Government Holidays 2026: Centre Releases Full List Of Mandatory And Optional Holidays For Offices Across India

Central government offices to follow a uniform holiday calendar in 2026, with additional flexibility for employees and state-wise coordination.

The central government has issued the complete holiday list for 2026, outlining all compulsory national holidays, optional observances, and special provisions for offices inside and outside Delhi. The annual notification brings clarity to government employees across the country, specifying which days offices and banks will remain closed in the coming year.

Central government holiday list 2026: 

Govt offices across India will be closed on these days

S.No.                  Holiday                                  Date                               Day

  1                     Republic Day                         Jan 26                             Monday

  2                      Holi                                        Mar 4                               Wednesday

  3                      Id-ul-Fitr                                 Mar 29                            Sunday

  4                      Ram Navami                         Mar 31                           Tuesday

  5                      Mahavir Jayanti                    Apr 1                              Wednesday

  6                      Good Friday                           Apri 3                             Friday

  7                      Buddha Purnima                   May 31                          Sunday

  8                       Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid)               Jun 26                            Friday

  9                       Muharram                              Jun 26                           Friday

10                      Independence Day                Aug 15                           Saturday

11                     Janmashtami                         Sept 4                             Friday

12                     Milad-un-Nabi/Id-e-Milad    Sep 24                            Thursday

13                     Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday Oct 2                             Friday

14                     Dussehra (Vijay Dashami)    Oct 21                          Wednesday

15                      Diwali (Deepavali)                   Nov 21                         Saturday

list of restricted holidays:

S.No            Holiday                          Date                     Day

1           New Year’s Day.                       Jan 1             Thursday

2           Hazrat Ali’s Birthday               Jan 13           Tuesday

3           Makar Sankranti                     Jan 14           Wednesday

4           Magh Bihu/Pongal                 Jan 15           Thursday

5           Sri Panchami /                        Jan 16            Friday

             Basant Panchami

6          Guru Ravi Das’s Birthday       Feb12              Thursday

7          Swami Dayanand                   Feb 26              Thursday

            Saraswati Jayanti

8          Maha Shivaratri                       Feb 26              Thursday

9          Holika Dahan                           Mar 3              Tuesday

10        Dol Yatra                                   Mar 3              Tuesday

11        Chaitra Sukladi/Gudi              Mar 19            Thursday

             Padwa/Ugadi

12        Rama Navami                         Mar 31               Tuesday

13         Easter Sunday                       Apr 5.                  Sunday

14         Tamil New Year’s                  Apr 15                 Wednesday

15         Vaisakhadi                             Apr 15                Wednesday

              (Bengali New Year)

16          Puthuvarsham.                     Apr 15                 Wednesday

              (Malayalam New Year)

17         Birthday of Guru                     May 8                     Friday

              Rabindranath Tagore

18         Rath Yatra                               Jul 16                    Thursday

19.        Parsi New Year’s Day            Aug 15                   Saturday  

              /Navroz

20        Onam or Thiru Onam Day      Aug 26                  Wednesday 

21       Raksha Bandhan                      Aug 26                  Wednesday

22       Ganesh Chaturthi                     Sep 14                  Sunday

23       Dussehra (Saptami)                 Oct 18                   Sunday

24       Dussehra (Mahashtami)          Oct 19                    Monday

25       Dussehra (Mahanavami)         Oct 20                  Tuesday

26       Maharishi Valmiki’s                  Oct 22                 Thursday 

            Birthday

27       Karaka Chaturthi                      Oct 30                   Thursday

          (Karwa Chauth)

28      Naraka Chaturdashi                  Nov 17                  Monday

29      Govardhan Puja                         Nov 17                   Monday

30       Bhai Duj                                     Nov 18                  Tuesday

31      Prathar Shashtri or                    Nov 19                  Wednesday

           Surya Shashti(Chhath Puja)    

32.      Guru Teg Bahadur’s                  Nov 24                  Monday 

            Martyrdom Day

33       Hazarat Ali’s Birthday               Dec 23                   Wednesday

34       Christmas Eve                            Dec 24                   Thursday   

List of 12 optional holidays

1. An additional day for dussehra

2. Holi

3. Janamashtami (vaishnavi)

4. Ram Navami

5. Maha Shivratri

6. Ganesh Chaturthi/Vinayak Chaturthi

7. Makar Sankaranti

8. Rath Yatra

9. Onam

10. Pongal

11. Sri Panchami/ Basant Panchami

12. Vishu/Vaisakhi/Vaisakhadi / Bhag Bihu/Mashadi Ugadi / Chaitra Sukladi / Cheti Chand / Gudi Padava / 1st Navratra/Naoraz/Chhath Pooja/ Karva Chauth

According to the circular, all central government administrative offices will observe the standard list of 14 compulsory holidays. In addition, employees may choose two more days from the restricted list, allowing for personal, religious or regional preferences. The government has also clarified that dates for Islamic festivals such as Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zuha, Muharram and Id-e-Milad will be finalised separately based on moon sighting.

For central offices located in Delhi and New Delhi, three optional holidays will be selected by the Department of Personnel & Training. For all central offices outside Delhi, the Employees Welfare Coordination Committees in respective state capitals will choose three optional holidays, based on regional requirements and coordination with local committees.

The compulsory nationwide holiday list covers major national, cultural and religious occasions. These include Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, Christmas Day, Dussehra (Vijay Dashmi), Diwali, Good Friday, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Idu’l Fitr, Idu’l Zuha, Mahavir Jayanti, Muharram and the Prophet Mohammad’s Birthday.

The government has also provided a list of 12 optional holidays from which employees can select. These include Holi, Ram Navami, Janmashtami, Maha Shivratri, Onam, Pongal, Ganesh Chaturthi, Makar Sankranti, Rath Yatra, Sri Panchami/Basant Panchami, and other regional new-year festivals such as Vishu, Vaisakhi, Gudi Padwa, Chaitra Sukladi and Cheti Chand.

The 2026 list additionally highlights special cases where holiday observance varies by state. For example, if Diwali falls on a Sunday as it does in 2026, some states may opt to declare Naraka Chaturdashi (the preceding day) as the official public holiday. In such cases, central government offices in those states may also follow the state-declared date.

This updated schedule ensures uniformity across the country while offering regional flexibility, helping government departments plan staffing, leave schedules and service availability well in advance for the upcoming year.