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Public Holidays in India 2026 + Free Staff Planning Template

Complete list of official public holidays and free downloadable staff planning templates

Official Public Holidays

14 holidays in India for 2026

India flag
Holiday Date Day Applies To
Republic Day
India's Republic Day marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Indian constitution. It is an a...
 January 26 Monday Nationwide
Maha Shivaratri/Shivaratri
Maha Shivratri is an annual festival dedicated to Shiva, the Hindu God of destruction. For devote...
 February 15 Sunday Nationwide
Holi
Holi is a spring festival of colors celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and others. It celebrates the tri...
 March 04 Wednesday Nationwide
Ramzan Id
One day of Eid-ul-Fitar, which marks the end of Ramadan, is a gazetted holiday in India.
 March 21 Saturday Nationwide
Rama Navami
Rama Navami is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Rama, the first son of King Dasarath...
 March 26 Thursday Nationwide
Good Friday
Many Christians commemorate Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and death on Good Friday. It is a gazetted...
 April 03 Friday Nationwide
Bakrid
For India's more than 200 million Muslims, Bakrid, the Festival of Sacrifice, is one of the holie...
 May 28 Thursday Nationwide
Muharram/Ashura
Muharram, or the Islamic New Year, is a public holiday in India.
 June 26 Friday Nationwide
Independence Day
India's Independence Day is an annual gazetted holiday on August 15 to commemorate the day India ...
 August 15 Saturday Nationwide
Janmashtami
Krishna Janmashtami is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth incarnat...
 September 04 Friday Nationwide
Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti
Mahatma Gandhi's birthday is an annual gazetted holiday in India on October 2.
 October 02 Friday Nationwide
Dussehra
Dussehra, also known as Vijaya Dashami, is an Indian festival that celebrates good forces over ev...
 October 20 Tuesday Nationwide
Diwali/Deepavali
Diwali is a festival of physical and spiritual light celebrated in October or November each year.
 November 08 Sunday Nationwide
Christmas
Many Christians celebrate Christmas Day, which is a gazetted holiday in India, on December 25 eac...
 December 25 Friday Nationwide

Legal Notice: This information is for guidance only and should not be considered legal advice. Always validate with local authorities or legal practitioners in India.

📅 Free Staff Holiday Planning Templates

Download our ready-to-use templates to plan your team's time off around India's public holidays

Google Sheets Template Excel Template

Perfect for HR managers, team leads, and small business owners planning staff coverage around public holidays

Managing staff leave around these holidays?

Stop juggling spreadsheets and manual processes. Leavetrack automatically handles public holidays and makes employee leave management effortless.

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Why HR Teams Choose Leavetrack

Everything you need for seamless leave management

Automatic Public Holiday Import
All public holidays for India and 180+ other countries automatically loaded. No manual data entry required.
Save 5+ Hours Per Week
Eliminate manual leave calculations and reduce administrative overhead by up to 80%.
Compliance Made Easy
Built-in compliance tracking ensures you meet local employment laws and holiday entitlements.
Team Visibility
Everyone sees who's off when, preventing scheduling conflicts and ensuring adequate coverage.

Trusted by HR teams worldwide

160,478
Absences managed
5048
Employees using Leavetrack
4.8/5
Average customer rating

"With a team of over 50 employees, keeping track of absences and holidays using a paper based system used to be time consuming and prone to errors. Since introducing Leavetrack, the whole process has become a lot simpler and easier."

Cynthia Fisher
Commercial Director, Intatec Limited

How It Works

Simple, powerful leave management in four steps

1

Employees Request Leave

Simple, intuitive interface lets employees request time off in seconds. Public holidays are automatically excluded from calculations.

  • Book leave in under 30 seconds
  • See available leave balance instantly
  • Mobile-friendly for on-the-go requests
2

Managers Approve Instantly

Managers see all request details including conflicts with public holidays and other team members' leave.

  • Approve/reject directly from email
  • See team coverage at a glance
  • Complete audit trail of decisions
3

Plan Team Coverage

Beautiful visual calendar shows exactly who's off when, including public holidays, so you can plan optimal team coverage.

  • Color-coded wall chart
  • Filter by department or team
  • Spot conflicts before they happen
4

Generate Reports

Comprehensive reporting gives you insights into leave patterns, costs, and compliance - all exportable to Excel.

  • Full audit trail of all leave
  • Export to CSV for further analysis
  • Track entitlements and accruals

Don't Forget Your Free Planning Templates!

Get our ready-to-use staff planning templates to organize your team around India's 2026 public holidays

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About Public Holidays in India

Public holidays in India are designated days when employees are entitled to take leave from work without loss of pay, allowing them to celebrate significant cultural, religious, and national events. The list of public holidays can vary by state, as each region may observe different festivals and occasions. Key national holidays include Republic Day, Independence Day, and Gandhi Jayanti, while regional holidays often reflect local traditions and customs. Understanding the intricacies of public holidays is essential for effective absence management and staff leave planning, ensuring that businesses can maintain productivity while respecting the diverse cultural landscape of the workforce.