Planning a trip to Mexico gets a lot easier once you understand the country's holiday calendar. There are seven statutory national holidays each year, plus an eighth that only appears every six years, on October 1, when a new president is inaugurated. Banks, offices and factories close on these dates, though tourist services, leisure venues and many shopping centres in bigger cities stay open, paying staff overtime to do so.
A 2006 reform of the holiday law borrowed an idea from the UK: three of the seven statutory dates are now observed on the nearest Monday rather than the fixed day, creating three long 'Bank Holiday Monday' weekends each year. The change was a deliberate boost for Mexico's tourism and leisure sectors, and it works. Locals have long practised the art of the 'puente' (bridge), adding a day or two either side of a holiday to stretch a weekend into a proper getaway.
One quirk worth knowing: if a statutory holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, employees aren't legally entitled to a day off in lieu, although generous employers sometimes give one anyway.
Beyond the national holidays, Mexico has a large set of civic holidays. These aren't nationwide days off, though states and municipalities can observe them locally. Cinco de Mayo, commemorating the Battle of Puebla, is the classic example — it's a genuine local holiday in the state of Puebla but an ordinary working day in much of the rest of the country, despite its fame abroad.
For travellers, the holidays cut both ways. They're a chance to see cultural and historical commemorations, street parties and festivities you'd otherwise miss. But they also trigger peak domestic travel: Mexicans plan their own trips around these dates, so buses, domestic flights and hotel rooms fill up fast. If your trip overlaps with a holiday period, book transport and accommodation well ahead — or use the dates to your advantage by visiting places like Puebla on Cinco de Mayo for the local colour.
Whether you want to join a celebration or simply avoid arriving in Mexico City to find your preferred bus route sold out, a quick check of the holiday calendar before you book is one of the easiest planning wins for a Mexico trip.
