When is Holocaust Remembrance Day?
In 2026, Holocaust Remembrance Day falls on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. It is an observance rather than a federal holiday, so federal offices and most businesses follow their normal schedules.
History of Holocaust Remembrance Day
April 22 is Serbia’s official day of remembrance for victims of the Holocaust, genocide and other victims of fascism in the Second World War. The date is connected with the 1945 breakout of prisoners from the Jasenovac concentration camp, a memory that remains significant across the former Yugoslav region.
The Ministry of Labour lists the date among holidays observed while work continues. Ceremonies, museum programmes and educational initiatives make space for historical evidence, survivor memory and reflection on the human cost of racial persecution, genocide and wartime violence.
April 22 is a statutory working commemoration whose full legal title includes victims of the Holocaust, genocide and other victims of fascism in the Second World War. It creates neither general leave nor weekend substitution. The link to the Jasenovac prisoner breakout must be presented alongside Serbia-specific sites and victim groups, including Jewish, Roma and Serb communities affected by occupation and collaborationist persecution. Official and educational programming, rather than closure, gives the date its public visibility.
How Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed
A working national remembrance observance; schools, museums, Jewish organisations and memorial institutions may hold evidence-based programmes and solemn ceremonies.
Traditions of Holocaust Remembrance Day
Memorial ceremonies
Officials and Jewish community representatives lay wreaths and honour victims at Belgrade memorial locations and other sites of persecution.
Museum and archive education
Serbian institutions present documented histories of the Holocaust, genocide, Roma persecution and other fascist crimes committed during wartime occupation.
Victim-centred reflection
Readings, testimony and moments of silence keep attention on murdered individuals and survivors rather than turning remembrance into celebration.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Serbian government holiday guidance. Religious leave, school calendars and private-employer schedules may differ from the general public-holiday calendar.
History sources: Ministry of Labour: state and religious holidays of Serbia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs: public and other holidays in Serbia, National Bank of Serbia: annual non-working days and commemorations.
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