Bulgaria public holidays 2027: long weekends and what's closed in Varna

Bulgaria has 12 weekday days off in 2027. The highlights are a five-day break from Friday 30 April to Tuesday 4 May, when Orthodox Easter (2 May) merges with Labour Day, and another five days from 24 to 28 December. Three more long weekends fall in January, May and September.

Which days are public holidays in Bulgaria in 2027?

Date	Day	Holiday
1 January	Friday	New Year’s Day
3 March	Wednesday	Liberation Day (national day)
30 April	Friday	Good Friday
1 May	Saturday	Holy Saturday and Labour Day
2–3 May	Sun–Mon	Easter Sunday and Easter Monday
4 May	Tuesday	Day off in lieu of Labour Day
6 May	Thursday	St George’s Day, Day of the Armed Forces
24 May	Monday	Day of Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture
6 September	Monday	Unification Day
22 September	Wednesday	Independence Day
1 November	Monday	National Awakeners Day (schools and universities only)
24–26 December	Fri–Sun	Christmas Eve and Christmas
27–28 December	Mon–Tue	Days off in lieu of Christmas

How do substitute days work?

Under Art. 154(2) of the Labour Code, when an official holiday other than Easter falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the first one or two working days after it are days off. In 2027 this matters twice:

• Labour Day (Sat 1 May) coincides with Holy Saturday. Monday 3 May is already Easter Monday, so the first working day after is Tuesday 4 May. 2021 had exactly the same calendar, and 4 May was a day off then.
• Christmas (Sat 25 and Sun 26 December) gives Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December off.

The Council of Ministers can also declare one-off extra days, as it did for 2 January 2026 for the euro changeover. As of 2026-10 we found no such decision for 2027, so check gov.bg before booking.

Where are the long weekends in 2027?

• 1–3 January (Fri–Sun).
• 30 April – 4 May (Fri–Tue). With two days of leave on 5 and 7 May, you get ten days off in a row, from 30 April to 9 May.
• 22–24 May and 4–6 September (Sat–Mon).
• 24–28 December (Fri–Tue). New Year’s Day 2028 is a Saturday, so Monday 3 January 2028 should be off too: three days of leave (29–31 December) give you 24 December to 3 January.

What’s open in Varna on public holidays?

• Shops: most supermarkets, malls and pharmacies open, often with shorter hours. Small shops and market stalls may close, especially on 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December.
• Banks and municipal offices: closed. ATMs and card payments work as normal (see everyday essentials).
• Buses: they run, sometimes on a reduced timetable. Check live departures on Varna Traffic or in the TTickets app (buses and tickets).
• Museums: opening hours vary on holidays, so check before you go.

What about Varna’s own holiday?

Varna Day, 15 August, is the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, the patron of the city’s cathedral. It is not a national day off, and in 2027 it falls on a Sunday anyway. Expect church services, concerts and a busy seafront.

Which 2026 holidays are left?

• 1 November 2026 is a Sunday: no extra day off.
• 24–28 December 2026 (Thu–Mon): Christmas, plus Monday 28 December in lieu of 26 December.
• 1 January 2027 is a Friday: a three-day weekend.

How to plan

Book trains, buses and hotels early for the Easter–May break and Christmas, when many people travel to see family. For a winter break by the sea, see Varna in winter.