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3mo ago

São Paulo, Curitiba, Fortaleza and Cuiabá Set Ponto Facultativo for Carnival 2026 as Rio Keeps Tuesday Holiday

Cities set public office closures under local ponto facultativo rules rather than a national holiday.

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Overview

  • Carnival is not a national holiday in Brazil, so states and municipalities define public-sector time off while private employers decide on leave and working these days does not trigger automatic holiday pay.
  • In São Paulo state and city, public servants are released from Monday, Feb. 16, until noon on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, with essential services continuing under state and municipal decrees.
  • In Rio de Janeiro, only Tuesday, Feb. 17, is a state holiday under Law 5.243/2008, and as of Jan. 26 the usual annual decrees covering other facultative days had not been published.
  • Curitiba classifies Feb. 16–18 as ponto facultativo, with public service suspended on Ash Wednesday until 2 p.m., and private-sector schedules left to employers.
  • Fortaleza grants full days off on Feb. 16–17 with Wednesday facultative until noon, and Cuiabá sets Feb. 16–18 under Decree 11.585/2025 while maintaining essential services on a duty scale.