St. Stephen's Day in Ireland
St. Stephen's Day falls on Saturday 26 December 2026 in Ireland. It is a fixed date, so only the weekday changes from year to year. In 2026 and 2027 it lands on a weekend, which costs the day off.
| Year | Date | Weekday | What that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 26 December | Friday | long weekend |
| 2026 | 26 December | Saturday | on the weekend — no day off gained |
| 2027 | 26 December | Sunday | on the weekend — no day off gained |
| 2028 | 26 December | Tuesday | one bridge day makes it four days |
4 of 4
- 26 12 St. Stephen's Day Friday
- 26 12 St. Stephen's Day Saturday · falls on a weekend
- 26 12 St. Stephen's Day Sunday · falls on a weekend
- 26 12 St. Stephen's Day Tuesday
A fixed date walking through the week
Because St. Stephen's Day keeps the same date, the weekday advances one step most years and two after a leap year. That walk is the whole story of how good a holiday year feels: the same day off is a long weekend one year and a lost Saturday another, and the difference is nothing but arithmetic.
Sources and last check
Times, offsets and sun positions on this page are computed live from the IANA timezone database and the NOAA solar algorithm, so they do not depend on the review dates below.
- Public holidays for 120 countries, 2025-2028
- Source: date-holidays, generated by scripts/build-holidays.mjs. Last checked, reviewed every 12 months.
Not covered:Public holidays only; regional and observance days are excluded. 21 of our countries are not in the dataset and have no calendar.
FAQ
When is St. Stephen's Day in Ireland in 2026?
Saturday, 26 December 2026.
Is St. Stephen's Day on the same date every year?
Yes — 26 December every year. What changes is the weekday, which decides whether it extends a weekend.
Which years does St. Stephen's Day make a long weekend?
2025 (Friday) — it touches the weekend directly. In 2028 one bridge day buys four days off.