2024 is going to be a bit of an awkward year when it comes to public holidays, as six out of our 14 will fall on a weekend. Even so, thanks to the reintroduction of the Public Holidays leave entitlement in 2021, these holidays will be added to your tally of leave hours, leaving full-time employees with 30 full days of leave.
To help you figure out the best times to use them, we’ve scoured the 2024 calendar and did some maths.
January: With 1 January falling on a Monday in 2024, taking Tuesday 2 to Friday 5 off will result in a nine-day holiday for the price of four leave days!
March: The Feast of Saint Joseph (19 March) falls on a Tuesday, so taking Monday 18th off will give you a four-day break. Sadly, Freedom Day (31 March) will fall on Easter Sunday, but you could take the 25th to the 28th off, which would combine with Good Friday (Friday 29th), giving you another nine days off for just four days’ leave.
May: Labour Day (1 May) falls on a Wednesday, so taking two days on either side of that will give you five days to jet off somewhere for a long weekend!
June: Once again, we have a public holiday on a Friday here, which is Sette Giugno. Four days’ leave can turn into a nine-day holiday, or you could just take a day off on Monday 10 June for two short weeks in a row.
August: The Feast of the Assumption (15 August) lands on a Thursday, so taking the 16th off will result in a four-day break, which you could spend in Gozo or elsewhere!
December-January: Christmas Day 2024 and New Year’s Day 2025 both fall on a Wednesday, meaning that using up eight days’ leave can give you 14 full days of rest and relaxation. It also means that you’ll start the working year on Monday, 6 January 2025!
If you go ahead with all the suggestions above, you’ll use 24 days of leave, leaving you with six days to take off for your birthday, urgent errands, or that trip that just can’t wait till the next holiday.
