The Central Government of India's holiday calendar for 2026 includes a mix of gazetted and optional restricted holidays for all central offices nationwide. This simple guide lists all the public holidays for 2026, so employees and teams can easily plan time off and work schedules.
Gazetted holidays are mandatory public holidays declared by the Government of India. All central government offices remain closed on these days. Restricted holidays are optional — central government employees may avail any two of these during the year as per their personal or religious preferences.
The following table lists all Gazetted Central Government holidays 2026, which are mandatory holidays observed by all Central Government offices across India:
Month | Date | Day | Holiday Name |
| January | 26 Jan | Monday | Republic Day |
| March | 4 Mar | Wednesday | Holi |
| March | 21 Mar | Saturday | Id-ul-Fitr (Tentative) |
| March | 26 Mar | Thursday | Rama Navami |
| March | 31 Mar | Tuesday | Mahavir Jayanti |
| April | 3 Apr | Friday | Good Friday |
| May | 1 May | Friday | Buddha Purnima |
| May | 27 May | Wednesday | Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) (Tentative) |
| June | 26 Jun | Friday | Muharram (Tentative) |
| August | 15 Aug | Saturday | Independence Day |
| August | 26 Aug | Wednesday | Id-e-Milad (Tentative) |
| September | 4 Sep | Friday | Janmashtami |
| October | 2 Oct | Friday | Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti |
| October | 20 Oct | Tuesday | Dussehra |
| November | 8 Nov | Sunday | Diwali (Deepavali) |
| November | 24 Nov | Tuesday | Guru Nanak Jayanti |
| December | 25 Dec | Friday | Christmas Day |
Below is the list of Restricted (Optional) government holidays for Central Government employees in 2026:
Month | Date | Day | Holiday Name |
| January | 1 Jan | Thursday | New Year's Day |
| January | 3 Jan | Saturday | Hazarat Ali's Birthday |
| January | 14 Jan | Wednesday | Pongal / Makar Sankranti |
| January | 23 Jan | Friday | Vasant Panchami |
| February | 1 Feb | Sunday | Guru Ravidas Jayanti |
| February | 12 Feb | Thursday | Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati Jayanti |
| February | 15 Feb | Sunday | Maha Shivaratri |
| February | 19 Feb | Thursday | Shivaji Jayanti |
| March | 3 Mar | Tuesday | Holika Dahan |
| March | 19 Mar | Thursday | Ugadi / Gudi Padwa |
| March | 20 Mar | Friday | Jumat-ul-Vida |
| April | 5 Apr | Sunday | Easter Sunday |
| April | 14 Apr | Tuesday | Vaisakhi / Mesadi |
| April | 15 Apr | Wednesday | Bahag Bihu |
| May | 9 May | Saturday | Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti |
| July | 16 Jul | Thursday | Rath Yatra |
| August | 26 Aug | Wednesday | Onam |
| August | 28 Aug | Friday | Raksha Bandhan |
| September | 14 Sep | Monday | Ganesh Chaturthi |
| October | 18 Oct | Sunday | Maha Saptami |
| October | 19 Oct | Monday | Maha Ashtami |
| October | 26 Oct | Monday | Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti |
| October | 29 Oct | Thursday | Karva Chauth |
| November | 9 Nov | Monday | Govardhan Puja |
| November | 11 Nov | Wednesday | Bhai Dooj |
| November | 15 Nov | Sunday | Chhath Puja |
| November | 24 Nov | Tuesday | Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom Day |
| December | 23 Dec | Wednesday | Hazarat Ali's Birthday |
| December | 24 Dec | Thursday | Christmas Eve |
The Central Government of India's holiday list for 2026 is a must-have for all employees and departments under the national government. It spreads out gazetted and optional holidays throughout the year, making it easier to plan time off and work schedules.
Related 2025 Articles:
1. Government Holidays 2025
2. Bank Holidays List 2025
3. Long Weekends in 2025
Related Articles:
1. Tamil Nadu Government Holidays 2026
2. Karnataka Government Holidays List 2026
3. Telangana Government Holidays List 2026
4. Maharashtra Government Holidays List 2026
5. Punjab Government Holidays List 2026
6. Haryana Government Holidays List 2026
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