Morocco Public Holidays 2027: Dates and What Closes
Updated
Morocco has 15 public holidays in 2027: eleven civil holidays on fixed dates, from New Year’s Day on Friday 1 January to Independence Day on Thursday 18 November, and four religious feasts that follow the lunar calendar and are confirmed only by moon sighting, led by Eid al-Fitr, expected around Wednesday 10 March, and Eid al-Adha, expected around Monday 17 May. On civil holidays, banks and offices close while most of Marrakech carries on; the two Eids are the days that really empty the city.
Morocco public holidays 2027: the full calendar
Weekdays below are for 2027. Religious dates are the expected ones and are marked provisional: each is announced by the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs, usually the evening before, and can move by a day.
| Date 2027 | Holiday | What closes |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 1 January | New Year’s Day | Banks, offices; most shops open |
| Monday 11 January | Independence Manifesto Day | Banks, offices, schools |
| Thursday 14 January | Amazigh New Year (Yennayer) | Banks, offices, schools |
| Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 March (provisional) | Eid al-Fitr, end of Ramadan | Most shops, souks and family restaurants on day one |
| Saturday 1 May | Labour Day | Offices; marches in the cities |
| Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 May (provisional) | Eid al-Adha | Most of the city for two to three days |
| Sunday 6 June (provisional) | Islamic New Year, 1 Muharram 1449 | Offices; little visible change |
| Friday 30 July | Throne Day | Banks, offices; celebrations and flags |
| Saturday 14 August | Oued Ed-Dahab Day | Offices |
| Saturday 14 or Sunday 15 August (provisional) | Mawlid, the Prophet’s Birthday | Offices; the public sector takes two days |
| Friday 20 August | Revolution of the King and the People | Banks, offices |
| Saturday 21 August | Youth Day | Offices |
| Sunday 31 October | Unity Day (Aid Al Wahda) | Offices |
| Saturday 6 November | Green March Day | Offices |
| Thursday 18 November | Independence Day | Banks, offices, schools |
Note how many fall on a weekend in 2027: 1 May, 14 and 21 August and 6 November are Saturdays, 31 October a Sunday, and the Islamic New Year and Mawlid are both expected on a weekend too. Morocco does not move a holiday to the Monday when it falls on a weekend, so for working Moroccans 2027 has fewer long weekends than usual, and for visitors fewer weekday closures.
The civil holidays, briefly
Most of the fixed dates are national commemorations. They matter for anything administrative, and you will see flags, portraits of the King and the odd parade, but the souks, gardens, cafés and restaurants of Marrakech generally carry on as normal.
- 11 January marks the 1944 Proclamation of Independence; 18 November, independence from France in 1956.
- 14 January, Yennayer, the Amazigh (Berber) New Year, has been a paid national holiday since 2024.
- 30 July, Throne Day, celebrates the accession of King Mohammed VI, usually with a royal speech.
- 14, 20 and 21 August: the return of the Oued Ed-Dahab province, the Revolution of the King and the People (the 1953 exile of Sultan Mohammed V) and Youth Day, the King’s birthday.
- 31 October, Unity Day, is the newest: a royal decision of 4 November 2025 made it a national holiday every year, announced in a Royal Cabinet communiqué on maroc.ma. It was first observed on Saturday 31 October 2026.
- 6 November commemorates the Green March of 1975 into the Western Sahara.
The religious holidays of 2027
Religious feasts follow the Hijri calendar, which is about eleven days shorter than ours, so they move earlier every year. Morocco fixes each date by naked-eye sighting of the new crescent rather than by calculation, which is why the official date can differ by a day from what calendars print.
| Feast | Hijri date | Expected in 2027 | Days off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eid al-Fitr | 1 Shawwal 1448 | Wednesday 10 March (possibly 9 or 11) | 2 |
| Eid al-Adha | 10 Dhu al-Hijja 1448 | Monday 17 May (possibly 16 or 18) | 2 |
| Islamic New Year | 1 Muharram 1449 | Sunday 6 June (possibly 7) | 1 |
| Mawlid | 12 Rabi al-Awwal 1449 | Saturday 14 or Sunday 15 August | 1 to 2 |
Ramadan itself is not a public holiday, but it shapes the whole month before Eid al-Fitr: expected from around Monday 8 February to Tuesday 9 March 2027, with shorter office hours and quieter days. Everything a visitor needs to know is in our guide to Ramadan in Marrakech, and the two feasts are covered in detail in Eid in Marrakech. Ashura, on 10 Muharram, is celebrated with drums and sweets in the medina but is not a day off.
What closes on a public holiday
The difference between a civil holiday and an Eid is the single most useful thing to know. A civil holiday closes offices; an Eid closes the city.
| What | Civil holiday | First day of Eid |
|---|---|---|
| Banks, post offices, administrations | Closed | Closed |
| ATMs and card payments | Work normally | Work, but machines can run low |
| Souks and medina shops | Mostly open | Mostly closed |
| Supermarkets | Open | Shorter hours or closed |
| Restaurants | Open | Hotels open; many family-run places closed |
| Gardens and monuments | Usually open | The Jardin Majorelle opens daily; check state monuments on the day |
| Trains, coaches, taxis | Running, busier | Reduced service, very busy before and after |
Withdraw dirhams a day or two before an Eid or a long weekend, especially for tips and small purchases in the medina. More in our guide to cash, ATMs and card payments in Marrakech.
Planning a 2027 trip around the holidays
Read month by month, 2027 has four moments to plan around.
- January
Three holidays in two weeks
1, 11 and 14 January: banks and offices close, the rest of the city barely notices. Yennayer brings Amazigh music and dishes. Weather and ideas: Marrakech in January.
- February and March
Ramadan, then Eid al-Fitr
Ramadan from around 8 February, Eid around 10 and 11 March. Every French winter school holiday and the UK’s February half-term fall inside the month. See Marrakech in February.
- May
Labour Day and Eid al-Adha
1 May is a Saturday. Eid al-Adha is expected on Monday 17 May, the same day as Whit Monday in France, so Moroccans and French visitors travel the same weekend. Book flights and transfers early.
- Late July and August
Five holidays in four weeks
30 July, then 14, 20 and 21 August, with Mawlid expected on 14 or 15 August. Moroccans head for the coast, and Marrakech is hot and quieter. Choosing a villa for the heat: Marrakech in summer.
The autumn holidays, 31 October, 6 and 18 November, have little effect on a stay beyond closed banks.
2026 in brief
For reference, the religious dates officially announced in 2026 were: Eid al-Fitr on Friday 20 March, with an exceptional extra day off for public administrations and banks on Monday 23 March; Eid al-Adha on Wednesday 27 May, with the holiday on 27 and 28 May, as Hespress reported from the ministry’s announcement; the Islamic New Year on Wednesday 17 June; and Mawlid on Tuesday 25 August. The pattern from one year to the next is the useful lesson: each feast came about ten to eleven days earlier than the year before, and each was confirmed only a few days ahead.
Where to stay over a holiday
On the days when restaurants close and taxis are scarce, two things help: staff who cook at home, and a house close enough to the centre that a short drive or a walk gets you to whatever is open. Villa Four Seasons sits inside the Four Seasons Marrakech, five minutes from downtown, with dedicated staff, access to hotel services and a concierge. Villa Arwa, near the Majorelle garden, is also five minutes from downtown, with a housekeeper-cook and a housekeeper from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a gardener-caretaker.
More houses within a short drive of the medina: villas near Marrakech centre. For a cook on site, see our guide to villa staff, which explains how staff cover the days of Eid.
Holidays 2027
Plan your dates around the calendar
Tell us when you would like to come and how many you are. We tell you which holidays fall in your stay, what will be open, and which villas are still free.
Frequently asked questions
What are the public holidays in Morocco in 2027?
The fixed holidays are 1, 11 and 14 January, 1 May, 30 July, 14, 20 and 21 August, 31 October, 6 November and 18 November. The religious ones are provisional: Eid al-Fitr around 10 and 11 March, Eid al-Adha around 17 and 18 May, the Islamic New Year around 6 June and Mawlid around 14 or 15 August 2027.
When is Eid al-Adha 2027 in Morocco?
Eid al-Adha 2027 is expected on Monday 17 May, with the second holiday on Tuesday 18 May. The date depends on the sighting of the Dhu al-Hijja crescent, which the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs announces about ten days before the feast, so it could move by a day. Many businesses close for longer than the two official days.
Is 31 October a public holiday in Morocco?
Yes. Unity Day, Aid Al Wahda, was created by a royal decision announced on 4 November 2025 and is held every 31 October. It was first observed in 2026. In 2027 it falls on a Sunday, and as Morocco does not move weekend holidays to a weekday, there is no extra day off.
Are shops and sights open on Moroccan public holidays?
On civil holidays, yes for the most part: banks and offices close, but souks, supermarkets, restaurants, gardens and most monuments stay open. The exception is the first day of each Eid, when most medina shops and family-run restaurants close and transport runs a reduced service. Hotels and staffed villas keep running.
Should I avoid Marrakech on Eid?
Not necessarily. Eid is quiet rather than difficult, especially in a staffed villa where meals are cooked at home. Avoid it if you want to shop in the souks or travel by coach that week. Otherwise, book transfers early, withdraw cash beforehand, and treat the first day as a day by the pool.
A public holiday rarely spoils a stay in Marrakech; an Eid you did not know about can. Send us your dates and we will tell you exactly what falls in them, and which villas are free.
