Aracaju public holidays 2026: municipal, state, national and optional days off — what comes next

As of September 1, 2026, the next public holiday in Aracaju is September 7, a Monday, Brazil's Independence Day. After that, the calendar still includes October 12, November 2, November 15, November 20, December 8 and December 25. December 8 is especially important for anyone relying on generic national calendars: in Aracaju, it is a municipal holiday honoring Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.

To plan work, public-service appointments, trips or other commitments, it is essential to distinguish a public holiday from an optional public-sector day off (ponto facultativo). National holidays, Sergipe's state holiday and Aracaju's municipal holidays make up the legal holiday calendar applicable in the city. Optional days off, by contrast, depend on the public authority that declares them and do not automatically mean a general day off for private-sector workers.

What is the next public holiday in Aracaju?

The next holiday is September 7, 2026, a Monday, Brazil's Independence Day. For advance planning, three national holidays fall on Mondays in the following part of the year: September 7, October 12 and November 2.

• September 7, Monday: Independence Day — national holiday.
• October 12, Monday: Our Lady of Aparecida — national holiday.
• November 2, Monday: All Souls' Day — national holiday.
• November 15, Sunday: Proclamation of the Republic — national holiday, but it falls on the weekend.
• November 20, Friday: National Day of Zumbi and Black Consciousness — national holiday.
• December 8, Tuesday: Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception — municipal holiday in Aracaju.
• December 25, Friday: Christmas — national holiday.

Aracaju public holiday calendar for 2026

The table below brings together the holidays that actually form Aracaju's calendar: national holidays published by the Federal Government, Sergipe's state holiday and the three municipal holidays identified by the City of Aracaju.

What are Aracaju's three municipal holidays?

The City of Aracaju's institutional publication Aracaju em Dados lists three municipal holidays: March 17, June 24 and December 8. This distinction prevents a common error in generic calendars, which sometimes show national dates only.

March 17: Aracaju Anniversary

In 2026, March 17 fell on a Tuesday. The City itself treated the date as a municipal holiday when it announced service hours for the capital's 171st anniversary. Essential services continued to operate, while administrative offices resumed normal service the following day. The official notice is available from the City of Aracaju.

June 24: Saint John’s Day

Saint John’s Day is a municipal holiday in Aracaju and fell on a Wednesday in 2026. The municipal notice issued on June 23 confirmed that only essential services would operate on the holiday. Sergipe's 2026 state decree also lists June 24 as an optional day off for state public administration; in Aracaju, however, the date already has the status of a municipal holiday.

December 8: Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

December 8, dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of Aracaju, is a municipal holiday. In 2026 it falls on a Tuesday. The City also officially described the date as a municipal holiday in its 2025 service notice, reinforcing the classification already found in its institutional data. See the municipal publication.

What is Sergipe's state holiday in 2026?

The state holiday is July 8, Independence of Sergipe. In 2026, it fell on a Wednesday. State Decree No. 1,333, dated December 30, 2025, identifies the date as a state holiday and also establishes optional days off for the state public administration.

The same decree states that legally declared municipal holidays must be observed by state offices located in the respective municipalities. This matters in Aracaju because the city's three municipal holidays also affect the normal operation of state offices located in the capital.

Optional public-sector days off in 2026: which ones affect Aracaju?

An optional day off is not a single citywide category. Federal, state and municipal governments may adopt different calendars for their own agencies. The safest way to use the list is therefore to check the scope column.

The 2026 federal calendar was published through MGI Ordinance No. 11,460/2025. In Sergipe, Decree No. 1,333/2025 established the annual calendar, and the State Government later added June 5 as an optional day off. At municipal level, the City issued specific decrees during 2026 for Carnival, April 2, April 20, June 5 and June 29; the City's official search page gathers those notices.

Is Corpus Christi a municipal holiday in Aracaju?

There is a wording inconsistency in municipal sources that deserves attention. A City notice about June 4 uses the word “holiday” while explaining service hours. However, the institutional document listing Aracaju's municipal holidays records only March 17, June 24 and December 8. In addition, both the federal and state 2026 calendars treat Corpus Christi as an optional public-sector day off. For that reason, this guide does not classify June 4 as a fourth municipal holiday; for practical service-hour purposes, readers should check with the specific agency or employer.

Are a public holiday and an optional public-sector day off the same thing?

No. A public holiday is a date legally recognized as a holiday at national, state or municipal level. An optional public-sector day off is an administrative decision about office hours and applies to the organization that declared it. A federal optional day off, for example, does not require a private company in Aracaju to release its employees.

Likewise, a long weekend does not automatically exist just because a holiday falls close to a weekend. The Monday before Tiradentes and the Friday after Corpus Christi became optional days off in certain public administrations because specific acts established them. Without such an act, an applicable labor rule or an employer decision, a bridge day should not be assumed.

Which holidays are still left in 2026?

After September 1, these are the holidays that still affect Aracaju:

1. September 7, Monday — Independence of Brazil.
2. October 12, Monday — Our Lady of Aparecida.
3. November 2, Monday — All Souls' Day.
4. November 15, Sunday — Proclamation of the Republic.
5. November 20, Friday — National Day of Zumbi and Black Consciousness.
6. December 8, Tuesday — Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Aracaju municipal holiday.
7. December 25, Friday — Christmas.

For public offices, it is also useful to monitor October 28, December 24 and December 31, dates listed as optional days off in federal and/or state calendars. Municipal office hours may depend on a separate decree published closer to the date.

How to plan the calendar without mistakes

• Confirm the scope: national, state, municipal, or only an optional day off for a specific public authority.
• Check the weekday: in 2026, Sep. 7, Oct. 12 and Nov. 2 fall on Mondays; Nov. 15 falls on a Sunday; Nov. 20 and Dec. 25 fall on Fridays; Dec. 8 falls on a Tuesday.
• Do not treat an optional day off as an automatic private-sector holiday: companies may keep normal business hours.
• For public services, check the specific notice: health, security, street cleaning, markets, fairs and transport may follow different schedules even on holidays.
• Before traveling or booking an appointment: confirm hours directly with the establishment or agency, especially on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

Official sources used for this calendar

This calendar combines three levels of official sources: MGI Ordinance No. 11,460/2025 for national holidays and federal optional days off; Sergipe State Decree No. 1,333/2025 for the state holiday and state office calendar; and publications from the City of Aracaju for the three municipal holidays and municipal optional-day decrees. The classification reflects information available through September 1, 2026.