Holiday List 2026: Check month-wise full list of holidays for schools, colleges, banks and offices

Planning school schedules, family trips or long weekends in advance just got easier. The 2026 holiday calendar offers a mix of national holidays, major festivals and widely observed bank breaks spread across the year. While exact holidays may vary by state and institution, the list below covers holidays that are commonly observed by schools, colleges, banks and offices across India.

Parents, students and working professionals are advised to use this as an early reference and cross-check with state government notifications and institutional calendars for final confirmation.

Holiday Calendar 2026: Complete India Holiday List

January 2026 holidays full list

Date	Day	Occasion
January 1	Thursday	New Year’s Day
January 14	Wednesday	Makar Sankranti / Pongal
January 23	Friday	Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti
January 26	Monday	Republic Day

Also Read: 2026 long weekend holiday list: Month-wise guide to planning trips and festivals without burning your leaves

February 2026 holidays

Date	Day	Occasion
February 14	Saturday	Vasant Panchami
February 18	Wednesday	Maha Shivratri

Also Read: 2026 Purnima Dates: Check month-wise full list of Poornima days with names and moon-rise timing

March 2026 holidays

Date	Day	Occasion
March 4	Wednesday	Holika Dahan
March 5	Thursday	Holi
March 20	Friday	March Equinox (observed by some institutions)

April 2026 holidays

Date	Day	Occasion
April 2	Thursday	Ram Navami
April 6	Monday	Mahavir Jayanti
April 10	Friday	Good Friday
April 14	Tuesday	Dr B R Ambedkar Jayanti
April 18	Saturday	Easter (restricted/optional in many offices)

May 2026 holidays

Date	Day	Occasion
May 1	Friday	Labour Day / Maharashtra Day
May 25	Monday	Buddha Purnima

June 2026 holidays

Date	Day	Occasion
June 17	Wednesday	Bakrid / Eid al-Adha*

*Subject to moon sighting.

July 2026 holidays

Date	Day	Occasion
July 17	Friday	Muharram*

*Subject to moon sighting.

August 2026 holidays

Date	Day	Occasion
August 15	Saturday	Independence Day
August 19	Wednesday	Raksha Bandhan
August 28	Friday	Janmashtami

September 2026 holidays

Date	Day	Occasion
September 5	Saturday	Teachers’ Day
September 23	Wednesday	Onam

October 2026 holidays

Date	Day	Occasion
October 2	Friday	Gandhi Jayanti
October 19	Monday	Dussehra (Vijayadashami)
October 24	Saturday	Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti

November 2026 holidays

Date	Day	Occasion
November 1	Sunday	Karnataka Rajyotsava
November 7	Saturday	Diwali (Lakshmi Puja)
November 8	Sunday	Govardhan Puja
November 9	Monday	Bhai Dooj
November 24	Tuesday	Guru Nanak Jayanti

December 2026 holidays

Date	Day	Occasion
December 25	Friday	Christmas Day
December 31	Thursday	New Year’s Eve (bank holiday in some states)

Holiday list 2026: Central government

The Central government holiday calendar for 2026 is broadly divided into Gazetted Holidays (GH) and Restricted Holidays (RH). Gazetted holidays are compulsory for all Central government offices, while restricted holidays can be chosen by employees based on personal, religious or regional preferences, as per departmental rules.

Holiday list 2026 Central Government Gazetted holidays (GH)

These holidays are mandatory and observed across all Central government offices.

• New Year’s Day – January 1 (Thursday)
• Republic Day – January 26 (Monday)
• Maha Shivratri – February 18 (Wednesday)
• Holi – March 5 (Thursday)
• Ram Navami – April 2 (Thursday)
• Mahavir Jayanti – April 6 (Monday)
• Good Friday – April 10 (Friday)
• Dr B R Ambedkar Jayanti – April 14 (Tuesday)
• Buddha Purnima – May 25 (Monday)
• Bakrid / Eid al-Adha* – June 17 (Wednesday)
• Independence Day – August 15 (Saturday)
• Janmashtami – August 28 (Friday)
• Gandhi Jayanti – October 2 (Friday)
• Dussehra (Vijayadashami) – October 19 (Monday)
• Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) – November 7 (Saturday)
• Guru Nanak Jayanti – November 24 (Tuesday)
• Christmas Day – December 25 (Friday)

Holiday list 2026 Central Government Restricted holidays (RH)

These holidays are optional and can be availed as per Central government leave rules.

• Makar Sankranti / Pongal – January 14 (Wednesday)
• Basant Panchami – February 14 (Saturday)
• Ganesh Chaturthi – September 14 (Monday)
• Onam – September 23 (Wednesday)
• Raksha Bandhan – August 19 (Wednesday)
• Muharram* – July 17 (Friday)
• Labour Day – May 1 (Friday)

*Dates subject to moon sighting.

Important note for students, parents and employees

Banks follow RBI and state-specific holiday lists, so closures may differ by city.
Schools and colleges may club festival holidays with local vacations.
Private offices often observe national holidays and offer optional leaves for regional festivals.

For travel planning and exam schedules, it is best to keep track of official notifications released by state governments, universities and banks closer to the dates.

With several holidays falling near weekends, 2026 could be a good year for short breaks, if planned smartly.