Barcelona school holidays: term dates and calendar for families

Last reviewed: November 2026 by David from ISA. Dates come from the Catalan government's school calendar order, the official holiday orders and each school's published 2026-27 calendar; always confirm with your school before booking travel.

Planning a year in a new city starts with the calendar, and Barcelona school holidays are less uniform than many families expect. A child at a local school, a sibling at a British school and another at an American school can have three different first days in September, three different Christmas returns and only some of the long weekends in common.

Below are the official Catalan calendar for 2026-27, the holidays and free days that close Barcelona schools and the term dates of three international schools, so you can see where they overlap.

When does the 2026-27 school year start and end in Barcelona?

For schools on the Catalan calendar, the year runs from Tuesday 8 September 2026 to Monday 21 June 2027. The Department of Education and Vocational Training fixed those dates in Order EDF/66/2026, signed on 22 April 2026 and published in the Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC) on 27 April. Unusually, the order covers three school years at once: classes will also start on 8 September in 2027 and 2028.

The order applies to public, state-funded (concertada) and private schools, except those with a specific calendar authorised because of their singular nature. That exception is why foreign-system international schools publish their own dates. A few stage-by-stage details matter for families:

• Infant (3 to 6), primary and ESO: 8 September 2026 to 21 June 2027. Schools may phase in the youngest children over the first five days.
• Batxillerat: also from 8 September, with the first year finishing on 17 June 2027; the second year ends according to university entrance exams.
• Vocational training (FP) at intermediate and higher level: classes start by 14 September 2026 at the latest.
• June timetable: from 7 June 2027, infant and primary schools may cut the school day by one hour, so check pick-up times for the last fortnight.

Which bank holidays and free days close schools in Barcelona?

Barcelona pupils lose a handful of weekdays to Catalan, Spanish and city holidays. The Catalan labour calendar for 2026 (Order EMT/66/2025) and for 2027 (Order EMT/52/2026) and the 2026 local holidays order (Order EMT/208/2025) give these closures:

• Friday 11 September 2026: La Diada, Catalonia's national day.
• Thursday 24 September 2026: La Mercè, Barcelona's local holiday.
• Monday 12 October 2026: Spain's national day.
• Tuesday 8 December 2026: the Immaculate Conception.
• Monday 29 March 2027: Easter Monday, already inside the Easter break.
• Monday 17 May 2027: Whit Monday, expected to be the city's spring local holiday, as in 2026, according to betevé. The Catalan order with 2027 local holidays had not been published by November 2026 (the 2026 one appeared on 17 December 2025), but the three school calendars below already mark the day off.

On top of these, each school sets four free days (dies de lliure disposició) across the three terms. Barcelona's municipal education council proposes common dates, but each school confirms its own. For 2026-27 it proposed Friday 30 October, Monday 7 December, Monday 8 February and Friday 14 May, according to betevé, the city's public broadcaster. Combined with the holidays above, that creates long weekends around All Saints, the December bridge, Carnival and Whit Monday.

Barcelona school holidays at three international schools

International schools keep the Catalan holidays but build their own terms around them. These three publish full 2026-27 calendars.

American School of Barcelona

The school, just west of the city in Esplugues de Llobregat, opens on 1 September 2026 and finishes with a half day on 23 June 2027. Its calendar adds a winter break from 21 December to 8 January, a ski week from 15 to 19 February and a spring break from 22 to 29 March. It also closes on 27 November and 7 December and gives two days off for parent-teacher conferences on 5 and 6 November.

The British School of Barcelona

With campuses in the city, Castelldefels, Sitges and the Maresme, the school follows a three-term English pattern. The autumn term starts on 3 September 2026 for Years 7 and 12 and new pupils, and on 4 September for everyone else, and ends on 22 December. The spring term runs from 11 January to 19 March 2027 and the summer term from 31 March to 23 June 2027, with half-term weeks on 26 to 30 October and 8 to 12 February. Local holidays differ by campus: La Mercè closes BSB City only, while Castelldefels has a local holiday on 7 December.

Benjamin Franklin International School

In the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district, this American-curriculum school starts earliest, on 31 August 2026, and finishes earliest, with a half day on 18 June 2027. Its year-at-a-glance shows a winter break from 21 December to 6 January, a mid-winter break from 15 to 19 February, a spring break from 22 to 29 March and a Thanksgiving holiday on 27 November. Its 30 October staff day matches the city's proposed free day.

Term dates compared for 2026-27

Sources: Order EDF/66/2026 and the 2026-27 calendars published by each school. The Christmas break at The British School of Barcelona is counted from the end of term to the first day back for pupils.

How do British and American calendars differ from the Catalan one?

The main difference is rhythm. Catalan schools work in three long blocks with single free days, while British schools stop for a full week in the middle of each of their first two terms and American schools take a winter break in February. In practice:

• September: American schools start about a week before Catalan schools, and British schools a few days before. If you are moving in late August, that week shapes your relocation dates.
• Autumn: British half-term covers the week of 26 October, which local schools do not have, although the city's proposed free day on 30 October helps.
• January: Catalan schools reopen on Friday 8 January, while pupils at The British School of Barcelona and the American School of Barcelona return on Monday 11 January.
• June: British and American schools run past the Catalan 21 June finish, except Benjamin Franklin, which ends on 18 June.

La Diada, 12 October, 8 December and Whit Monday close all three schools, so they are the easiest dates for family trips; La Mercè and 7 December depend on the school and, at The British School of Barcelona, on the campus. For a wider view of daily life, read our guide on whether Barcelona is good for families, and if you are comparing cities, the Madrid school holidays calendar follows a different regional order.

Planning childcare: casals, camps and the long summer

Know the gaps. Working parents usually struggle with three stretches: the single free days, half-terms that local friends do not share, and a summer break of more than ten weeks between late June and early September. List every closure from your school's calendar against your own leave before the year starts.

Use school camps. Many schools run holiday camps open to pupils from elsewhere. The British School of Barcelona runs themed camps in the October and February half-terms and at Easter, and its 2026 summer school ran from 25 June to 31 July at 195 euros a week for half days and 310 euros for full days, plus a 40 euro registration fee for outside pupils. Hamelin-Laie International School, in Montgat, advertises a Christmas camp for children aged 3 to 12 and summer camps up to age 17.

Look at the casals. Summer day camps (casals d'estiu) run by sports clubs, civic centres and associations fill quickly, and the City Council's summer website is only refreshed around June, so start looking in spring.

Compare Barcelona schools

To compare curricula, fees and locations as well as calendars, see our ranking of the best international schools in Barcelona.

Sources: DOGC (Orders EDF/66/2026, EMT/66/2025, EMT/52/2026 and EMT/208/2025); 2026-27 calendars of the three schools named; betevé.

More guides to schools in Barcelona

• International school fees in Barcelona
• Bilingual schools in Barcelona
• International school admissions in Barcelona
• How to choose an international school in Barcelona
• Best international schools in Barcelona
• best international schools in Barcelona

Frequently asked questions

Do Barcelona schools have a half-term in October or February?

Schools on the Catalan calendar have no half-term weeks. They take four free days instead, and in Barcelona the proposed dates for 2026-27 are 30 October, 7 December, 8 February and 14 May. British schools differ: The British School of Barcelona stops for a full week from 26 to 30 October 2026 and again from 8 to 12 February 2027.

Is Whit Monday a school holiday in Barcelona?

It is expected to be. Barcelona used Whit Monday (Segona Pasqua) as a local holiday in 2026, and betevé gives Monday 17 May 2027. The Catalan order confirming the 2027 local holidays was still pending in November 2026, but the American School of Barcelona, The British School of Barcelona and Benjamin Franklin already show the day off.

Do international schools in Barcelona follow the Catalan school calendar?

Only partly. Order EDF/66/2026 covers public and private schools but exempts those with a specific authorised calendar, which is how foreign-system schools set their own terms. They still close for Catalan bank holidays, so La Diada, 12 October and 8 December match, while La Mercè depends on the campus and start dates, Christmas returns and February breaks differ.