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Labour Day
North Macedonia

Labour Day 2026 and 2027 in North Macedonia

Like other former Yugoslav countries, North Macedonia inherited the celebration of 1 May as Labour Day from its Yugoslav Communist past. Originally, both 1 May and 2 May were off-days, there were large military demonstrations, “staged rallies” to support the state, and long speeches by government leaders. Today, the main tradition that continues is simply the Labour Day picnic.

YearDateDayHoliday
20261 MayFriLabour Day
20271 MaySatLabour Day
Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates.

In 2007, Labour Day was shortened from a two-day to a one-day holiday. Before the change was made, people often took a day or two off between the weekend and the two-day Labour Day period to create around a week straight off work. Today, this can only happen when a two-day Easter holiday happens to fall close to 1 May.

The origin of this worldwide holiday is the 4 May 1886 Haymarket Massacre during a labour protest in Chicago, USA. As the world industrialised in the mid to late 1800’s, the dismal working conditions in many factories led to a protest movement.

The Haymarket Massacre became a key moment in the movement, leading to the establishment of Labour Day, then called “International Workers Day”, to demand things like an 8-hour work day, safer working conditions, and increased pay.

Previous Years

YearDateDayHoliday
20251 MayThuLabour Day
20241 MayWedLabour Day