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June 24 is is public holiday in Spain, but only in certain regions
Only three autonomous communities in Spain celebrate the festivo of San Juan
The shortest night of the year is almost here and if you're planning to mark it with a bonfire on the beach, you're in good company. The Feast of San Juan on Wednesday June 24 is one of the most atmospheric celebrations in the Spanish calendar, but whether you get the day off work depends very much on where you live.
According to the Official State Gazette and the 2026 work calendar, only three autonomous communities will observe June 24 as an official public holiday: Catalonia, the Valencian Community and Galicia. That means all 11 provinces within those regions get the day off, but the rest of Spain does not.
More than 300 towns and cities across the country have their own municipal holiday on June 24, even where the surrounding province treats it as a normal working day. Provincial capitals and larger cities including León, Albacete, Badajoz and Soria are among those that have added San Juan to their local holiday calendar.
This year the date falls on a Wednesday, which rules out any hope of a long weekend for those who do get the day off.
The festival itself has roots that go back well beyond its current religious association with Saint John the Baptist. The timing coincides with the summer solstice, a moment that ancient cultures across Europe marked with bonfires, sun worship and rituals centred on fertility and renewal. When Christianity spread across the continent, many of those older traditions were absorbed into the religious calendar rather than replaced, which is why fire, water and purification remain so central to the way the night is celebrated today.
How people actually mark the occasion varies from place to place. In Alicante, the tradition of jumping over the bonfires is deeply embedded in local culture, with the idea being that leaping through the flames burns away negative energy and bad feelings, leaving you cleansed and ready for the months ahead. It's a tradition that has spread well beyond Alicante over the years and is now a familiar sight along many stretches of the Spanish coast on the night of June 23.
For those not in one of the three lucky autonomous communities, the next national public holiday to look forward to is August 15 for the Assumption of the Virgin, though this year that one falls on a Saturday, which won't please anyone either.
