When is Green March Day?
In 2026, Green March Day falls on Friday, November 6, 2026. It is classified here as a paid public holiday.
History of Green March Day
Green March Day commemorates November 6, 1975, when King Hassan II’s government mobilised about 350,000 unarmed volunteers to move toward Spanish Sahara and demonstrate Morocco’s claim. Weeks earlier, the International Court of Justice found ties of allegiance between the Sultan and some tribes but no territorial-sovereignty tie that displaced the principle of self-determination.
Morocco treats the march as peaceful national reunification; Polisario and supporters of Sahrawi independence understand it within an occupation and unresolved decolonization conflict. The United Nations continues to classify Western Sahara as Non-Self-Governing. After Unity Day was created, the Royal Office said the regular royal address would no longer be tied automatically to Green March Day, correcting the assumption that every future observance includes one.
Green March Day is a paid, non-working holiday under Morocco’s public-administration Decree 2-77-169 as amended; paid holidays for covered agricultural and non-agricultural employment are governed by Decree 2-04-426 and Labour Code Articles 217–223. The decrees do not create an automatic Monday substitute when a holiday falls at the weekend. A bridge or exceptional closure requires a separate decision, as the Government issued for March 23, 2026.
How Green March Day is observed
Nationwide paid holiday on Friday, November 6, 2026, with state and local commemorations. Current government notices, employer policies and local schedules in Morocco should be checked for closures, substitute dates and public-service arrangements.
Traditions of Green March Day
Community practice
Residents may display national colours, watch archive footage or attend cultural events, while political interpretation of the march is not uniform. Customs differ by region, language, religious practice and household resources.
Public programme
Schools and public institutions may stage exhibitions, songs, marches or talks about the 1975 mobilisation under Morocco’s official narrative. The official programme does not imply identical participation or political interpretation across Morocco.
Planning the day
Verify the 2026 programme rather than expecting a Green March royal speech, which the 2025 Royal Office statement removed from the fixed schedule. Essential services, transport and private businesses may follow their own published schedules.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Morocco official holiday calendar or legislation. Government, regional, school and employer schedules in Morocco may differ; check the linked official source and current local notices before making time-sensitive plans.
History sources: Moroccan public-service legal database: consolidated Decree 2-77-169, Moroccan administration ministry: working hours and public holidays, Moroccan Labour Code, including Articles 217–223 on paid holidays, Morocco national portal: national and religious holiday calendar, Royal Institute history chronology: 350,000 Green March participants, International Court of Justice: 1975 Western Sahara advisory opinion, United Nations: Western Sahara decolonization status, Royal Office: future speech schedule after creation of Unity Day, UNESCO: Intangible Cultural Heritage lists.
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