Public holidays in Sri Lanka 2026

Counting Saturday and Sunday as the weekend, 16 of the 25 holiday dates in 2026 fall on a working day and 9 on a weekend. 1 date carries more than one holiday, which is why the table lists 26 names for 25 dates. The most common weekday for a holiday is Wednesday, with 5 dates.

Six of the 25 dates land on a Monday or Friday, next to the weekend, so they make a long weekend without using any leave: Medin Full Moon Poya Day on Monday, March 2, Good Friday on Friday, April 3, Day Before Sinhala and Tamil New Year on Monday, April 13, International Workers' Day / Vesak Full Moon Poya Day on Friday, May 1, Poson Full Moon Poya Day on Monday, June 29 and Christmas Day on Friday, December 25. Four more holidays sit one working day away from the weekend, so a single day of leave turns each into a four-day break: Tamil Thai Pongal Day on Thursday, January 15 (take Friday off), Eid al-Adha on Thursday, May 28 (take Friday off), Nikini Full Moon Poya Day on Thursday, August 27 (take Friday off) and Il Full Moon Poya Day on Tuesday, November 24 (take Monday off).

April and May are the busiest months, with 4 holiday dates. Every month has at least one public holiday. The longest stretch between two holidays is 30 days, from Nikini Full Moon Poya Day on August 27 to Binara Full Moon Poya Day on September 26, the natural window for a longer break.