 November (All Saints) and 11 November (Independence of Cartagena).
- Ascension, Corpus Christi and Sacred Heart, which depend on the date of Easter.
Six holidays stay on their date even at weekends: 1 January, 1 May, 20 July, 7 August, 8 December and 25 December. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday do not move either. In 2027 no fixed holiday falls on a Sunday.
Easter 2027 and the moveable holidays
Holy Week 2027 in Colombia brings two days off, Thursday 25 and Friday 26 March, because Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027. Together with the weekend they make a four-day break.
Three more Colombia public holidays 2027 are counted from Easter and then moved to the next Monday:
- Ascension: celebrated on Thursday 6 May, day off on Monday 10 May.
- Corpus Christi: celebrated on Thursday 27 May, day off on Monday 31 May.
- Sacred Heart: celebrated on Friday 4 June, day off on Monday 7 June.
The result is three Monday holidays in five weeks, between 10 May and 7 June. If you plan to travel inside Colombia on those dates, book buses, flights and hotels early.
New holiday: Virgin of Chiquinquirá, Monday 12 July 2027
Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá became a national holiday through Law 2578 of 2026, and in 2027 the day off is Monday 12 July because 9 July falls on a Friday. Article 6 of the law declares 9 July a national holiday with paid rest for public and private sector workers.
The same article refers to Law 51 of 1983 to set the day of rest. In 2026, the first year it applied, the Ministry of Finance and the central bank (Banco de la República) treated Monday 13 July as the holiday. With this law, Colombia went from 18 to 19 public holidays a year.
Within the Colombia public holidays 2027, July has three days off in three consecutive weeks: Monday 5 (Saints Peter and Paul), Monday 12 (Chiquinquirá) and Tuesday 20 (Independence Day).
Long weekends in Colombia in 2027
The Colombia public holidays 2027 create 12 three-day weekends, known locally as puentes festivos, plus the four-day Easter weekend. Eleven of them end on a Monday and one, New Year, starts on a Friday.
| Long weekend | Days | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 1 to Sunday 3 January | 3 | New Year |
| Saturday 9 to Monday 11 January | 3 | Epiphany |
| Saturday 20 to Monday 22 March | 3 | Saint Joseph |
| Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 March | 4 | Holy Week |
| Saturday 8 to Monday 10 May | 3 | Ascension |
| Saturday 29 to Monday 31 May | 3 | Corpus Christi |
| Saturday 5 to Monday 7 June | 3 | Sacred Heart |
| Saturday 3 to Monday 5 July | 3 | Saints Peter and Paul |
| Saturday 10 to Monday 12 July | 3 | Virgin of Chiquinquirá |
| Saturday 14 to Monday 16 August | 3 | Assumption |
| Saturday 16 to Monday 18 October | 3 | Día de la Raza |
| Saturday 30 October to Monday 1 November | 3 | All Saints |
| Saturday 13 to Monday 15 November | 3 | Independence of Cartagena |
March 2027 is the best month for a longer trip. Saint Joseph’s Monday (22 March) falls in the same week as Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, so taking Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 off gives nine days in a row, from Saturday 20 to Sunday 28 March.
Holidays on a Saturday or midweek
Three of the fixed Colombia public holidays 2027 fall on a Saturday and are not moved: Labour Day (1 May), Battle of Boyacá (7 August) and Christmas Day (25 December). For people working Monday to Friday, those dates bring no extra day off.
Two more fall midweek: Independence Day on Tuesday 20 July and the Immaculate Conception on Wednesday 8 December. Taking Monday 19 July off turns 20 July into a four-day weekend. New Year’s Day 2028 also falls on a Saturday.
Working on a holiday in Colombia: extra pay
Work on a public holiday in Colombia is paid with a surcharge on the ordinary wage: 90% until 30 June 2027 and 100% from 1 July 2027. The rule is article 179 of the Labour Code, as amended by article 14 of Law 2466 of 2025.
The labour reform set a gradual increase: 80% from 1 July 2025, 90% from 1 July 2026 and the full 100% from 1 July 2027. Employers may choose to pay 100% earlier. The surcharge is calculated in proportion to the hours worked.
Among the Colombia public holidays 2027, every holiday from Monday 5 July onwards carries the full 100% surcharge, including the new Chiquinquirá holiday.
Planning a trip around Colombian holidays
Planning around the Colombia public holidays 2027 mainly means booking the busiest long weekends early: Easter, the run of June Mondays and the November weekends.
- Mark the 12 long weekends and the Easter break before you request leave or book flights.
- For a longer trip, the week of 20 to 28 March gives the most days off per day of leave.
- Public holidays are mandatory rest days, so banks and government offices are generally closed; plan errands for the previous working day and check the online payment methods popular in Latin America for paying remotely.
- If you travel around the region, compare with Peru’s public holidays in 2027, the Chile holiday calendar for 2027, Argentina’s 2027 holidays or Mexico’s public holidays in 2027.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does Colombia have in 2027?
The Colombia public holidays 2027 total 19 days. These are the 18 set by Law 51 of 1983 plus Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá, created by Law 2578 of 2026. Eleven of them are taken on a Monday, and three fall on a Saturday: 1 May, 7 August and 25 December, which are not moved.
How many long weekends are there in Colombia in 2027?
There are 12 three-day weekends in Colombia in 2027, plus the four-day Easter weekend. Eleven end on a Monday because of the Emiliani Law, and the New Year weekend runs from Friday 1 to Sunday 3 January. January, May, July and November each have two long weekends.
When is Easter 2027 in Colombia?
Easter Sunday 2027 is 28 March, and Holy Week runs from Palm Sunday, 21 March, to 28 March. The public holidays are Maundy Thursday, 25 March, and Good Friday, 26 March. They are not moved to Monday, so most workers get four days off in a row, from Thursday to Sunday.
What is the Emiliani Law in Colombia?
The Emiliani Law is Law 51 of 1983, which moves ten public holidays to the following Monday when they do not fall on a Monday, including when they fall on a Sunday. The religious or historical celebration keeps its original date. Only the paid day off for public and private sector workers moves, which creates the long weekends.
Is 9 July 2027 a holiday in Colombia?
Friday 9 July 2027 is the feast of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá, but the day off is Monday 12 July. Law 2578 of 2026 created the holiday and refers to Law 51 of 1983 to set the day of rest, which in 2026 was applied on the following Monday, 13 July.
Are banks open on public holidays in Colombia?
Public holidays in Colombia are mandatory paid rest days, and Banco de la República lists holidays such as the Chiquinquirá day as bank holidays (feriados bancarios), so bank branches and government offices generally close. Plan transfers, paperwork and appointments for the previous working day, especially before the Monday holidays and the Easter break, when demand for services is higher.
Cover photo: Ricardo Gomez Angel / Unsplash
