How many days a year are shops closed by law?
Six. Exactly six dates are listed in § 94 of the Labor Code (Zákonník práce, Act č. 311/2001 Coll.): January 1, Good Friday (Veľký piatok), Easter Sunday (Veľkonočná nedeľa), December 24 after 12:00 PM, December 25, and December 26. On these days, an employer cannot order an employee, nor agree with them, to work that involves selling goods to the end consumer. This is not a custom of retail chains, nor a recommendation. It is a prohibition in labor law, enforced by the labor inspection authority.
The list became shorter recently. Until November 1, 2025, the same paragraph listed 15 dates: additionally January 6, Easter Monday, May 1 and 8, July 5, August 29, September 15, and November 1 and 17. The consolidation package (zákon č. 261/2025 Coll.) removed nine days from the prohibition.
So, if you remember Lidl and Tesco being closed on May 1, your memory is not failing you. The rule changed, not your memories.
Calendar 2026: When Retail is Closed and When It's Open
Out of the sixteen public holidays in 2026, retail will only close on six, and three of those are still ahead – all at the end of December. The remaining holidays will be no different from a regular day for shoppers: checkouts will be open, and hours will be the same. Below are both parts of the year separately, as the calendar changes right in the middle of it. To see the current dates, we recommend our calendar, which lists public holidays and days off in Slovakia.
Already passed:
Date | Day | Holiday | Retail | Non-working day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
January 1 | Thursday | Deň vzniku SR — Day of the Establishment of the Slovak Republic (public holiday) | closed | yes |
January 6 | Tuesday | Zjavenie Pána — Epiphany | open | yes |
April 3 | Friday | Veľký piatok — Good Friday | closed | yes |
April 5 | Sunday | Veľkonočná nedeľa — Easter Sunday | closed | yes |
April 6 | Monday | Veľkonočný pondelok — Easter Monday | open | yes |
May 1 | Friday | Sviatok práce — Labour Day | open | yes |
May 8 | Friday | Deň víťazstva nad fašizmom — Day of Victory over Fascism | open | no |
July 5 | Sunday | Sviatok sv. Cyrila a Metoda — Saints Cyril and Methodius Day (public holiday) | open | yes |
Still to come:
Date | Day | Holiday | Retail | Non-working day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
August 29 | Saturday | Výročie SNP — Anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising (public holiday) | open | yes |
September 1 | Tuesday | Deň Ústavy SR — Day of the Constitution (public holiday) | open | no |
September 15 | Tuesday | Sedembolestná Panna Mária — Our Lady of Sorrows | open | no |
October 28 | Wednesday | Deň vzniku samostatného česko-slovenského štátu — Day of the Establishment of the Independent Czechoslovak State (public holiday) | open | no |
November 1 | Sunday | Sviatok Všetkých svätých — All Saints' Day | open | yes |
November 17 | Tuesday | Deň boja za slobodu a demokraciu — Day of the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy (public holiday) | open | no |
December 24 | Thursday | Štedrý deň — Christmas Eve | until 12:00 PM | yes |
December 25 | Friday | Prvý sviatok vianočný — First Christmas Day | closed | yes |
December 26 | Saturday | Druhý sviatok vianočný — Second Christmas Day | closed | yes |
The "no" marks in the non-working day column are not a mistake. The explanation is below.
Why is a public holiday not the same as a day off?
Slovak law uses three different lists, and they do not always match. This is the source of confusion, leading people to search for the same information every year.
Public holiday (štátny sviatok) — six dates from the Act on Public Holidays č. 241/1993 Coll.: January 1, July 5, August 29, September 1, October 28, and November 17. This category is about national remembrance, not your work schedule.
Day of rest (deň pracovného pokoja) — all Sundays plus a separate list of holidays from § 2 of the same act. This is what determines if you have the right not to work.
Day with retail prohibition — that short list of six dates in the Labor Code. Only this list answers the question "Will Lidl be open?".
An example that goes against intuition: November 17 is a public holiday, but as of November 1, 2025, it is neither a day of rest nor a holiday in the sense of the Labor Code. You work as on a regular Tuesday and without holiday pay. However, December 25 is not a public holiday at all – yet shops are closed.
May 8 and September 15 are a separate story. The transitional provision § 4b explicitly removed them from the days of rest only for the year 2026. They are expected to return in 2027.
What is open when large stores are closed?
The prohibition concerns the sale of goods to the end consumer and has exactly five exceptions listed in Annex č. 1a to the Labor Code. There is no size limit for shops in the law: the type of trade matters, not the square meters.
Gas stations selling fuel and lubricants – including their convenience stores.
Pharmacies: selling and dispensing medicines.
Trade in airports, ports, other public transport facilities, and hospitals.
Sale of travel tickets.
Sale of souvenirs.
Restaurants, cafes, and pizzerias are not covered by the prohibition – they provide a service, not retail sale of goods. Vending machines also operate: there is no employee being ordered around. So, on December 25, you can certainly find an open pizzeria, coffee at the train station, and a snack from a vending machine.
Another surprising case is a small shop where the owner works behind the counter themselves. The prohibition in § 94 is formulated as a prohibition of ordering work to an employee. A self-employed person (SZČO) who sells goods themselves, without hired staff, does not formally fall under this prohibition.
Pharmacies operate on a rotating schedule; not all are open 24/7. If you need medicine on December 25, look for a duty pharmacy (lekárenská pohotovostná služba) in your city in advance, not at 9 PM. Public transport schedules also differ on holidays from weekdays; we explained the ticket and zone system in the article about public transport.
Three questions people search for most often
May 8, 2026 — a day off or not?
No, this is a normal working day. The holiday has not disappeared from the calendar, but it has been removed from the days off for 2026. It remains a holiday for payment: for work, you are entitled to at least a 100% surcharge on your average earnings or a day off instead, explains the labor inspection. If you don't want to work, take a vacation day, like any other day. Shops are open on May 8. The same applies to September 15, 2026.
Does Lidl work on Christmas?
December 25 and 26 – no. The ban is the same for all large chains: Lidl, Tesco, Billa, and Kaufland are closed on the same days because they all employ staff. On December 24, shops are open only until noon. Each chain announces specific hours closer to the holidays – at Lidl, the schedule for a specific store can be seen through the address search.
What time do shops work on December 24?
The law prohibits retail sales on December 24 after 12:00 PM. Legally, a store can serve customers until noon – and not a minute longer. In practice, chains often close even earlier so that staff can get home for Christmas Eve. Check the exact time on the store door or the chain's website a few days before the holiday.
What to do before the long weekend
At the end of 2026, three "closed" days will be in a row: December 24 – half a day, December 25 and 26 – full days. This is two and a half days without supermarkets, and the 26th this year falls on a Saturday.
Shop on December 23, not December 24. On Christmas Eve until noon, stores are very busy, and the queue at the checkout takes more time than the shopping itself.
Check your home medicine cabinet in advance: the on-call pharmacy might be on the other side of town.
Fill your gas tank completely. Gas stations are open, but their small shops will not replace a supermarket in terms of selection or prices.
Keep some cash on hand – in case the terminal doesn't work at a small shop.
If you plan to go away for a long weekend – book accommodation before December; a useful selection of locations across the country is available separately.
The main thing to keep in mind is this: in Slovakia, Christmas Eve, December 24, is more important than December 25. In the evening, the family is already at the table, and the shops have been closed since noon. If you are celebrating for the first time, see what it looks like from the inside – we wrote in detail about the traditions of Slovak Christmas.
