23 October in Hungary: are shops open on the holiday?
Friday 23 October 2026 is a national holiday in Hungary, so most people get a three-day weekend. Most shops are closed on the 23rd, including the big supermarket chains. A few kinds of shop stay open, and on Saturday and Sunday shops open as on any other weekend. Do your shopping by Thursday 22 October.
What is open and what is closed on 23 October
| Usually open | Usually closed |
|---|---|
| Some 24-hour shops | Supermarkets and most shops |
| Small shops where the owner serves | Most wholesale markets |
| Pharmacies on the duty rota | Many city markets |
| Independent flower shops | |
| Restaurants, cafés, cinemas and other leisure venues | |
| Smaller local markets |
This is how economx described the holiday last year, when 23 October 2025 fell on a Thursday (economx). Check your local shop's own notice for its 2026 hours.
Why shops close on 23 October but open on Sundays
Hungary's Labour Code lists 23 October as a public holiday. Shops can schedule staff to work on Sundays, but the code does not let them schedule regular working hours on a public holiday (Labour Code, sections 101 and 102). Employers that by their nature operate on that day, essential public services and a few others are exceptions. That is why chains close while shops staffed by their owners can open.
The long weekend
| Thursday 22 October | Normal working day; last chance for a big shop |
|---|---|
| Friday 23 October | National holiday: most shops closed |
| Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October | Shops open with their usual weekend hours |
| Monday 26 October | Normal working day |
What the day marks
23 October marks two events. On that day in 1956, the Hungarian revolution against the Soviet-backed government began in Budapest. Revolutionaries cut the communist emblem out of the national flag, and the flag with a hole became the symbol of the revolution (Wikipedia). On the same date in 1989, the Third Hungarian Republic was proclaimed (Wikipedia).
