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Public holidays in Hamburg 2026 and 2027, shop closures and school holidays

Hamburg's ten public holidays with their dates for 2026 and 2027, including Reformation Day on 31 October, what closes on Sundays and holidays, your rights at work on those days, and the Hamburg school holiday dates for 2026/27.

Checked 8 Oct 2026
Applies to
Everyone who lives or works in Hamburg. Public holidays are set by each federal state, so Hamburg's list differs from that of some other states.
Effort
Low effort
Time needed
About 5 minutes to read; add the dates to your calendar
Where
Hamburg, Germany
On this page
  1. Overview
  2. Public holidays in 2026
  3. Public holidays in 2027
  4. Days that are not public holidays
  5. Shops on Sundays and public holidays
  6. Work and pay on public holidays
  7. School holidays 2026/27
  8. Watch out
  9. Common mistakes
  10. Tips
  11. Frequently asked questions
  12. Official links
  13. In your plan
  14. Sources
  15. Related guides

Hamburg has ten public holidays (gesetzliche Feiertage) a year. On these days, as on Sundays, most shops are closed, most people do not work and public offices are shut. A particularity compared with many other German states is Reformation Day on 31 October, which the Hamburg parliament made a public holiday in 2018; before that, Hamburg had only nine public holidays.

Holidays fall on fixed dates or on dates linked to Easter, so in some years several land on a weekend. In 2027, for example, the Day of German Unity and Reformation Day both fall on a Sunday.

Public holidays in 2026

  • Thursday 1 January: New Year's Day (Neujahr)
  • Friday 3 April: Good Friday (Karfreitag)
  • Monday 6 April: Easter Monday (Ostermontag)
  • Friday 1 May: Labour Day (Tag der Arbeit)
  • Thursday 14 May: Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt)
  • Monday 25 May: Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag)
  • Saturday 3 October: Day of German Unity (Tag der Deutschen Einheit)
  • Saturday 31 October: Reformation Day (Reformationstag)
  • Friday 25 December: Christmas Day (1. Weihnachtstag)
  • Saturday 26 December: Second Day of Christmas (2. Weihnachtstag)

Public holidays in 2027

  • Friday 1 January: New Year's Day
  • Friday 26 March: Good Friday
  • Monday 29 March: Easter Monday
  • Saturday 1 May: Labour Day
  • Thursday 6 May: Ascension Day
  • Monday 17 May: Whit Monday
  • Sunday 3 October: Day of German Unity
  • Sunday 31 October: Reformation Day
  • Saturday 25 December: Christmas Day
  • Sunday 26 December: Second Day of Christmas

Days that are not public holidays

  • 24 December (Christmas Eve) and 31 December (New Year's Eve) are not public holidays; whether you work depends on your contract and employer. When 24 December falls on a weekday, shops in Hamburg may only open until 14:00.
  • Easter Sunday and Whit Sunday are Sundays anyway, with the usual Sunday closures.

Shops on Sundays and public holidays

On Sundays and public holidays, shops of all kinds must generally be closed to customers in Hamburg. Exceptions exist for certain types of business, for example pharmacies, petrol stations, florists, bakeries and kiosks, under conditions set by law, and tourist areas can have different hours.

Shopping Sundays (verkaufsoffene Sonntage): shops may open on at most four Sundays a year, only in connection with a special event and close to it. District-wide shopping Sundays are no longer allowed.

Plan your weekly shopping for Saturday, especially before long weekends such as Easter, Whitsun and Christmas.

Work and pay on public holidays

  • Time off. Employees may in principle not be employed on Sundays and public holidays from 0:00 to 24:00. The law allows exceptions for many kinds of work; employees who do work on these days must get a substitute rest day, within two weeks for Sunday work and within eight weeks for work on a public holiday that falls on a weekday. At least 15 Sundays a year must stay work-free.
  • Pay. If your working time is lost because of a public holiday, your employer pays you as if you had worked. If you are absent without excuse on the last working day before or the first working day after a holiday, you lose the holiday pay.
  • Weekend holidays. If a holiday falls on a day you would not have worked anyway, such as a Saturday or Sunday for most office jobs, there is nothing to replace; your contract or collective agreement may be more generous.
  • If you commute to another state. Holiday lists differ between federal states. If your workplace is outside Hamburg, check which holidays apply there.

School holidays 2026/27

Hamburg's school holidays are set by the school authority. For the school year 2026/2027:

  • Autumn: 19 to 30 October 2026
  • Christmas: 21 December 2026 to 1 January 2027
  • Half-year break: Friday 29 January 2027
  • Spring: 1 to 12 March 2027
  • Ascension/Whitsun: 7 to 14 May 2027
  • Summer: 1 July to 11 August 2027

The school authority publishes the full holiday plan up to 2029/30. Pupils can be excused from lessons for important religious holidays of their faith.

Watch out

On Sundays and public holidays most shops are closed. Before long weekends such as Easter (Good Friday to Easter Monday), shop in advance.

24 December is not a public holiday, but shops in Hamburg close at 14:00 when it falls on a weekday.

Holiday lists differ between federal states. If you work outside Hamburg, check the holidays that apply at your workplace.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming 24 and 31 December are days off by law. They are not public holidays.
  • Expecting a substitute day off when a holiday falls on a weekend.
  • Forgetting Reformation Day on 31 October, which is a holiday in Hamburg but not in every state.

Tips

  • Pharmacies, petrol stations and certain other businesses may open on Sundays and holidays under conditions set by law; check opening times before you rely on them.
  • Use holidays that fall on a Thursday, such as Ascension Day, to plan a long weekend with one day of leave.
  • If you have children, add the school holidays to your calendar early and plan childcare for those weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Is Reformation Day a holiday in Hamburg?

Yes. The Hamburg parliament made 31 October a public holiday in 2018. In 2026 it falls on a Saturday and in 2027 on a Sunday. On Reformation Day, Hamburg's museums do not charge admission, according to the decision reported at the time.

Do I get a day off if a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday?

Not by law. Holiday pay replaces working time lost because of the holiday. If you would not have worked that day anyway, there is nothing to replace, unless your contract or collective agreement says otherwise.

Can I go shopping on a Sunday in Hamburg?

Only in limited places, such as petrol stations, pharmacies and certain other businesses allowed by law, and on the few event-related shopping Sundays each year.

In your plan

  • Learn the house rules, waste sorting and Sunday rules

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 6 Apr 2027.

  1. hamburg.de (official city portal)
    Schulferien und Feiertage in Hamburg 2026 (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026

    Public holidays 2026 with dates, including Reformation Day on Saturday 31 October 2026.

  2. kalenderpedia.de
    Feiertage Hamburg 2027 (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026

    Dates and weekdays of the ten Hamburg holidays in 2027 (Easter-dependent dates cross-checked with the Easter date 28 March 2027).

  3. evangelisch.de
    Reformationstag wird in Hamburg gesetzlicher Feiertag (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026

    Article of 1 March 2018 on the Bürgerschaft vote (66 of 121 votes); free museum admission on Reformation Day; Hamburg previously had nine holidays.

  4. Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg - Hamburg ServiceOfficial source
    Öffnungszeiten im Einzelhandel (Ladenöffnungszeiten) (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026

    Sunday and holiday closure, exceptions, at most four event-related Sundays, 24 December until 14:00.

  5. Behörde für Schule, Familie und Berufsbildung HamburgOfficial source
    Ferienordnung für die Schuljahre 2024/25 bis 2029/30 in Hamburg (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026
  6. Bundesministerium der Justiz - Gesetze im InternetOfficial source
    Arbeitszeitgesetz § 9 Sonn- und Feiertagsruhe (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026
  7. Bundesministerium der Justiz - Gesetze im InternetOfficial source
    Arbeitszeitgesetz § 11 Ausgleich für Sonn- und Feiertagsbeschäftigung (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026
  8. Bundesministerium der Justiz - Gesetze im InternetOfficial source
    Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz § 2 Entgeltzahlung an Feiertagen (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026

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