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Norway is a bucket-list trip for UK travellers — the fjords and the scenic railways in summer, the northern lights and winter activities from autumn to spring. Its public holidays follow the Christian calendar, with one enormous secular exception: Constitution Day on 17 May, the day Norway truly celebrates itself. Norway has around a dozen public holidays in 2026, and the Easter period stretches into an unusually long national getaway. This guide lists every public holiday in Norway in 2026 and what it means for visitors.
Public Holidays in Norway 2026 — Full List
The table below lists Norway’s public holidays (helligdager and offentlige fridager) for 2026. All apply nationwide. Easter is unusually long in Norway, running from Maundy Thursday through Easter Monday.
| Date | Holiday (Norwegian) | Holiday (English) | Type | Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Første nyttårsdag | New Year’s Day | National | Thursday |
| 2 April | Skjærtorsdag | Maundy Thursday | National | Thursday |
| 3 April | Langfredag | Good Friday | National | Friday |
| 5 April | Første påskedag | Easter Sunday | National | Sunday |
| 6 April | Andre påskedag | Easter Monday | National | Monday |
| 1 May | Arbeidernes dag | Labour Day | National | Friday |
| 14 May | Kristi himmelfartsdag | Ascension Day | National | Thursday |
| 17 May | Grunnlovsdag | Constitution Day | National | Sunday |
| 24 May | Første pinsedag | Whit Sunday (Pentecost) | National | Sunday |
| 25 May | Andre pinsedag | Whit Monday | National | Monday |
| 25 December | Første juledag | Christmas Day | National | Friday |
| 26 December | Andre juledag | Boxing Day | National | Saturday |
Norway does not move public holidays that fall at the weekend to a weekday. Christmas Eve (24 December) and New Year’s Eve (31 December) are ordinary working days by law but in practice most workplaces and shops close early or fully.
Long Weekends in Norway 2026
Where the three- and four-day breaks fall in 2026:
Easter (2–6 April): Norway’s Easter (Påske) is one of the longest holiday breaks in Europe: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are all public holidays. Combined with the weekend, most Norwegians take the whole period off and head for mountain cabins — cities and offices empty for over a week.
Constitution Day (16–18 May): Constitution Day falls on Sunday 17 May 2026, so the celebrations run across the weekend — the most joyful and patriotic day of the Norwegian year, with children’s parades in every town.
Ascension & Whitsun (mid-May): Ascension Day (Thursday 14 May) invites a bridge-day Friday, and Whit Monday (25 May) rounds off a month rich in long weekends.
What’s Open and Closed on Public Holidays
On public holidays, banks, offices and most shops close, and Norway already restricts Sunday and holiday trading tightly. Supermarkets largely close, though small convenience stores (such as Narvesen and some Bunnpris outlets under the size limit) and petrol-station shops stay open. Restaurants and cafés in tourist areas remain open, but choices thin out in smaller towns.
The Easter period is when Norway most visibly shuts down: from Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday many shops keep very limited hours or close entirely, and city life pauses as people head to the fjells (mountains). Fjord cruises, scenic railways and winter activities generally run on holidays — they are core tourism and operate through the seasons — but always confirm holiday timetables, as some reduce services. Public transport runs to Sunday timetables.
Travel tip: If you visit over Easter, be ready for the ‘Påske’ shutdown: many shops close for several days and Norwegians disappear to the mountains. Stock up before the holidays, confirm that your fjord cruise or railway is running to a holiday timetable, and consider joining the exodus — a mountain cabin at Easter is a quintessential Norwegian experience.
How Norway’s Public Holidays Compare with UK Bank Holidays
Norway’s roughly twelve public holidays are more than England and Wales’s eight, and the clustering is what stands out: a long Easter and a holiday-rich May. Like its Nordic neighbours, Norway does not move weekend holidays to a weekday, and its single great secular holiday — Constitution Day — has an intensity of national celebration the UK has no real equivalent for.
| Feature | United Kingdom | Norway |
|---|---|---|
| Number of holidays | 8 (England & Wales) | ≈12 national |
| Weekend substitute day | Yes — moved to Monday | No — weekend holidays are not moved |
| Easter length | Good Friday & Easter Monday | Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday |
| National day | No single equivalent | Constitution Day (17 May), huge |
| Holiday trading | Allowed | Tightly restricted |
For the British comparison, see our list of UK bank holidays. Norway’s closest cousin is next door — our guide to public holidays in Sweden covers a country with the same Ascension and Whitsun pattern, though Sweden’s giant celebration is Midsummer rather than a national day.
Key Cultural Holidays Explained
Constitution Day (17 May) — Syttende Mai — commemorates the signing of Norway’s constitution at Eidsvoll in 1814. Uniquely, it is celebrated not with military parades but with children’s parades: schoolchildren march with flags and bands through every town, many people wear the traditional bunad costume, and the day is a wave of ice cream, hot dogs and national pride. Oslo’s parade past the Royal Palace is the largest. It is the best possible day to be in Norway.
Easter (Påske) is as much a cultural institution as a religious one. Norwegians flock to mountain cabins to ski the last of the season, and the country embraces påskekrim — ‘Easter crime’ — a tradition of reading and watching crime thrillers over the holiday, complete with specially commissioned TV dramas and detective novels released for the season.
Did you know? Norway has a genuinely unusual Easter tradition: påskekrim, or ‘Easter crime’. Over the long Easter break, Norwegians devour crime novels and TV whodunnits; publishers release special ‘Easter thrillers’, and even milk cartons have carried printed mini-mysteries. It began with a 1923 book advertisement and never went away.
Planning Your Trip Around Public Holidays
For UK travellers, Norway has two headline seasons. Summer (roughly June to August) brings the midnight sun, green fjords and the famous railways, and is the busiest and priciest time. Autumn to early spring (roughly October to March) is aurora season in the north, with Tromsø the hub for northern-lights trips, dog-sledding and whale-watching. The long Easter break is a wonderful — if quiet-in-the-cities — time to see Norway at play in the mountains.
Norway is expensive, so booking ahead is about securing value as much as availability — reserve fjord-side hotels, Tromsø aurora stays and railway journeys early on Booking.com, especially for the summer peak, Constitution Day weekend and Easter. For more on making days off go further, see our guide to long weekends in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many public holidays does Norway have in 2026?
Norway has around a dozen public holidays in 2026, all nationwide. The Easter period alone accounts for four (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday).
Why is Norway’s Easter break so long?
Norway observes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday as public holidays. Combined with the weekend, most Norwegians take the whole period off, making it one of the longest holiday breaks in Europe — much of the country heads to mountain cabins.
Is Constitution Day a public holiday in Norway?
Yes. Constitution Day (Syttende Mai) on 17 May is a national public holiday and the biggest celebration of the year, famous for its children’s parades. In 2026 it falls on a Sunday.
Does Norway move holidays that fall on a weekend?
No. Norway does not shift weekend public holidays to a weekday. In 2026, Constitution Day and both Pentecost days fall on Sundays and are simply observed then.
Are shops open on public holidays in Norway?
Most shops close, as Norway restricts holiday trading. Small convenience stores under a certain size and petrol-station shops stay open, along with restaurants in tourist areas. The Easter period sees the widest closures.
Do fjord cruises and railways run on public holidays?
Generally yes — they are core tourism and run through the seasons — but some reduce to holiday timetables, so always confirm your specific service, especially over Easter.
Is Christmas Eve a holiday in Norway?
Christmas Eve (24 December) is technically a normal working day, but in practice most shops and workplaces close early or fully, as it is the main day of the Norwegian Christmas celebration.
Sources & Last Verified
Norway — official travel and public-holiday information (visitnorway.com) — visitnorway.com
Nager.Date Public Holiday API — Norway 2026 — date.nager.at/PublicHolidays/2026/NO
Cross-checked against Office Holidays and timeanddate.com
Last verified: 27 July 2026
Author: Bank Holidays UK Editorial Team