Public holidays in Morocco 2026 and 2027: the complete guide
Morocco has two kinds of public holidays: national days with a fixed date in the Gregorian calendar, and religious holidays that follow the Hijri calendar and come about ten to eleven days earlier each year. In 2026 the country counts 15 public holidays and 18 paid days off, and 15 holidays and 18 days off are expected in 2027. This guide explains how each date is set, the rules for employees, and how to plan the year around them.
National holidays with a fixed date
Eleven national holidays fall on the same date every year: New Year's Day (1 January), the Independence Manifesto (11 January), the Amazigh New Year, Yennayer (14 January), Labour Day (1 May), Throne Day (30 July), Oued Ed-Dahab Day (14 August), the Revolution of the King and the People (20 August), Youth Day (21 August), Unity Day (31 October), Green March Day (6 November) and Independence Day (18 November).
The list is set by decree. For private companies, decree 2-04-426 of 29 December 2004 lists the paid holidays in agricultural and non-agricultural work; for the civil service, the reference is decree 2-77-169. Unity Day is the latest addition: announced by the Royal Cabinet in November 2025, it was added to both lists by decrees 2-26-14 and 2-25-1140 in January 2026, so 31 October 2026 is the first time it is a day off.
Religious holidays and the moon sighting
Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, the Islamic New Year (1 Muharram) and the Prophet's Birthday (Mawlid) follow the Hijri calendar, where each month begins with the sighting of the new crescent. The Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs announces the result, usually on the evening before, which is why the exact day of an Eid is only confirmed at the last moment.
The Hijri year is about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian one, so these holidays move earlier every year: Eid al-Fitr fell on 20 March 2026 and is expected on 10 March 2027. The 2027 religious dates on this page are expected dates, shown with a dashed outline in the calendar, and they will be updated as soon as the ministry confirms them. Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and the Mawlid each give two days off, the Islamic New Year one.
Paid holidays: the rules for employees
In the private sector, the Labour Code (law 65-99, article 217 and the following articles) forbids employers to make staff work on paid holidays and public holidays, and a holiday does not reduce the pay of employees paid by the month, the fortnight or the week. Businesses that cannot stop, such as hospitals, hotels or transport, keep staff at work; the employee then receives extra pay for that day, which employer and employee can agree to replace with a paid day of rest. A collective agreement or your contract may give more.
Civil servants and public agents are off on the same days under the civil service decree. To check a payslip after a month with holidays, the salary calculator converts gross pay to net, and the severance pay calculator covers what is due when a contract ends.
2026 and 2027 at a glance
The table counts, for each year, the holidays and paid days off, how many of those days land on a Saturday or a Sunday, how many fall on a Monday or a Friday and so make a long weekend, and how many fall on a Tuesday or a Thursday, leaving a single working day before the weekend.
| Year | Holidays | Paid days off | On a weekend | Monday or Friday | Tuesday or Thursday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| 2027 | 15 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
Planning around the holidays
For shops and offices, a holiday changes opening hours, deliveries and deadlines: check the next holiday at the top of this page before promising a date, and remember that public administrations close on all of them. A Tuesday or a Thursday off does not make the day in between a holiday; closing it is a choice each employer makes.
Families can combine public holidays with school breaks: the school holidays calendar lists the five breaks of 2026-2027 and the Eid days off for pupils. In Ramadan, the prayer times for your city give the iftar time every evening.