Flag days in Mexico 2026 and 2027: full and half-mast
Published Written by Flagpole Guides
This page is an English translation of the Spanish original. Where the two versions differ, the Spanish text is the original.
Mexico has one of the longest lists of flag days in the world. Article 18 of the Law on the National Arms, Flag and Anthem lists the commemorations on which the national flag is raised at full mast (fraction I) and those on which it is raised at half-mast (fraction II) at the buildings and places in article 15: seats of the authorities, diplomatic and consular missions, schools, hospitals, immigration offices, customs, harbour masters’ offices, airports and the public squares the authorities designate. The latest amendment of the article, published on 21 July 2025, added commemorations of women who shaped the country’s history. These are the days for 2026 and 2027, with the day of the week and the legal basis of each.
Full and half-mast days by year
The table lists the 51 fixed days of fraction I, the 32 of fraction II and the two days of national mourning that the 2017 decree adds to 19 September. As all the days are fixed, only the day of the week changes from one year to the next.
The closing of Congress’s sessions
Item 52 of fraction I adds the closing days of the ordinary sessions of Congress, which have no fixed date. Under article 65 of the Constitution, Congress opens its first session on 1 September and its second on 1 February, two days that are on the list. Under article 66, the first session cannot run beyond 15 December, except in the year in which the President takes office, when it can be extended to 31 December, and the second not beyond 30 April. The exact closing day depends on what the chambers agree.
Flag Day and compulsory honours
Article 10 establishes 24 February as Flag Day. On that day the authorities hold civic events in honour of the flag, and radio and television broadcast special programmes on its history and meaning.
Under article 11, at the authorities’ buildings whose features allow it, honours to the national flag are compulsory on 24 February, 15 and 16 September and 20 November. These four days carry a note in the table. In schools, article 15 adds honours every Monday and at the start and end of the school year. The guide to flag protocol describes how they are rendered.
The half-mast days
Fraction II recalls the deaths of figures from national history, such as Cuauhtémoc, Benito Juárez, Miguel Hidalgo, José María Morelos, Leona Vicario and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and events such as the defence of Chapultepec by the Boy Heroes on 13 September 1847, those killed at Tlatelolco on 2 October 1968 and the earthquakes of 1985 and 2017. It also includes 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Since the decree published in the Official Journal of the Federation on 19 September 2017, 19, 20 and 21 September are days of national mourning every year: the flag flies at half-mast and any official festive event is suspended. The guide to half-mast explains how this works.
Extraordinary days
Under article 19, for events of exceptional importance the President of the Republic may order the flag raised on days other than those in article 18, and governors may do so within their state. National mourning is declared this way and cannot be known in advance; the guide to national mourning gives examples. The civic days that are also statutory rest days are covered in the guide to flags on holidays.
Who raises the flag?
The obligation in article 18 covers the buildings and places in article 15. Under article 17, the flags of these buildings are entrusted to designated staff, who make sure that on the relevant days they are raised and lowered on time, with the corresponding honours where possible. Private persons and businesses may display the flag whenever they wish, with the respect due to the national symbol. More in the guide to flag rules.
Frequently asked questions
How many flag days are there in Mexico?
Article 18 of the Law on the National Arms, Flag and Anthem lists 52 commemorations at full mast, the last of them the closing days of Congress’s ordinary sessions, and 32 at half-mast. In addition, 20 and 21 September are days of national mourning for the earthquakes of 1985 and 2017 under the 2017 decree.
When is Flag Day in Mexico?
On 24 February. Article 10 of the law solemnly establishes it as Flag Day; on that day the authorities hold civic events and radio and television broadcast special programmes on the history and meaning of the flag.
On which days are honours to the flag compulsory?
Under article 11 of the law, at the authorities’ buildings whose features allow it, on 24 February, 15 and 16 September and 20 November each year. Schools also render honours every Monday and at the start and end of the school year, under article 15.
Is the flag only raised on these days?
No. Under article 16 of the law, at the buildings and places in article 15 the national flag stays raised every day of the year, except in unforeseeable cases or force majeure. The days in article 18 mark the solemn commemorations and the days on which it flies at half-mast.
Does the list of flag days apply to private persons?
The list in article 18 refers to the buildings and places in article 15: seats of the authorities, schools, hospitals, customs, airports and public squares, among others. Article 32 allows individuals to display the flag at home or at work, without setting any days.
Sources
This guide is based on the following sources, most of them in Spanish:
- Ley sobre el Escudo, la Bandera y el Himno Nacionales (artículos 10, 11, 15, 16, 18 y 19) – Cámara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Unión
- Decreto por el que se modifica el diverso por el que se declaran tres días de duelo nacional publicado el 20 de septiembre de 1985 – Diario Oficial de la Federación
- Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (artículos 65 y 66) – Cámara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Unión
Related guides
- Flag rulesThe rules for the national flag of Mexico: where it flies, private use, inscriptions, the sale of flags, infringements and fines under the 1984 flag law.
- Half-mastWhen the national flag of Mexico flies at half-mast: the 32 days in the law, the mourning of 19 to 21 September, national mourning decrees and the states.
- Flags on holidaysThe flag on Mexico’s holidays: the September national celebrations, the statutory rest days of the Federal Labour Law and the Mondays they move to.
- Flag protocolThe protocol of Mexico’s national flag: honours, the civil salute, the anthem, the presentation of the flag, colour guards and the place of honour.