# Brazil Public Holidays 2026–2027: A Calendar for US Teams > Every day a developer in Brazil will be off through 2027, which ones the US shares, Carnival and the local holidays, and how to plan releases around them. - Author: Filipe Eduardo, Senior Software Engineer (https://filipeeduardo.dev/) - Published: September 28, 2026 - Topic: Hiring in Brazil · Tags: Hiring, Nearshore, Planning, Remote work - Canonical URL: https://filipeeduardo.dev/blog/brazil-public-holidays-us-teams ## Key takeaways - Brazil has nine national holidays a year set by federal law, plus Good Friday and Carnival, which almost everyone takes off. - Only a few dates line up with US holidays. In 2027 there are nine weekdays when your Brazilian developer is off and your US team works, and ten the other way round. - Put both calendars in the contract or team calendar at the start of the year, and never plan a release for Carnival week. When you work with a developer in Brazil, the holidays that catch US teams out are not the obvious ones. Christmas and New Year are shared. Carnival, Tiradentes and November’s cluster of holidays are not, and neither is Thanksgiving for the Brazilian side. This post lists the dates through the end of 2027, marks the ones both countries share, and explains the local holidays on top. It is part of [the complete guide to hiring a senior engineer in Brazil](/blog/hire-senior-software-engineer-brazil); for working hours across time zones, see [Brazil time zones for US teams](/blog/brazil-time-zone-us-overlap). ## What are Brazil’s national holidays? Federal law sets these national holidays: January 1, April 21 (Tiradentes), May 1 (Labor Day), September 7 (Independence Day), November 2 (All Souls’ Day), November 15 (Proclamation of the Republic) and December 25 ([Law 662/1949](https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l0662.htm)), plus October 12 (Our Lady of Aparecida) and, since 2024, November 20 (Black Consciousness Day, [Law 14,759/2023](https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2023-2026/2023/lei/l14759.htm)). Two more are not national holidays on paper but work like them. **Good Friday** is a religious holiday declared by cities, and nearly all do. **Carnival** Monday and Tuesday are an optional day off for the federal government, not a legal holiday, but most companies and most of the country stop. Unlike the US, Brazil does not move a holiday that falls on a weekend to the nearest weekday. When a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, many people also take the Monday or Friday in between off as a bridge (*emenda*). ## Which days are off through 2027? Date Brazilian holiday US federal holiday too? Mon, Oct 12, 2026 Our Lady of Aparecida Yes (Columbus Day) Mon, Nov 2, 2026 All Souls’ Day No Sun, Nov 15, 2026 Proclamation of the Republic No (falls on a Sunday) Fri, Nov 20, 2026 Black Consciousness Day No Fri, Dec 25, 2026 Christmas Yes Fri, Jan 1, 2027 New Year’s Day Yes Mon–Tue, Feb 8–9, 2027 Carnival (Ash Wednesday is usually a half day) No Fri, Mar 26, 2027 Good Friday No Wed, Apr 21, 2027 Tiradentes No Sat, May 1, 2027 Labor Day No (falls on a Saturday) Thu, May 27, 2027 Corpus Christi (optional day off, widely taken) No Tue, Sep 7, 2027 Independence Day No (US Labor Day is Sep 6) Tue, Oct 12, 2027 Our Lady of Aparecida No (Columbus Day is Oct 11) Tue, Nov 2, 2027 All Souls’ Day No Mon, Nov 15, 2027 Proclamation of the Republic No Sat, Nov 20, 2027 Black Consciousness Day No (falls on a Saturday) Sat, Dec 25, 2027 Christmas Observed Fri, Dec 24 in the US Carnival, Good Friday and Corpus Christi move every year because they follow Easter. US dates are from the [Office of Personnel Management](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/). ## Which US holidays does your Brazilian developer work through? Most of them. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving are normal working days in Brazil. That is useful: a developer who works on those days can ship fixes, handle support or prepare the next release while the US office is quiet. Agree in advance whether you expect them to, and what they work on without anyone to review it. ## What about local holidays? States and cities add their own. São Paulo city stops on January 25, its anniversary, and São Paulo state on July 9. Rio de Janeiro city stops on January 20 and Rio state on April 23. In the Northeast, the June festivals around São João are a major holiday season. Ask your developer for their local dates once a year; it takes two minutes. ## How should a US team plan around them? - **Share one calendar.** Add the Brazilian holidays to the team calendar at the start of the year, with the developer’s own local dates. - **Plan releases away from Carnival and the November holidays.** In 2027, Carnival week and the stretch from November 2 to 15 have the most days off. - **Agree on holidays in the contract.** A contractor sets their own schedule, so write down which days they will be off, or how many, instead of assuming. - **Use the US-only holidays.** Your developer’s working days during Thanksgiving week are good for work that needs no meetings. > Planning a team with a developer in Brazil? Email me at [me@filipeeduardo.dev](mailto:me@filipeeduardo.dev) with your release calendar and I’ll point out where the two calendars clash. > > Work with me ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Carnival a public holiday in Brazil? Not by federal law. Carnival Monday and Tuesday are an optional day off for the federal government, and a holiday in some states and cities, but most companies close and most people are off. In 2027 Carnival falls on February 8–9. ### How many public holidays does Brazil have? Nine national holidays set by federal law, plus Good Friday, which cities declare, and Carnival and Corpus Christi, which work like holidays in most of the country. States and cities add a few local ones. ### Do Brazilian developers work on US holidays? Usually yes. Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Memorial Day and most other US federal holidays are normal working days in Brazil. Only New Year’s Day and Christmas are shared every year; other dates line up only in some years. ## Sources - [Planalto — Law 662/1949 (national holidays)](https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l0662.htm) - [Planalto — Law 14,759/2023 (Black Consciousness Day)](https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2023-2026/2023/lei/l14759.htm) - [OPM — Federal holidays](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/)