Public Holidays
Discover upcoming public holiday dates for Sri Lanka and start planning to make the most of your time off.
2026 Public Holidays
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Jan | Sat | Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day |
| 15 Jan | Thu | Tamil Thai Pongal Day |
| 1 Feb | Sun | Navam Full Moon Poya Day |
| 4 Feb | Wed | National Day |
| 15 Feb | Sun | Mahasivarathri Day |
| 2 Mar | Mon | Madin Full Moon Poya Day |
| 21 Mar | Sat | Id Ul-Fitr |
| 1 Apr | Wed | Bak Full Moon Poya Day |
| 3 Apr | Fri | Good Friday |
| 13 Apr | Mon | Day prior to Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day |
| 14 Apr | Tue | Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day |
| 1 May | Fri | May Day |
| 1 May | Fri | Vesak Full Moon Poya Day |
| 2 May | Sat | Day following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day |
| 28 May | Thu | Id Ul-Alha |
| 30 May | Sat | Adhi Poson Full Moon Poya Day |
| 29 Jun | Mon | Poson Full Moon Poya Day |
| 29 Jul | Wed | Esala Full Moon Poya Day |
| 26 Aug | Wed | Milad un-Nabi |
| 27 Aug | Thu | Nikini Full Moon Poya Day |
| 26 Sep | Sat | Binara Full Moon Poya Day |
| 25 Oct | Sun | Vap Full Moon Poya Day |
| 8 Nov | Sun | Deepavali |
| 24 Nov | Tue | Ill Full Moon Poya Day |
| 23 Dec | Wed | Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day |
| 25 Dec | Fri | Christmas Day |
| Visit gov.lk for the original release. | ||
2027 Public Holidays
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Jan | Fri | Tamil Thai Pongal Day |
| 22 Jan | Fri | Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day |
| 4 Feb | Thu | National Day |
| 20 Feb | Sat | Navam Full Moon Poya Day |
| 6 Mar | Sat | Mahasivarathri Day |
| 10 Mar | Wed | Id Ul-Fitr |
| 21 Mar | Sun | Madin Full Moon Poya Day |
| 26 Mar | Fri | Good Friday |
| 13 Apr | Tue | Day prior to Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day |
| 14 Apr | Wed | Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day |
| 20 Apr | Tue | Bak Full Moon Poya Day |
| 1 May | Sat | May Day |
| 17 May | Mon | Id Ul-Alha |
| 20 May | Thu | Vesak Full Moon Poya Day |
| 21 May | Fri | Day following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day |
| 18 Jun | Fri | Poson Full Moon Poya Day |
| 18 Jul | Sun | Esala Full Moon Poya Day |
| 15 Aug | Sun | Milad un-Nabi |
| 16 Aug | Mon | Nikini Full Moon Poya Day |
| 15 Sep | Wed | Binara Full Moon Poya Day |
| 15 Oct | Fri | Vap Full Moon Poya Day |
| 28 Oct | Thu | Deepavali |
| 13 Nov | Sat | Ill Full Moon Poya Day |
| 13 Dec | Mon | Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day |
| 25 Dec | Sat | Christmas Day |
| The dates in this table are an estimate. We will update this page once the official public holiday dates for 2027 are released. | ||
2028 Public Holidays
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Jan | Wed | Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day |
| 14 Jan | Fri | Tamil Thai Pongal Day |
| 4 Feb | Fri | National Day |
| 23 Feb | Wed | Mahasivarathri Day |
| 25 Feb | Fri | Navam Full Moon Poya Day |
| 26 Feb | Sat | Id Ul-Fitr |
| 25 Mar | Sat | Madin Full Moon Poya Day |
| 13 Apr | Thu | Day prior to Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day |
| 14 Apr | Fri | Good Friday |
| 14 Apr | Fri | Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day |
| 24 Apr | Mon | Bak Full Moon Poya Day |
| 1 May | Mon | May Day |
| 5 May | Fri | Id Ul-Alha |
| 23 May | Tue | Vesak Full Moon Poya Day |
| 24 May | Wed | Day following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day |
| 22 Jun | Thu | Poson Full Moon Poya Day |
| 21 Jul | Fri | Esala Full Moon Poya Day |
| 3 Aug | Thu | Milad un-Nabi |
| 20 Aug | Sun | Nikini Full Moon Poya Day |
| 18 Sep | Mon | Binara Full Moon Poya Day |
| 17 Oct | Tue | Deepavali |
| 18 Oct | Wed | Vap Full Moon Poya Day |
| 16 Nov | Thu | Ill Full Moon Poya Day |
| 15 Dec | Fri | Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day |
| 25 Dec | Mon | Christmas Day |
| The dates in this table are an estimate. We will update this page once the official public holiday dates for 2028 are released. | ||
Sri Lanka observes national holidays including New Year’s Day; Milad un Nabi (Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad); Tamil Thai Pongal Day; National Day; Mahashivrate; Sinhala and Tamil New Year; Labour Day; Eid al-Fitr, celebrating the end of Ramadan; Eid al-Adha Feast of Sacrifice and Christmas Day. Time off may be allowed for celebrations of national and regional festivals. As festivals are not considered official national holidays, entitlement to time off is generally at the discretion of the employer.
Sri Lanka also celebrates Full Moon Poya Days as national holidays. Every worker in Sri Lanka is entitled to a paid holiday on every Full Moon Poya Day, which amounts to 12 days per calendar year. If an employee is required to work on a Full Moon Poya Day, he or she is entitled to compensation amounting to not less than one and one-half times the normal wage. In addition, workers are entitled to paid time off for Festival holidays, usually amounting to 16 days per year.
