Here's the short answer for 2027. The wedding-season long weekends fall on May 22 to 24, July 31 to August 2, September 4 to 6 and October 9 to 11, but which of those Mondays is a paid holiday depends on your province. Canada Day lands on a Thursday, so it doesn't make a long weekend. And in our snapshot counted on October 25, 2026, businesses on OpenDates had 2,340 open Saturdays across the May to October 2027 season, with June, September and October filling first.
My mom Debi and I put this together because a long weekend can change who's able to come and how relaxed everyone feels. Here's the calendar first, then a snapshot of our numbers, counted on October 25, 2026.
The 2027 long weekends at a glance
The four wedding-season long weekends:
- ✦Victoria Day weekend: Saturday, May 22 to Monday, May 24
- ✦August long weekend: Saturday, July 31 to Monday, August 2, where the August Monday is a holiday
- ✦Labour Day weekend: Saturday, September 4 to Monday, September 6
- ✦Thanksgiving weekend: Saturday, October 9 to Monday, October 11
Three summer and early fall holidays land on a Thursday in 2027, so they don't make a long weekend on their own: Quebec's National Holiday on June 24, Canada Day on July 1, and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30 (a statutory holiday in B.C., Manitoba and P.E.I., and optional in Alberta).
Dreaming of the off-season? Good Friday is March 26, 2027, a holiday in every province (in Quebec, the employer chooses Good Friday or Easter Monday). Monday, February 15, 2027 is Family Day in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick, and Louis Riel Day in Manitoba.
Long weekends 2027 by province
A holiday Monday matters most to your guests. It's the difference between a slow Sunday morning and an early alarm. Here's how each province treats the wedding-season Mondays, from each government's own holiday list:
- ✦British Columbia: Victoria Day (May 24), B.C. Day (August 2), Labour Day (September 6) and Thanksgiving (October 11) are all statutory holidays.
- ✦Alberta: Victoria Day, Labour Day and Thanksgiving are general holidays. Heritage Day on August 2 is optional, so it's up to each employer.
- ✦Saskatchewan: Victoria Day, Saskatchewan Day (August 2), Labour Day and Thanksgiving are all public holidays.
- ✦Manitoba: Victoria Day, Labour Day and Thanksgiving are general holidays. Terry Fox Day, the first Monday in August (August 2), is not.
- ✦Ontario: Victoria Day, Labour Day and Thanksgiving are public holidays. The first Monday in August (August 2) isn't one under the Employment Standards Act, although some employers give it.
- ✦Quebec: National Patriots' Day (May 24), Labour Day and Thanksgiving are statutory holidays. There's no August holiday.
- ✦New Brunswick: New Brunswick Day (August 2) and Labour Day are paid public holidays. Victoria Day and Thanksgiving are days of rest, but they aren't on the paid public holiday list.
- ✦Nova Scotia: Labour Day is a paid holiday. Victoria Day and Natal Day are commonly recognized but aren't paid holidays, and Thanksgiving is a retail closing day rather than a paid holiday.
- ✦Prince Edward Island: Labour Day is a paid holiday. Victoria Day, the August Monday and Thanksgiving aren't on the province's paid holiday list.
- ✦Newfoundland and Labrador: Labour Day is the only wedding-season Monday on the paid public holiday list.
Labour Day weekend is the one wedding-season long weekend all ten provinces share, which makes it a lovely choice when your guests are coming from all over. If you're marrying in Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut, check your territory's own holiday list.
Which 2027 months are filling first
Here's how the 2027 season looked on OpenDates in a snapshot counted on October 25, 2026. To compare months fairly, we looked at the 78 businesses that had dates listed in every month from May to October 2027, and worked out what share of each month's Saturdays they still had open:
- ✦May: 89%
- ✦June: 82%
- ✦July: 86%
- ✦August: 87%
- ✦September: 82%
- ✦October: 83%
So June, September and October had the fewest Saturdays left, which usually means they're filling first, and May had the most room. These numbers move every week as couples book, so if your heart is set on a fall Saturday, it's worth starting soon.
How many Saturdays were still open
Across all businesses on OpenDates, here's the 2027 season (May to October) in our snapshot from October 25, 2026. It doesn't update, so these counts will drift as couples book:
- ✦2,340 open Saturdays, plus 1,913 open Fridays and 1,971 open Sundays
- ✦9,813 open dates in the season, from 120 businesses
- ✦Fridays and Sundays together offered 1.7 open dates for every open Saturday
An open date is one business with that day free, so one Saturday counts once for each business that still has it.
By province, the open Saturdays in the 2027 season were: Ontario 1,078, British Columbia 439, Alberta 286, Quebec 272, New Brunswick 81, Manitoba 71, Nova Scotia 56, Saskatchewan 36, and Newfoundland and Labrador 21.
And on the long weekends themselves:
- ✦Victoria Day weekend: 92 open dates on Saturday, May 22, and 79 on Sunday, May 23
- ✦August long weekend: 84 on Saturday, July 31, and 70 on Sunday, August 1
- ✦Labour Day weekend: 84 on Saturday, September 4, and 69 on Sunday, September 5
- ✦Thanksgiving weekend: 75 on Saturday, October 9, and 56 on Sunday, October 10
For the newest figures, our Open Dates Report is counted from businesses' live calendars and breaks the season down by province.
Fridays, Sundays and special dates
Saturday is the day everyone asks for first, which is why Fridays and Sundays can be such good news: many venues and vendors charge less, and more of your favourites may be free. A Sunday on a long weekend can feel just like a Saturday, because nobody's rushing off to work the next morning (as long as the Monday is a holiday where your guests live). Labour Day Sunday, September 5, 2027, is the one that works in every province. Our guide to Friday and Sunday weddings has the full picture.
Love a pretty number? Saturday, July 17, 2027 (7.17.27) still had 90 open dates on OpenDates when we counted. We've rounded up the other special 2027 dates, and a gentle way to choose between them, in how to choose your wedding date.
Picking your 2027 date, step by step
- ✦Start with your people. Note where your closest guests live and check whether the Monday is a holiday in their province.
- ✦Choose two or three dates. Include at least one Friday or Sunday so you have room to move.
- ✦Check who's free before you fall in love. Search each date and see which venues and vendors still have it open.
Frequently asked questions
When are the long weekends in 2027 in Canada?
The wedding-season long weekends are May 22 to 24 (Victoria Day, or National Patriots' Day in Quebec), July 31 to August 2 where the August Monday is a holiday, September 4 to 6 (Labour Day) and October 9 to 11 (Thanksgiving). Which Mondays are paid holidays depends on your province.
Is the August long weekend a holiday in Ontario in 2027?
The first Monday in August, August 2, 2027, isn't a public holiday under Ontario's Employment Standards Act, although some employers give it. It's a statutory holiday in B.C. (B.C. Day), Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Day) and New Brunswick (New Brunswick Day), and optional in Alberta (Heritage Day).
When is Thanksgiving 2027 in Canada?
Monday, October 11, 2027. It's a holiday in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, but not a paid holiday in the four Atlantic provinces.
Is Canada Day a long weekend in 2027?
No. Canada Day falls on Thursday, July 1, 2027, so there's no built-in long weekend.
What are the busiest months for 2027 weddings?
On OpenDates, counted October 25, 2026, June, September and October had the smallest share of Saturdays still open among businesses with dates listed across the whole season. May had the most room.
Find who's free on your 2027 date
The calendar tells you which weekends work for your guests. OpenDates tells you who's actually free. Enter your date and see the venues and vendors near you who still have it open, with no guessing and no waiting to hear back. It's free for couples, always.
Holiday rules can change, so please check your province's list before you send invitations.
Happy planning! Kristina
Sources
- ✦British Columbia statutory holidays
- ✦Alberta general holidays
- ✦Saskatchewan public holidays
- ✦The Saskatchewan Employment Act (Family Day and Saskatchewan Day)
- ✦Manitoba general holidays
- ✦Manitoba statute C.C.S.M. c. C150.5 (Terry Fox Day)
- ✦Ontario public holidays
- ✦Ontario school year calendars (2026-27 holiday dates)
- ✦Quebec statutory holidays (CNESST)
- ✦New Brunswick paid public holidays
- ✦New Brunswick prescribed days of rest
- ✦Nova Scotia holiday and retail closing day charts
- ✦Prince Edward Island Employment Standards Act
- ✦Newfoundland and Labrador, Your Rights at Work
- ✦OpenDates open dates data (a one-time snapshot of business dates, same rules as the Open Dates Report), counted October 25, 2026
- ✦Checked October 2026
Photos from Pexels.