Public holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia 2027
NRW's statutory public holidays with weekdays, the working days and the bridges that pay off most in Germany's most populous state in 2027.
Public holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia, 2027
11 holidays
7 of them fall on a weekday.
| Holidays on weekdays | 7 |
| Holidays at weekends | 4 |
| True bridge days (1 leave day) | 2 |
| Working days Monday to Friday | 254 |
| Date | Weekday | Holiday | Applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | Friday | New Year's Day | nationwide |
| 26 March 2027 | Friday | Good Friday | nationwide |
| 29 March 2027 | Monday | Easter Monday | nationwide |
| 1 May 2027 | Saturday | Labour Day | nationwide |
| 6 May 2027 | Thursday | Ascension Day | nationwide |
| 17 May 2027 | Monday | Whit Monday | nationwide |
| 27 May 2027 | Thursday | Corpus Christi | statewide |
| 3 October 2027 | Sunday | German Unity Day | nationwide |
| 1 November 2027 | Monday | All Saints' Day | statewide |
| 25 December 2027 | Saturday | Christmas Day | nationwide |
| 26 December 2027 | Sunday | Boxing Day (St Stephen’s Day) | nationwide |
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · state holiday acts checked on 28 October 2026
North Rhine-Westphalia has 11 statutory public holidays: the nine nationwide ones plus Corpus Christi and All Saints' Day, both under section 2 of the NRW holiday act. In 2027 Corpus Christi falls on Thursday 27 May and All Saints' Day on Monday 1 November. 7 holidays land on weekdays and 254 working days remain. There are two true bridge days: the Friday after Ascension Day, 7 May, and the Friday after Corpus Christi, 28 May. Ten leave days can buy 27 consecutive days off in NRW in 2027, and as many as 32 in 2028. Carnival Monday is a day off for many employees in Cologne, Düsseldorf and other carnival strongholds, but it is not a statutory holiday; whether you get it off depends on your employer or collective agreement. For commuters from Lower Saxony and Hesse the calendars differ on Corpus Christi, All Saints' Day and Reformation Day.
North Rhine-Westphalia public holidays 2026, 2027 and 2028
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thu 1 Jan | Fri 1 Jan | Sat 1 Jan |
| Good Friday | Fri 3 Apr | Fri 26 Mar | Fri 14 Apr |
| Easter Monday | Mon 6 Apr | Mon 29 Mar | Mon 17 Apr |
| Labour Day | Fri 1 May | Sat 1 May | Mon 1 May |
| Ascension Day | Thu 14 May | Thu 6 May | Thu 25 May |
| Whit Monday | Mon 25 May | Mon 17 May | Mon 5 Jun |
| Corpus Christi | Thu 4 Jun | Thu 27 May | Thu 15 Jun |
| German Unity Day | Sat 3 Oct | Sun 3 Oct | Tue 3 Oct |
| All Saints' Day | Sun 1 Nov | Mon 1 Nov | Wed 1 Nov |
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 Dec | Sat 25 Dec | Mon 25 Dec |
| Boxing Day (St Stephen’s Day) | Sat 26 Dec | Sun 26 Dec | Tue 26 Dec |
| Total holidays | 11 | 11 | 11 |
Carnival, Corpus Christi, All Saints'
The NRW holiday act has applied in its current form since 1989 and lists eleven holidays in section 2. It also protects quiet days such as Good Friday, the national day of mourning and the Sunday of the Dead. Carnival days are not holidays, neither Weiberfastnacht nor Rosenmontag, though many employers in the Rhineland give them off.
For leave planning in NRW in 2027, May and June are the strongest months: Ascension Day on 6 May, Whit Monday on 17 May, Corpus Christi on 27 May. Knowing the working days between them helps; working days 2027 lists them month by month.
Bridge days 2027 in North Rhine-Westphalia
With ten leave days you get 27 consecutive days off in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2027, spread over 4 blocks. In 2028 the same number buys 32.
| Take leave | Leave days | Off in a row | Days off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 7 May | 1 | Thu 6 May – Sun 9 May | 4 |
| Fri 28 May | 1 | Thu 27 May – Sun 30 May | 4 |
| Mon 22 March – Thu 25 March | 4 | Sat 20 March – Mon 29 March | 10 |
| Tue 30 March – Fri 2 April | 4 | Fri 26 March – Sun 4 April | 10 |
| Tue 18 May – Fri 21 May | 4 | Sat 15 May – Sun 23 May | 9 |
| Tue 2 November – Fri 5 November | 4 | Sat 30 October – Sun 7 November | 9 |
| Mon 3 May – Wed 5 May | 3 | Sat 1 May – Thu 6 May | 6 |
| Mon 24 May – Wed 26 May | 3 | Sat 22 May – Thu 27 May | 6 |
North Rhine-Westphalia 2027: using 10 leave days
North Rhine-Westphalia 2027: using 10 leave days
27 days off
| Sat 20 March – Mon 29 March | 4 → 10 days |
| Thu 6 May – Sun 9 May | 1 → 4 days |
| Sat 15 May – Sun 23 May | 4 → 9 days |
| Thu 27 May – Sun 30 May | 1 → 4 days |