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📢 Central Government Holidays in 2026
Planning your year ahead? The Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) has released the official holiday list for 2026 to be observed in Central Government offices. This user-friendly guide outlines which holidays are Gazetted Holidays (GH) and which are Restricted Holidays (RH) — along with their dates and days in handy tables.
🗂️ Why this notification matters
This DoPT order provides a clear structure: Gazetted Holidays are mandatory nationwide, while Restricted Holidays offer flexibility to honor cultural or regional observances. It streamlines leave planning and ensures fair recognition of diverse festivities.
🏛️ Gazetted Holidays (GH) — (Delhi / New Delhi)
The following Gazetted Holidays (closed holidays) are listed in Annexure-I for administrative offices of the Central Government located at Delhi / New Delhi (dates & days as declared in the O.M.).
| Date | Day | Gazetted Holiday (GH) |
|---|---|---|
| 26 January 2026 | Monday | Republic Day |
| 04 March 2026 | Wednesday | Holi |
| 21 March 2026 | Saturday | Id-ul-Fitr |
| 26 March 2026 | Thursday | Ram Navami |
| 31 March 2026 | Tuesday | Mahavir Jayanti |
| 03 April 2026 | Friday | Good Friday |
| 01 May 2026 | Friday | Buddha Purnima |
| 27 May 2026 | Wednesday | Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) |
| 26 June 2026 | Friday | Muharram |
| 15 August 2026 | Saturday | Independence Day |
| 26 August 2026 | Wednesday | Milad-un-Nabi (Id-e-Milad) — Birthday of Prophet Mohammad |
| 04 September 2026 | Friday | Janmashtami (Vaishnava) |
| 02 October 2026 | Friday | Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday |
| 20 October 2026 | Tuesday | Dussehra |
| 08 November 2026 | Sunday | Diwali (Deepavali) |
| 24 November 2026 | Tuesday | Guru Nanak’s Birthday |
| 25 December 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day |
🎉 Restricted Holidays (RH) — (Delhi / New Delhi)
Annexure-II lists the Restricted Holidays for 2026 for administrative offices at Delhi / New Delhi. Employees at Delhi offices may choose any two RHs from this list. (State-level coordination committees may prepare their own RH lists for offices outside Delhi.)
| Date | Day | Restricted Holiday (RH) |
|---|---|---|
| 01 January 2026 | Thursday | New Year’s Day |
| 03 January 2026 | Saturday | Hazarat Ali’s Birthday |
| 14 January 2026 | Wednesday | Makar Sankranti |
| 14 January 2026 | Wednesday | Magha Bihu / Pongal |
| 23 January 2026 | Friday | Sri Panchami / Basant Panchami |
| 01 February 2026 | Sunday | Guru Ravi Das’s Birthday |
| 12 February 2026 | Thursday | Birthday of Swami Dayananda Saraswati |
| 15 February 2026 | Sunday | Maha Shivratri |
| 19 February 2026 | Thursday | Shivaji Jayanti |
| 03 March 2026 | Tuesday | Holika Dahan |
| 03 March 2026 | Tuesday | Dolyatra |
| 19 March 2026 | Thursday | Chaitra Sukladi / Gudi Padwa / Ugadi / Cheti Chand |
| 20 March 2026 | Friday | Jamat-ul-Vida |
| 05 April 2026 | Sunday | Easter Sunday |
| 14 April 2026 | Tuesday | Vaisakhi / Meshadi (Tamil New Year) |
| 15 April 2026 | Wednesday | Vaisakhadi / Bahag Bihu (Assam) |
| 09 May 2026 | Saturday | Birthday of Rabindranath Tagore |
| 16 July 2026 | Thursday | Rath Yatra |
| 15 August 2026 | Saturday | Parsi New Year / Nauroj |
| 26 August 2026 | Wednesday | Onam / Thiru Onam |
| 28 August 2026 | Friday | Raksha Bandhan |
| 14 September 2026 | Monday | Ganesh Chaturthi / Vinayak Chaturthi |
| 18 October 2026 | Sunday | Dussehra (Saptami) |
| 19 October 2026 | Monday | Dussehra (Mahashtami) |
| 20 October 2026 | Tuesday | Dussehra (Mahanavami) |
| 26 October 2026 | Monday | Maharishi Valmiki’s Birthday |
| 29 October 2026 | Thursday | Karva Chauth (Karak Chaturthi) |
| 08 November 2026 | Sunday | Naraka Chaturdasi |
| 09 November 2026 | Monday | Govardhan Puja |
| 11 November 2026 | Wednesday | Bhai Dooj |
| 15 November 2026 | Sunday | Chhath (Pratihar Shashthi / Surya Shashthi) |
| 24 November 2026 | Tuesday | Guru Tegh Bahadur’s Martyrdom Day |
| 23 December 2026 | Wednesday | Hazarat Ali’s Birthday |
| 24 December 2026 | Thursday | Christmas Eve |
🌐 Offices Outside Delhi
Central Government Administrative Offices located outside Delhi / New Delhi shall observe the following 14 Gazetted Holidays (GH) compulsorily. In addition, three holidays are to be chosen from the list of 12 Optional Holidays (OH) by the State’s Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee, in consultation with other local committees if required.
✅ Compulsory Gazetted Holidays (GH)
| S. No. | Holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 | Republic Day |
| 2 | Independence Day |
| 3 | Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday |
| 4 | Buddha Purnima |
| 5 | Christmas Day |
| 6 | Dussehra (Vijay Dashmi) |
| 7 | Diwali (Deepavali) |
| 8 | Good Friday |
| 9 | Guru Nanak’s Birthday |
| 10 | Idu’l Fitr |
| 11 | Idu’l Zuha |
| 12 | Mahavir Jayanti |
| 13 | Muharram |
| 14 | Prophet Mohammad’s Birthday (Id-e-Milad) |
📝 Optional Holidays (OH) – (to be chosen by the State’s Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee, in consultation with other local committees)
| S. No. | Holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 | An Additional Day for Dussehra |
| 2 | Holi |
| 3 | Janmashtami (Vaishnavi) |
| 4 | Ram Navami |
| 5 | Maha Shivratri |
| 6 | Ganesh Chaturthi / Vinayak Chaturthi |
| 7 | Makar Sankranti |
| 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 |
🏭 Autonomous & Industrial Establishments
Autonomous bodies and industrial/trading establishments under the Central Government typically follow up to 16 holidays annually, including the compulsory GH. Remaining holidays are chosen based on regional needs and operational considerations.
🔎 Why this matters
This structured holiday calendar is essential for employees planning vacations and managers scheduling work. It ensures consistency nationwide while respecting cultural diversity and personal observance.
📄 Download the Official PDF
For the full and accurate list, including exact dates for both GH and RH, download the DoPT’s 2026 Holiday Notification PDF.
