Is Halloween a Public Holiday in Germany? What Really Happens on October 31 and November 1
Picture a Saturday evening in Hamburg at the end of October. Kids in witch hats are heading down the street, bars have fake cobwebs in the windows, and yet earlier that day the supermarkets were shut and many locals treated the date as a quiet holiday. It sounds contradictory, but it’s exactly what October 31 looks like in much of northern and eastern Germany, and it catches visitors off guard every year.
So, is Halloween a public holiday in Germany? No, it isn’t, anywhere. But October 31 is a public holiday in nine states for a completely different reason, and November 1 is one in five more. Here is how it works.
Halloween Is Not an Official Holiday
No German state recognizes Halloween as a public holiday or a day off work. It’s treated as a private, commercial, and social occasion, a night for parties and costumes rather than a legal rest day. Schools, offices, and shops in states without a holiday on that date run as normal.
Five of these (Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia) have long observed the day. Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein added it from 2018, after 2017’s 500th anniversary of the Reformation briefly made it a nationwide day off.
November 1 Is Allerheiligen in Five States
The day after, Allerheiligen (All Saints’ Day) is a public holiday in:
State
Allerheiligen (1 Nov)
Baden-Württemberg
Public holiday
Bavaria (Bayern)
Public holiday
North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)
Public holiday
Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz)
Public holiday
Saarland
Public holiday
Families in these largely Catholic regions visit cemeteries, tidy graves, and light candles. The mood is quiet and reflective, and in some states the day carries restrictions on public entertainment, so it’s worth checking local rules if you’re planning a late-night Halloween event that runs past midnight.
What About 2026 Specifically?
Both dates land on a weekend this year. October 31, 2026 is a Saturday and November 1, 2026 is a Sunday. German states generally don’t give a replacement day off when a holiday falls on a weekend, so nobody gains a bonus day. The effect is mostly on shopping: in the nine Reformationstag states, most shops will be closed on Saturday, October 31, which is unusual for a Saturday. Exceptions include train stations, airports, and some bakeries and petrol stations.
Looking ahead, in 2027 October 31 falls on a Sunday and November 1 on a Monday, which means a long weekend for the five All Saints’ Day states.
Why Halloween and Reformationstag Collide
The overlap isn’t a coincidence, and it’s one reason Halloween has a harder time gaining ground in Germany. Halloween derives from “All Hallows’ Eve,” the evening before All Saints’ Day. Reformationstag fell on that same date because Luther chose it deliberately in 1517. In Protestant regions, October 31 carries serious historical weight, and some churches have pushed back against the idea of it being overshadowed by an imported celebration. The story of how Halloween arrived is covered in How Halloween Came to Germany.
Check your state before shopping. If you’re in one of the nine Reformationstag states, buy food, costumes, and candy by Friday.
Don’t expect a day off. Even in states with the holiday, it’s about Luther, not Halloween.
Respect the quiet in Catholic regions. On November 1, expect a calm atmosphere, especially around cemeteries.
Confirm event times. Halloween parties are commercial events, and organizers sometimes adjust around holiday restrictions.
Verify close to the date. Holiday laws are set by each state, so a quick check of your state’s official calendar is always wise.
FAQ
Is Halloween a public holiday in Germany? No. Halloween is not an official holiday in any German state.
What holiday is October 31 in Germany? Reformationstag (Reformation Day), a public holiday in Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, and Thuringia.
Is November 1 a holiday in Germany? Yes, in five states: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland, where it’s All Saints’ Day (Allerheiligen).
Are shops open on Halloween in Germany? In states where October 31 is Reformationstag, most shops are closed. Elsewhere, shops follow normal opening hours, though in 2026 the date falls on a Saturday.
