# December 2026 Holidays in the Philippines: Every Day Off, from 8 December to New Year Canonical page: https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/december-2026-holidays-philippines Source: What's On Manila. Please cite and link the canonical page. Published: 2026-11-04 *Five December days are holidays in 2026, and New Year's Day 2027 makes six. Here is each date with its official class from the proclamation, DOLE's pay rules, the long breaks at Christmas and New Year, and what is on in Manila on each day.* December 2026 has five holidays in the Philippines, and New Year's Day 2027 makes six. Two are regular holidays, Christmas Day and Rizal Day, and three are special non-working days: 8 December, Christmas Eve and the last day of the year. Here is every date, its official class, what the pay rules say, and what is on in Manila that day. Updated 4 November 2026. ## Every holiday, December 2026 to January 2027 - **Tuesday 8 December:** Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, special (non-working) day - **Thursday 24 December:** Christmas Eve, additional special (non-working) day - **Friday 25 December:** Christmas Day, regular holiday - **Wednesday 30 December:** Rizal Day, regular holiday - **Thursday 31 December:** Last Day of the Year, special (non-working) day - **Friday 1 January 2027:** New Year's Day, regular holiday The December dates and their classes are from Proclamation No. 1006, signed on 3 September 2025, which sets the holidays for 2026. It says 24 December was added, with 2 November, to give families more time for Christmas and to promote domestic tourism. The 8 December holiday comes from Republic Act No. 10966. New Year's Day 2027 is in Proclamation No. 1427, the 2027 list, dated 8 September 2026, as reported by GMA News. The month before, Monday 30 November is [Bonifacio Day](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/bonifacio-day-long-weekend-2026), also a regular holiday. ## The long breaks - **Christmas:** Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 December, four days off in a row. - **New Year:** Wednesday 30 December to Sunday 3 January, five days off in a row. - **Take two days of leave,** Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 December, and you are off for 11 days, from 24 December to 3 January. - **8 December:** take Monday 7 December off for four days, Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December. ## Holiday pay, from DOLE These are the rules in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Labor Advisory No. 12-25, which covers pay for the 2026 holidays, as summarised by Grant Thornton Philippines. For 1 January 2027, GMA News reports the same regular holiday rates under Labor Advisory No. 17, series of 2026. **Regular holidays (25 and 30 December, 1 January):** - **Not working:** 100 percent of your daily wage, as long as you reported for work or were on paid leave the day before. - **Working:** 200 percent for the first eight hours, and 30 percent more on the hourly rate for overtime. - **Working on your rest day:** another 30 percent on top of the 200 percent. **Special non-working days (8, 24 and 31 December):** - **Not working:** no work, no pay, unless your company policy, practice or collective bargaining agreement says otherwise. - **Working:** 130 percent for the first eight hours. - **Working on your rest day:** 150 percent. ## Tuesday 8 December The Feast of the Immaculate Conception. **[Alex Eala Live: Game. Set. Celebrate](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/alex-eala-live-game-set-celebrate-2026)** is at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan that afternoon: gates open at 10:30 AM and the programme starts at 1:00 PM. Read our [Philippine Arena guide](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/philippine-arena-concert-guide) before you go. In the evening, **[Jillian Ward](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/star-of-the-new-gen-jillian-ward)** plays the New Frontier Theater in Cubao at 8:00 PM. ## 16 to 24 December: Simbang Gabi These are not holidays, but they shape the week. The dawn Masses are expected to start on Wednesday 16 December and end on Christmas Eve. Our [Simbang Gabi guide](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/simbang-gabi-manila-2026) has the expected dates and Mass times at 19 Metro Manila churches. ## Thursday 24 December: Christmas Eve The last morning of Simbang Gabi, then Noche Buena. If you still need a parol, **[Parolan](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/parolan-araneta-city-2026)** at Araneta City in Cubao is open every day until 31 December, 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. **[Disney On Ice: Let's Dance!](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/disney-on-ice-lets-dance-manila-2026)** runs at the SM Mall of Asia Arena from 18 December to 3 January; check its schedule for the holiday dates. For last-minute shopping, see [Christmas Bazaars in Manila 2026](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/christmas-bazaars-manila-2026). ## Friday 25 December: Christmas Day The **[Metro Manila Film Festival](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/metro-manila-film-festival-2026)** opens in cinemas on Christmas Day and runs into January 2027, as reported by When in Manila. The closing date had not been announced when we checked on 4 November 2026. For Santa visits and family shows over the break, see [Christmas with Kids in Manila 2026](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/christmas-with-kids-manila-2026). ## Wednesday 30 December: Rizal Day Jose Rizal was executed by firing squad in Bagumbayan, now Rizal Park, on 30 December 1896, so 2026 marks 130 years. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) had not announced its 2026 programme when we checked on 4 November 2026. Last year, for the 129th anniversary, the NHCP listed a retracing of Rizal's footsteps from Fort Santiago in Intramuros to Rizal Park, flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremonies, a wreath-laying at the Rizal Monument in Plaza de Armas, Fort Santiago, and a lecture and a sketchwalk at the Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago, as reported by GMA News. Our [Intramuros guide](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/intramuros-guide) covers Fort Santiago hours and tickets. ## Thursday 31 December and Friday 1 January New Year's Eve is a special non-working day and New Year's Day a regular holiday. Our [New Year's Eve guide](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/new-years-eve-manila-2026) covers the countdowns, hotel parties and last train times as they are announced. Disney On Ice plays until Sunday 3 January. For everything else on, see [What's On in Manila: December 2026](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/whats-on-manila-december-2026) and the [December calendar](https://whatsonmnl.com/events/december-2026). ## Questions people ask **Is 8 December 2026 a holiday in the Philippines?** Yes. Tuesday 8 December 2026, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, is a special (non-working) day nationwide under Proclamation No. 1006. **Is 24 December 2026 a holiday?** Yes. Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December 2026, is an additional special (non-working) day. With Christmas Day on Friday, that makes four days off, 24 to 27 December. **Is Rizal Day 2026 a regular holiday?** Yes. Rizal Day, Wednesday 30 December 2026, is a regular holiday. If you work, you get 200 percent of your daily wage for the first eight hours. **Is 31 December 2026 a holiday?** Yes. Thursday 31 December 2026, the Last Day of the Year, is a special (non-working) day, so the no work, no pay rule applies unless your company says otherwise. **What are the holidays from December 2026 to January 2027?** 8 December (special), 24 December (special), 25 December (regular), 30 December (regular), 31 December (special) and 1 January 2027 (regular). **How much is holiday pay on Christmas Day?** Christmas Day is a regular holiday: 200 percent of your daily wage for the first eight hours if you work, and 100 percent if you do not, as long as you worked or were on paid leave the day before. _Holiday dates and classes are from the proclamations as published, and pay rules are from DOLE's advisories, as of 4 November 2026. Nobody paid to be included._