Mid-week holidays in 2026 – a total of 9 public holidays fall on weekdays

In 2026, mid-week holidays, or bank holidays, fall largely in the middle of the week, offering a fair number of extra days off from work for those working regular hours. Mid-week holidays are usually understood to be public holidays that fall on weekdays instead of at the weekend.

Mid-week holidays in 2026

While Midsummer Eve and Christmas Eve aren't official public holidays, they are typically assigned as holidays in employment contracts.

While Midsummer Eve and Christmas Eve aren't official public holidays, they are typically assigned as holidays in employment contracts.

In other words, 2026 will offer nine mid-week holidays. The smallest possible number of mid-week holidays is seven a year.

In 2025, the number of mid-week holidays falling between Monday and Friday was 10, which is practically the highest possible. There are 11 mid-week holidays a year that are not assigned to the weekend, and of them, at least one falls on a Saturday or Sunday every year.

During the calendar year, mid-week holidays predominantly occur in December and January. July–November is the longest stretch with no mid-week holidays during the calendar year.

Employment contracts often stipulate considerable remuneration for work during mid-week holidays.

Public holidays assigned to weekends include Midsummer's Day, which is always a Saturday, and Easter Day, which is always a Sunday.

Not everyone gets to enjoy mid-week holidays. However, employment contracts often stipulate separate considerable remuneration in the pay of shift workers who work during mid-week holidays. Practices vary, depending on the employment contract.

Are mid-week holidays actually bank holidays?

In many countries, mid-week holidays are popularly called bank holidays. The name traces its origin to banks closing their doors and suspending payments during these holidays. 

Nearly all OP's customer payments are always transferred in real time.

For example, a payment made from an OP customer account always appears in another OP account immediately, regardless of the day. Likewise, a payment made from OP to another Finnish or European bank is usually transferred immediately.

However, mid-week holidays still continue to suspend international payments. Euro payments between banks in Finland and the rest of Europe are still mainly handled during weekdays, but EU law obligates payment service providers to ensure instant payments by October 2025 at the latest.  

It has been possible to send and receive real-time payments in all OP channels since 2018. 

Pay, pension and other similar payments arrive in the account on weekdays due to legislation and established practice.