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 has 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 does 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 will be when Aragon, like the rest of Spain, leaves 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 turned back one hour. When the hands show 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 25, they will return 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 last 25 hours.
This adjustment will also quickly be noticeable in daily life. The sun will rise earlier, but it will also get dark earlier in the afternoon, creating the feeling of shorter days. The change will be especially noticeable when people leave work or school, when daylight will begin to disappear earlier over the horizon in Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel.
HOW LONG WILL THE TIME CHANGE CONTINUE IN SPAIN?
The future of the time change has been the subject of debate in Spain and across the rest of Europe for years, but for now there is no date set for its abolition. The European Union continues to apply the system that establishes the start of daylight saving time on the last Sunday in March and its end on the last Sunday in October.
In fact, in March 2026, the European Commission published the calendar for daylight saving time periods from 2027 to 2031, in application of current European regulations. According to 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 a change to the regulations beforehand, the small ritual of moving the clock hands will remain part of autumn in Aragon for the next few years.
