Public Holidays 2026: Six public holidays will fall on Saturdays or Sundays next year, which means that if these festivals come on normal working days, government employees’ working hours may be reduced. The simple line is that government employees are losing six holidays since public holidays fall on Saturdays and Sundays. Employees, on the other hand, can optimize their enjoyment of at least eight joyous holidays by judiciously using their earned vacation time.
On Tuesday, the state administration issued the calendar of government holidays for next year. There are no changes in the number of holidays. Hazrat Ali’s birthday is on Saturday (January 3), Shivratri is on Sunday (February 15), Eid is on Saturday (March 21), Independence Day is on Saturday (August 15), and Diwali is on Sunday (November 8).
Plan for these holidays
Good Friday (April 3), Buddha Purnima (May 1), Rakshabandhan (August 28), Janmashtami (September 4), Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti (October 2), and Christmas Day (December 25) are all on Fridays. This means that the holidays begin on Thursday evening and go until Sunday. However, taking a break before or after the holidays can help you enjoy them more. Planning holidays in combination with scheduled holidays will help you organize a fun outing. Similarly, Republic Day (January 26) occurs on a Monday. On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, offices will be closed. Government employees can seize this chance.
24 public holidays and 31 restricted holidays.
This year’s government calendar lists 24 public holidays. There are 31 restricted holidays. Executive orders have designated Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti (January 3) and Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom Day (November 24) to be public holidays. These will be provided as separate orders.
Confusion Already Over Holi
Government staff have already begun to discuss the Holi holidays. According to the government’s holiday calendar, Holika Dahan is on March 2 and Holi is on March 4. This implies that there is no mention of a holiday on March 3. March 2 is Monday, whereas March 3 is Wednesday. If government employees use their Monday vacation effectively, they can extend their vacation from Thursday evening to Wednesday.
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List of Public Holidays 2026
- Birthday of Hazrat Ali (January 3)
- Republic Day (January 26)
- Mahashivratri (February 15)
- Holika Dahan (March 2)
- Holi (March 4), Eid (March 21)
- Ram Navami (March 26)
- Mahavir Jayanti (March 31)
- Good Friday (April 3)
- Ambedkar Jayanti (April 14)
- Buddha Purnima (May 1)
- Bakrid (May 27)
- Muharram (June 26)
- Independence Day (August 15)
- Barafatha (August 26)
- Raksha Bandhan (August 28)
- Janmashtami (September 4)
- Gandhi Jayanti (October 2)
- Dussehra (October 20)
- Diwali (November 8)
- Govardhan Puja (November 9)
- Bhai Dooj (November 11)
- Guru Nanak Jayanti (November 24)
- Christmas Day (December 25)