Next year May 1st falls on Saturday.
Since May 1st is a day off in Europe, does it mean Monday the 3rd will be a holiday...(stores closed) to make it a long weekend?

ttt

Not in Spain...Saturdays are working days and that day eveything will be closed, but on Monday 3 it will be business as usual.

You cannot celebrate May 1st on May 3rd. (Or celebrate Christmas on Dec 28). All those days have special meanings.

Not in France. The holiday is celebrated on the day it occurs, no extra days are added.

Easter is celebrated on a different day each year. Same with thanksgiving. I'm not sure, but I think Festivus may also be on a different day, sometimes Monday, sometimes Thursday.

Just about everything will be closed on May 1st. Things should reopen on 3rd as normal in Spain.

July 4th is always the 4th and Bastille Dau the 14th. So Labor Day is May 1 (except in the US which has no labor movement to speak of, except in a couple of small pockets).

thank you for the input.

In Madrid, May 2 is a day off (Day of the Region), I´m not sure if they will take May 3rd as a closing day.

I think you are thinking of Le Pont, ax extra day tacked on to make a long week-end. Bus since the hoilday is Sat that wouldn't matter. May 13th is also a holiday !

May the 2nd (Sunday) in Madrid is classed a public holiday so on the 3rd (Monday) things will be either closed (shops etc) or on a Sunday opening/running. (public buildings or transport).
There maybe more localised fiestas where you will find public buildings closed too.
You post is under Spain but your question is about Europe, are you going elsewhere other than Spain?

"I think you are thinking of Le Pont, ax extra day tacked on to make a long week-end"

avalon, that is exactly what I had in mind.
thank you all again.

ribeirasacra, thanks for reminding me about May the 2nd
- totaly slipped my mind.
We are thinking about Madrid, Seville and Barcelona .
(Not the first visit).
I was trying to avoid Feria in Seville( crowds) and closings around the 1st in Madrid.
Well, we may just have to look at some other dates.

Actually, a "bridge" is when it´s a day off on a Tuesday (or a Thursday), for example, so we take Monday (or Friday) off as well. For example, next Dec 8 is the Inmaculate Virgin, day off in all of Spain, so there are millions that are not working on Monday 7 (me!!), although it´s a normal working day (shops, banks, etc...will be open, not schools or universities). High productivity, they call it...

This "problem" is solved in the UK by having all public holidays on a Monday.

Mike, I will be working! But that will be no problem.

Ribeira, I´m going to Valderredible, a very much unknown valley in southern Cantabria, with a huge number of romanic and cave churches, www.valderredible.eu or www.valderredible.es. I hope you have many guests during the bridge.

This "problem" is solved in the UK by having all public holidays on a Monday.>>

except Christmas day, boxing day, New year's day and Good Friday. that's half of them.

the other 4 are indeed on Mondays - Easter Monday, May day [1st monday in May] Whit week monday [last monday in May] August Bank holiday - last monday in August.

mikelg, thank you.
You are right about the U.K. system!
We sometimes have a holiday on Tuesday or Thursday...but no
"bridging".
Even if a holidays falls on Sunday, poor working people don't get Monday off.
Must admit, I like the European way ...something about the quality of life.

correct, annhig, I meant except those that can´t be moved because of their special significance.

mikelg - you're making me fel mean now.

sorry for being a clever d..k.