A country tells you what it values by the days it stops working. Tunisia’s calendar is a double one — a fixed grid of national dates that mark the long road to independence, laid over a lunar cycle of religious festivals that drift earlier by eleven days each year. Read them together and you get a compact history of the place: the anti-colonial struggle, the birth of the republic, the rights of women and workers, and the rhythms of Islam as it is actually lived here. Whether you’re planning a trip around them or just trying to work out why the banks are shut, here is the complete calendar, what each holiday commemorates, and what it means on the ground. (Dates below are for 2026; the lunar holidays shift each year and are confirmed by moon sighting.)
The Fixed National Holidays
These fall on the same Gregorian date every year and are observed as days off for schools, government, and most businesses.
New Year’s Day — 1 January. Tunisia rings in the Gregorian new year much as the rest of the Mediterranean does, a low-key public holiday of family meals and a day’s rest.
Independence Day — 20 March. The cornerstone of the modern calendar, marking the end of the French protectorate in 1956 and the leadership of Habib Bourguiba, the man who became the country’s first president. Expect official ceremonies and flags; our piece on Independence Day tells the fuller story of what was won that day.
Martyrs’ Day — 9 April. A solemn date honouring the Tunisians killed demanding independence, particularly those who fell in the demonstrations of 9 April 1938. Wreaths are laid; the tone is one of remembrance rather than celebration. More in our piece on Martyrs’ Day.
Labour Day — 1 May. The international workers’ holiday, observed across Tunisia and historically tied to the powerful trade-union tradition that has shaped the country’s politics. See our note on Labour Day in Tunisia.
Republic Day — 25 July. The day in 1957 when the monarchy was abolished and the Republic of Tunisia was proclaimed. A genuinely significant civic anniversary, marked with official events.
Women’s Day — 13 August. One of the dates Tunisia is quietly proudest of. It commemorates the 1956 Code of Personal Status, the landmark law that gave Tunisian women rights — including the outlawing of polygamy — far ahead of the regional norm. Our piece on National Women’s Day explains why it still resonates.
Evacuation Day — 15 October. The final chapter of independence: the departure of the last French troops from the naval base at Bizerte in 1963. It is the day full sovereignty was completed. More in Evacuation Day.
Revolution and Youth Day — 17 December. The newest and most contested date. It marks the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Sidi Bouzid in 2010, the spark of the revolution that ended the Ben Ali era and set off the Arab Spring. The anniversary was long observed on 14 January; it has since been reframed around 17 December, the day the uprising began. The background is in our piece on Revolution Day.
The Moving Islamic Holidays
These follow the lunar Hijri calendar and shift about eleven days earlier each Gregorian year, with the exact day confirmed by the sighting of the moon. The 2026 dates below are approximate.
Eid al-Fitr. The festival that ends Ramadan, the month of fasting. After weeks of iftar tables and late nights, Eid arrives with new clothes, family visits, and a table of sweets and special dishes — among them charmoula, the sweet onion-and-raisin relish that is, for many Tunisians, the unmistakable taste of Eid el-Fitr.
Eid al-Adha. The Feast of Sacrifice, the larger and more solemn of the two Eids, commemorating the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son. Families that can afford to slaughter a sheep, and the day reorganizes the entire household around the ritual — as we described in Eid al-Adha in Tunisia.
Islamic New Year (Ras el Am el Hijri). The first day of Muharram, opening a new Hijri year. It is a quiet public holiday, observed with little fanfare beyond the day off.
Mouled (the Prophet’s Birthday). The celebration of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, and one of the warmest dates on the calendar — nowhere more so than in Kairouan, which fills with processions, Sufi song, and the scent of incense, while households across the country make bowls of assidat zgougou to share. The whole story is in our guide to Mouled in Tunisia.
What This Means If You’re Visiting
A little planning around the calendar goes a long way. Ramadan is the big one to understand: for the month preceding Eid al-Fitr, many cafés and restaurants close during daylight, business hours shorten, and the country’s rhythm shifts to the night — fascinating to experience, but worth knowing before you book. During the two Eids, government offices and many businesses close for two or three days, intercity transport gets crowded as families travel, and museums and sites may keep reduced hours. The fixed national holidays are gentler for travellers — sites generally stay open — though you’ll find official ceremonies and the occasional road closure in city centres.
If you’re timing a trip, our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Tunisia and the companion Tunisia weather guide will help you weigh the holidays against the seasons, and our transport guide covers how the festival weeks affect getting around. For the deeper context on how faith is woven through all of this, see Religion in Tunisia.
From the Carthage Magazine Bookshelf
If you’re building a trip around Tunisia’s calendar — or just want to understand the country behind the dates — three Carthage Magazine ebooks were made for it:
- All About Tunisia — the definitive English-language traveler’s guide. 572 pages, 27 chapters, all nine regions, every UNESCO inscription, five thematic trails, and the practical answers — including the holidays that move the calendar — most travelers wish they’d had on the plane. $24.99 · PDF & EPUB
- Speak Like a Local — 200+ Tunisian Arabic phrases with native audio recorded in Tunis, including the greetings for Eid and the festivals. $14.99 · PDF, EPUB, MP3
- The Authentic Tunisian Cookbook — sixty traditional recipes, including the holiday dishes — charmoula, assidat zgougou, the Eid sweets — that mark these days. $9.99 · PDF & EPUB
All three available as a bundle for $39.99 — guide, language, and food, delivered together.
