Public Holidays in Mali 2026 – Islamic & National Holidays

Mali's public holiday calendar for 2026 includes fixed national dates, Christian holidays and several Islamic holidays whose dates depend on the lunar calendar and official announcements. Mali's legal framework also allows the Government to declare additional paid days off around certain holidays, so the number of non-working holiday dates can vary from year to year.

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Next Public Holiday in Mali

[next_public_holiday country="Mali"]

Public Holidays in Mali 2026

[public_holidays country="Mali" year="2026"]

How Public Holidays Are Regulated in Mali

The main legal basis for public holidays in Mali is Law No. 05-040 of 22 July 2005 on legal holidays in the Republic of Mali. The law lists the country's principal national, religious and commemorative holidays.

Article 2 of the law also allows the Government to declare the working day following certain legal holidays as an additional holiday. Article 3 provides that legal holidays and days formally declared as holidays are non-working and paid.

This provision is important when reading the Mali holiday calendar because some years contain additional nationwide days off that are not separate permanent holidays in the statutory list.

Additional Paid Holiday Days in Mali in 2026

Several extra nationwide paid days were declared during 2026 in addition to the recurring holiday dates established by law.

• The Government declared Friday, 2 January 2026, non-working and paid together with New Year's Day.
• Friday, 20 March 2026, was declared non-working and paid as the day following the Eid al-Fitr celebration.
• Thursday, 28 May 2026, was declared non-working and paid as the day following Tabaski.
• Friday, 26 June 2026, was declared non-working and paid for Achoura.

These one-year declarations are important because a basic list of recurring statutory holidays does not by itself show every paid public holiday that actually applied in Mali during 2026.

Islamic Public Holidays in Mali

Islamic holidays form an important part of Mali's public-holiday system. Law No. 05-040 recognizes the Ramadan festival, Tabaski and both Maouloud commemorations as legal holidays.

The exact Gregorian dates of these holidays are not permanently fixed because Mali uses lunar-calendar observations and official religious announcements to establish the applicable dates. For this reason, projected dates published months in advance should not automatically be treated as confirmed public-holiday dates.

Eid al-Fitr in Mali in 2026

Eid al-Fitr, also referred to in Mali as the Fête du Ramadan, was confirmed for Thursday, 19 March 2026. The Government also declared Friday, 20 March 2026, non-working and paid, creating a two-day nationwide holiday period.

Tabaski in Mali in 2026

Tabaski, the Malian name commonly used for Eid al-Adha, was celebrated on Wednesday, 27 May 2026. Thursday, 28 May was also declared non-working and paid nationwide.

Achoura in Mali in 2026

Achoura was observed on Friday, 26 June 2026. A Ministry of Labour communiqué declared the day non-working and paid throughout Mali.

Maouloud in Mali in 2026

Mali recognizes two Maouloud holidays. The first commemorates the birth of the Prophet Muhammad and the second commemorates his baptism or naming celebration.

For 2026, the birth commemoration was fixed for Tuesday, 25 August, while the Maouloud baptism holiday was observed on Monday, 31 August. Both were declared non-working and paid nationwide.

Fixed-Date Public Holidays in Mali

Several Malian public holidays occur on the same Gregorian calendar date each year. These include New Year's Day on 1 January, Armed Forces Day on 20 January, Martyrs' Day on 26 March, Labour Day on 1 May, Africa Day on 25 May, Independence Day on 22 September and Christmas Day on 25 December.

Easter Monday also forms part of Mali's statutory public-holiday framework, although its Gregorian date changes each year according to the Christian Easter calendar.

Are Public Holidays Paid in Mali?

Yes. Article 3 of Law No. 05-040 states that legal holidays and other days formally declared as holidays are non-working and paid. This legal rule applies to the nationwide public holidays covered by the law and to additional days formally declared by the Government.

Can Mali Declare an Extra Holiday After a Public Holiday?

Yes. Article 2 of Law No. 05-040 expressly provides that the working day following certain legal holidays may be declared a holiday by the Government.

This provision was used during 2026, including for the additional day following New Year's Day, Eid al-Fitr and Tabaski. These additional dates should therefore be distinguished from permanent recurring holidays: they become public holidays when the Government formally declares them.

How Are Muslim Holiday Dates Confirmed in Mali?

Islamic holiday dates in Mali depend on the lunar calendar and official confirmation. Dates published by international holiday websites before an official Malian announcement may therefore differ from the date ultimately observed in Mali.

The Embassy of Mali in Japan's 2026 closure calendar, for example, initially identified the Muslim holidays by month while leaving their exact dates to be determined. The exact 2026 dates were established later through Malian religious and government announcements.

Journée Nationale de la Souveraineté Retrouvée

Mali commemorates the Journée Nationale de la Souveraineté Retrouvée on 14 January each year. The Government states that the observance was instituted under Decree No. 2023-0014/PT-RM of 13 January 2023 following the nationwide mobilization of 14 January 2022.

The observance is distinct from the statutory list contained in Law No. 05-040. Readers should therefore distinguish the national commemoration from the recurring legal holidays listed in that law when comparing different Mali holiday calendars.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many public holiday dates are in Mali in 2026?

The verified VisaBoards dataset contains 16 nationwide non-working and paid holiday dates for 2026. This count includes additional days formally declared by the Government, such as 2 January, 20 March, 28 May and Achoura on 26 June.

What is the next public holiday in Mali?

The next public holiday changes throughout the year. The live VisaBoards section above uses the current holiday database to display the upcoming holiday rather than relying on a hardcoded date.

Is Eid al-Fitr a public holiday in Mali?

Yes. The Fête du Ramadan, or Eid al-Fitr, is expressly included among Mali's legal holidays under Law No. 05-040. In 2026, it was celebrated on 19 March, with 20 March also declared non-working and paid.

Is Tabaski a public holiday in Mali?

Yes. Tabaski is a legal public holiday in Mali. In 2026, Tabaski fell on 27 May and the following day, 28 May, was also declared non-working and paid.

Is Achoura a public holiday in Mali?

Achoura is not listed among the permanent holidays in Article 1 of Law No. 05-040, but the Government can declare additional days non-working and paid. For 2026, Friday, 26 June was officially declared non-working and paid for Achoura.

Are Maouloud dates fixed every year?

No. The Gregorian dates change because Maouloud follows the Islamic lunar calendar. Mali recognizes both the birth and baptism commemorations of the Prophet, and their exact dates should be taken from official Malian announcements for the relevant year.

Is Easter Monday a public holiday in Mali?

Yes. Easter Monday is explicitly included in Mali's statutory list of legal holidays.

Are public holidays paid in Mali?

Yes. Law No. 05-040 provides that legal holidays and days formally declared as holidays are non-working and paid.

Does Mali provide substitute holidays automatically?

Law No. 05-040 does not establish a general automatic weekend-substitution rule. Instead, Article 2 allows the Government to declare the working day following certain legal holidays as an additional holiday. Whether an extra day applies therefore depends on an official government decision.

Official Sources for Public Holidays in Mali

• Official Journal of the Republic of Mali – Law No. 05-040 of 22 July 2005: establishes Mali's principal legal holidays, the mechanism for declaring additional days and the rule that legal holidays are non-working and paid.
• Government of Mali – 31 December 2025 communiqué: confirms that 1 and 2 January 2026 were non-working and paid throughout Mali.
• Embassy of Mali in Japan – 2026 holiday calendar: provides an official 2026 diplomatic calendar and shows that the exact dates of several Islamic observances were initially subject to determination.
• Government of Mali – Journée Nationale de la Souveraineté Retrouvée: confirms the annual 14 January commemoration and its establishment under Decree No. 2023-0014/PT-RM.