Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – Authorities have formally confirmed that Thursday, September 24, 2026, will stand as an official public holiday across the nation to mark Our Lady of Mercy Day, the revered patronal feast for the Dominican people. The Dominican Ministry of Labor has issued a clear statement emphasizing that the holiday will not be rescheduled to create an extended long weekend, rejecting the common practice of shifting fixed-date holidays to adjacent Mondays or Fridays to boost domestic tourism.
This official confirmation is grounded in the provisions of Law 139-97, the national legislation that regulates public holiday observance in the country. The legal mandate requires all employers, across both the public government sector and private commercial industries, to recognize the holiday on its actual calendar date. Per the regulation, full regular business and workplace operations are scheduled to resume the following day, Friday, September 25.
For the vast majority of Dominican workers who follow a standard Monday-to-Friday work schedule, this arrangement means they will receive a single day of paid leave on Thursday, September 24, before returning to their regular duties the next business day. The early official announcement from the Ministry of Labor is designed to give employers and employees months of advance notice to plan work schedules, personal commitments, and travel arrangements ahead of the 2026 observance.