Public Holidays in Sierra Leone 2026 – National & Public Days
This page covers the nationwide public holidays in Sierra Leone for 2026, including fixed national holidays, Christian holidays, Islamic holidays confirmed by government announcements and the substitute holiday declared for International Women’s Day. Some Islamic holiday dates were initially provisional and were confirmed closer to their observance.
Next Public Holiday in Sierra Leone
| Date | Day | Holiday | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 25, 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day | Confirmed |
Public Holidays in Sierra Leone 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Thursday | New Year's Day | Confirmed |
| February 18, 2026 | Wednesday | Armed Forces Day | Confirmed |
| March 8, 2026 | Sunday | International Women's Day | Confirmed |
| March 9, 2026 | Monday | International Women's Day - Substitute Holiday | Confirmed – Substitute Holiday |
| March 20, 2026 | Friday | Eid al-Fitr | Confirmed |
| April 3, 2026 | Friday | Good Friday | Confirmed |
| April 6, 2026 | Monday | Easter Monday | Confirmed |
| April 27, 2026 | Monday | Independence Day | Confirmed |
| May 1, 2026 | Friday | Labour Day (Workers' Day) | Confirmed |
| May 27, 2026 | Wednesday | Eid al-Adha | Confirmed |
| August 25, 2026 | Tuesday | Moulid-Un-Nabi | Confirmed |
| December 25, 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day | Confirmed |
| December 26, 2026 | Saturday | Boxing Day | Confirmed |
How Sierra Leone’s Public Holiday Calendar Works
Sierra Leone’s public holiday calendar combines fixed annual dates with holidays whose Gregorian dates change from year to year. The Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone identifies New Year’s Day, Armed Forces Day, International Women’s Day, Independence Day, Labour Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day among the country’s official public holidays.
Good Friday and Easter Monday also form part of the official holiday calendar, but their dates change each year according to the Christian Easter calendar. Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Moulid-Un-Nabi follow the Islamic calendar, so their Gregorian dates may remain provisional until they are confirmed for the relevant year.
Religious Public Holidays in Sierra Leone
Christian Public Holidays
Good Friday and Easter Monday are nationwide public holidays in Sierra Leone. For 2026, a government public notice declared Good Friday on 3 April and Easter Monday on 6 April as public holidays throughout the country.
The Christmas period also includes Christmas Day on 25 December and Boxing Day on 26 December. Both are established public holidays in Sierra Leone.
Islamic Public Holidays
Sierra Leone officially recognizes Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Moulid-Un-Nabi as public holidays. Because these observances follow the Islamic calendar, their corresponding Gregorian dates can change and should not be treated as final solely on the basis of an advance calendar prediction.
For 2026, Eid al-Fitr was confirmed for 20 March and Eid al-Adha for 27 May. These dates therefore no longer need to be described as tentative or expected in the 2026 holiday calendar.
Moulid-Un-Nabi is particularly important for 2026 holiday data because some earlier calendars showed 26 August. A later government announcement set the nationwide public holiday for Tuesday, 25 August 2026. The later confirmation takes priority when maintaining the current holiday dataset.
International Women’s Day Substitute Holiday in 2026
International Women’s Day fell on Sunday, 8 March 2026. The government subsequently declared Monday, 9 March 2026, a nationwide public holiday in connection with the observance. The VisaBoards dataset therefore records the scheduled International Women’s Day date and the separately declared substitute holiday as individual calendar dates.
Long Weekends in Sierra Leone in 2026
For people who normally work Monday to Friday, several 2026 public holidays create useful long weekends without requiring an additional weekday of annual leave.
- International Women’s Day: the substitute holiday on Monday, 9 March creates a three-day break from Saturday to Monday.
- Eid al-Fitr: Friday, 20 March creates a three-day weekend.
- Easter: Good Friday on 3 April and Easter Monday on 6 April create a four-day Easter weekend.
- Independence Day: Monday, 27 April creates a three-day weekend.
- Labour Day: Friday, 1 May creates a three-day weekend.
- Christmas: Christmas Day falls on Friday, 25 December, followed by Boxing Day on Saturday, 26 December.
These examples describe the calendar effect for a typical Monday-to-Friday work schedule. Individual employers and organizations may operate different working patterns.
Fixed and Variable Public Holiday Dates
Several Sierra Leone public holidays occur on the same Gregorian date every year. These include New Year’s Day on 1 January, Armed Forces Day on 18 February, International Women’s Day on 8 March, Independence Day on 27 April, Labour Day on 1 May, Christmas Day on 25 December and Boxing Day on 26 December.
Good Friday and Easter Monday change with the Easter calendar. The Islamic holidays Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Moulid-Un-Nabi also move through the Gregorian calendar and may require a government announcement before their date should be treated as confirmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many public holidays are there in Sierra Leone in 2026?
The verified VisaBoards dataset contains 13 nationwide public-holiday calendar dates for Sierra Leone in 2026. This count treats International Women’s Day on 8 March and the separately declared substitute holiday on 9 March as individual calendar dates.
What is the next public holiday in Sierra Leone?
The next public holiday changes during the year. Use the Next Public Holiday in Sierra Leone section near the top of this page for the current holiday name, date and countdown.
Are Sierra Leone public holiday dates the same every year?
No. Several holidays have fixed Gregorian dates, while Good Friday, Easter Monday and the Islamic holidays move from year to year.
How are Islamic public holiday dates confirmed in Sierra Leone?
Islamic holidays can appear as provisional dates on advance calendars because they follow the Islamic calendar. The government may confirm the applicable public-holiday date closer to the observance, so later official announcements should take priority over earlier estimates.
Why was Monday, 9 March 2026 a public holiday?
International Women’s Day fell on Sunday, 8 March 2026. A government public notice consequently declared Monday, 9 March 2026, a nationwide public holiday.
Was Moulid-Un-Nabi on 25 or 26 August 2026?
The confirmed 2026 public-holiday date was Tuesday, 25 August. Some earlier calendars showed 26 August, but the later government announcement set the observance and nationwide public holiday for 25 August.
Were Good Friday and Easter Monday public holidays in Sierra Leone in 2026?
Yes. The government declared Friday, 3 April 2026, and Monday, 6 April 2026, as nationwide public holidays for Good Friday and Easter Monday respectively.
Does this calendar include regional or optional holidays?
No separate regional, optional or bank-only category has been added to the primary 2026 dataset. The schedule focuses on verified nationwide public-holiday dates suitable for the VisaBoards Public Holidays database.
