It is true that mobile phones, computers and other devices make this adjustment automatically, almost without us noticing, but there is always a wall clock, alarm clock or appliance that needs to be changed by hand. And although it is an event that takes place twice a year, the same question arises again as the date approaches: when is the time change?
The 2026 time change to welcome winter time will take place in the early hours of Saturday, October 24, into Sunday, October 25. That is when Aragon, like the rest of Spain, will leave daylight saving time behind.
DO CLOCKS GO FORWARD OR BACK IN THE OCTOBER TIME CHANGE?
With the arrival of winter time in 2026, clocks must be set back one hour. When the hands show 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 25, they will go back to 2:00 a.m. As a result, people in Aragon will enjoy an extra hour that night, and the last Sunday in October will exceptionally have 25 hours.
This adjustment will also quickly be noticeable in everyday life. Dawn will come earlier, but it will also get dark earlier in the afternoon, creating the impression of shorter days. The change will be especially noticeable when leaving work or school, when in Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel the light will begin to disappear below the horizon earlier.
HOW LONG WILL SPAIN CONTINUE CHANGING THE CLOCKS?
The future of the clock change has been the subject of debate for years in Spain and across Europe, but for now there is no date set for its abolition. The European Union continues to apply the system that sets the start of daylight saving time for the last Sunday in March and its end for the last Sunday in October.
In fact, the European Commission published the schedule for daylight saving time periods from 2027 to 2031 in March 2026, in accordance with current European legislation. Under those dates, the changes to daylight saving time are scheduled for March 28, 2027, March 26, 2028, March 25, 2029, March 31, 2030, and March 30, 2031.
The return to winter time, meanwhile, is scheduled for October 31, 2027, October 29, 2028, October 28, 2029, October 27, 2030, and October 26, 2031. Therefore, unless the European Union approves an amendment to the legislation beforehand, the small ritual of moving the clock hands will remain part of autumn in Aragon for the next few years.
