Europe celebrates Labor Day on May 1. How many of the EU's 27 countries close for it?
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24
May 1 is Labor Day in 24 of the EU's 27 countries, though the date was born in America. It commemorates the 1886 Chicago general strike and the Haymarket bombing that followed. Europe adopted the holiday in 1889, but US Congress kept Labor Day in September, away from a date socialists and anarchists had claimed.
Europe's Labor Day is May 1, a public holiday in 24 of the EU's 27 countries. It commemorates an 1886 Chicago strike.
Source: L'Express (survey of EU member-state holiday rules) · checked Apr 2026