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Public Holidays in Sri Lanka 2026 – Buddhist, Hindu & National Days

ByUzair ul haq
Public Holidays in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s public holidays for 2026 include Full Moon Poya days, national and cultural holidays, and Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian religious observances. The official schedule is issued under the Holidays Act, while later Government Gazette notifications can amend dates already published in the annual calendar. One such change affects the Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day in 2026.

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Next Public Holiday in Sri Lanka

Date Day Holiday Status
September 26, 2026 Saturday Binara Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed

Public Holidays in Sri Lanka 2026

Date Day Holiday Status
January 3, 2026 Saturday Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed
January 15, 2026 Thursday Tamil Thai Pongal Day Confirmed
February 1, 2026 Sunday Navam Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed
February 4, 2026 Wednesday Independence Day Confirmed
February 15, 2026 Sunday Maha Sivarathri Day Confirmed
March 2, 2026 Monday Medin Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed
March 21, 2026 Saturday Id-Ul-Fitre (Ramazan Festival Day) Confirmed
April 1, 2026 Wednesday Bak Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed
April 3, 2026 Friday Good Friday Confirmed
April 13, 2026 Monday Day Prior to Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day Confirmed
April 14, 2026 Tuesday Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day Confirmed
May 1, 2026 Friday May Day (International Workers’ Day) Confirmed
May 1, 2026 Friday Vesak Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed
May 28, 2026 Thursday Id-Ul-Alha (Hadji Festival Day) Confirmed
May 30, 2026 Saturday Adhi Poson Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed
May 31, 2026 Sunday Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed
June 29, 2026 Monday Poson Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed
July 29, 2026 Wednesday Esala Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed
August 26, 2026 Wednesday Milad-Un-Nabi (Holy Prophet’s Birthday) Confirmed
August 27, 2026 Thursday Nikini Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed
September 26, 2026 Saturday Binara Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed
October 25, 2026 Sunday Vap Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed
November 8, 2026 Sunday Deepawali Festival Day Confirmed
November 24, 2026 Tuesday Il Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed
December 23, 2026 Wednesday Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day Confirmed
December 25, 2026 Friday Christmas Day Confirmed

How Public Holidays Work in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has a particularly broad public holiday calendar because it recognizes major national, cultural and religious occasions alongside Full Moon Poya days. The official 2026 schedule was declared under the Holidays Act, No. 29 of 1971.

Full Moon Poya days form a distinctive part of Sri Lanka’s holiday system. The 2026 calendar contains a Poya holiday associated with every lunar month, including Duruthu, Navam, Medin, Bak, Vesak, Poson, Esala, Nikini, Binara, Vap, Il and Unduvap. An additional Adhi Poson Full Moon Poya Day also occurs in May 2026.

The calendar also recognizes holidays associated with Sri Lanka’s Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian communities, together with Independence Day, May Day and the Sinhala and Tamil New Year period.

Vesak Holiday Change in May 2026

The original 2026 holiday schedule placed the Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day on 2 May 2026. This date was later changed by Gazette Extraordinary No. 2485/14, issued on 21 April 2026.

The amendment moved the public holiday from 2 May to 31 May 2026 following the declaration of Vesak Week from 27 May to 2 June. The VisaBoards holiday database therefore uses 31 May rather than the superseded 2 May date.

This illustrates why later Gazette notifications take priority over an earlier annual holiday calendar when the Government formally changes a public holiday.

Full Moon Poya Holidays in Sri Lanka

Full Moon Poya days are an important feature of Sri Lanka’s official public holiday calendar. Unlike countries where religious observances may be limited to particular communities, the Poya dates included in the official holiday schedule are nationwide public holidays.

Vesak and Poson are among the best-known Poya observances, but Sri Lanka’s calendar recognizes the other monthly Poya days as public holidays as well. Because their Gregorian dates change from year to year, travelers, employers and residents should use the official schedule for the relevant year rather than assuming the previous year’s dates will repeat.

Sinhala and Tamil New Year Holidays

Sri Lanka officially recognizes both the Day Prior to Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day and Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day. In 2026 these remain separate nationwide public-holiday events in the official schedule.

The two-day arrangement makes the traditional New Year period different from holidays represented by only one calendar event in the database.

Religious Public Holidays in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s public holiday system reflects several religious traditions. In addition to the Buddhist Full Moon Poya days, the official 2026 calendar includes Tamil Thai Pongal Day, Maha Sivarathri Day, Deepawali Festival Day, Id-Ul-Fitre, Id-Ul-Alha, Milad-Un-Nabi, Good Friday and Christmas Day.

These holidays are included in the nationwide official schedule rather than being treated merely as optional religious observances for individual communities.

Are Public Holidays and Bank Holidays the Same in Sri Lanka?

The 2026 Government Gazette declares the scheduled dates as both Public and Bank Holidays. This means the nationwide public holidays in the official schedule also carry bank-holiday status.

The broader government calendar may distinguish between public, bank and mercantile classifications, so a mercantile or sector-specific rule should not automatically be treated as identical to the nationwide public holiday schedule.

What Happens When a Sri Lankan Public Holiday Falls on a Weekend?

A public holiday is not automatically moved simply because its scheduled date falls on a Saturday or Sunday. The 2026 official calendar contains several public holidays that remain on weekend dates.

If the Government decides to change a holiday date, the change should be supported by an official notification. The 2026 Vesak amendment is a clear example: the Government formally changed the previously scheduled 2 May holiday to 31 May through a later Gazette order.

Who Announces Public Holidays in Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka’s annual public and bank holiday schedule is issued under the Holidays Act through the Government Gazette. The official Government Desk Calendar also publishes the approved schedule and states that changes to public holidays are announced through Gazette notifications.

For date-sensitive planning, a later Gazette amendment should therefore be checked before relying on an older calendar or third-party holiday website.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many public holidays are there in Sri Lanka in 2026?

The verified VisaBoards dataset contains 26 public-holiday events across 25 calendar dates. The difference occurs because Vesak Full Moon Poya Day and May Day both fall on 1 May 2026 and are recorded as separate holiday events.

What is the next public holiday in Sri Lanka?

The next public holiday changes as the year progresses. Use the dynamic Next Public Holiday section near the top of this page for the current holiday name, date and countdown.

Why is 31 May 2026 a public holiday in Sri Lanka?

Gazette Extraordinary No. 2485/14 changed the public holiday originally granted for 2 May to 31 May 2026 following the declaration of Vesak Week from 27 May to 2 June.

Is 2 May 2026 still a public holiday?

No. The public holiday originally scheduled for 2 May was formally amended to 31 May 2026. The superseded 2 May date is therefore not included as a separate nationwide public-holiday row in the verified VisaBoards dataset.

Are Full Moon Poya days public holidays in Sri Lanka?

Yes. Full Moon Poya days listed in Sri Lanka’s official holiday schedule are nationwide public holidays. They form a major part of the country’s annual holiday calendar.

Why are two holidays listed on 1 May 2026?

Both Vesak Full Moon Poya Day and May Day (International Workers’ Day) fall on 1 May 2026. They are separate official holiday events sharing the same calendar date.

Are Sri Lanka’s Islamic holiday dates confirmed for 2026?

The dates used in this 2026 dataset are included in the official government holiday schedule. VisaBoards therefore records the published 2026 dates rather than relying on independent calendar estimates.

Does Sri Lanka move every weekend public holiday to a weekday?

No. Several official holidays in 2026 remain on Saturdays or Sundays. A different observed date should only be used when an authoritative government notification specifically establishes one.

Where are official changes to Sri Lanka public holidays published?

Official changes are published through the Government Gazette. The 2026 Government Desk Calendar also states that variations to public holidays are announced by Gazette notification.

Official Sources for Public Holidays in Sri Lanka

Uzair ul haq

CEO Visaboards & IT Consultant

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