Public Holidays on La Palma

Fiesta or Bank Holiday?

What's the difference between a Public Holiday and a Fiesta, I hear you ask. 
The answer is that a Public Holiday isn't always a fiesta. But it could be. And a fiesta isn't always a Public Holiday. But it could be.
However, fiesta is definitely party time when things liven up and on Public Holidays / Bank Holidays, everything closes down!

About Public Holidays / Bank Holidays

As the name implies, this is a holiday for the public i.e. for everyone. In the UK, it's commonly called a Bank Holiday.
All of the Canary Islands have the same Public Holidays of which there are 12 although mainland Spain have some different dates. However, the dates in the Canaries don't differ from year to year apart from the Easter dates.
Should a Public Holiday fall on a Sunday, then Monday is usually classed as a 'free' day which means that shops and businesses, etc will be closed on Monday instead. Although you might find that some shops clos on the Tuesday instead of the Monday :)

Which Shops and Businesses will be Open or Closed?

Banks : Although banks are closed, all have an ATM.
Supermarkets/grocery stores : The bigger the shop, the more likely it is to close. Smaller shops including village shops may be open for limited hours in the morning. But for major Public Holidays such as Christmas Day, they will all be closed except maybe at the tourist resorts of Los Cancajos, Tazacorte beach and Puerta Naos.
Chemists : There is always a chemist/s open somewhere, sometime. Look on any chemist door to see where the nearest on-duty chemist is. There is also always a chemist open 24hrs - the door will be closed but there is a buzzer and microphone to the side of the door. Medicine and payment are passed via a security container.
Buses : Public transport works on a Sunday timetable.

Public Holiday Dates

01 January – New Year’s Day / Año Nuevo
6th January – Epiphany / Epifanía known on La Palma as Three Kings' Day/Dia de los Reyes Magos
Variable date - Maundy Thursday / Jueves Santo
Variable date - Good Friday / Viernes Santo
01 May – Labour Day / Día del Trabajador
30 May - Canaries Day / Día de Canarias
15 August – Assumption of Mary / Asunción de la Virgen
12th October – Hispanic Day / Fiesta Nacional de España
01 November – All Saints’ Day / Todos los Santos
6th December – Constitution Day / Día de la Constitución
8th December – Imaculate Conception / Inmaculada Concepción
25 December – Christmas Day / Navidad