Holiday List Guide for Delhi in 2026
Delhi never truly slows down. As India’s administrative nerve centre and one of its most culturally diverse cities, the capital observes a wide mix of national, religious, and regional holidays.
For HR professionals, staying aligned with Delhi’s government-notified holiday calendar is essential to ensure smooth payroll runs, accurate leave planning, and statutory compliance, especially for Central Government offices and Delhi-based organisations.
This guide covers public, restricted, and bank holidays, along with payroll-sensitive dates to help HR professionals plan their year better.
Let’s begin.
Official Public Holidays in Delhi 2026
These are compulsory holidays observed by Central Government offices located in Delhi / New Delhi.
| Date | Day | Holiday |
| 26 Jan 2026 | Monday | Republic Day |
| 04 Mar 2026 | Wednesday | Holi |
| 21 Mar 2026* | Saturday | Id-ul-Fitr |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Thursday | Ram Navami |
| 31 Mar 2026 | Tuesday | Mahavir Jayanti |
| 03 Apr 2026 | Friday | Good Friday |
| 01 May 2026 | Friday | Buddha Purnima |
| 27 May 2026* | Wednesday | Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) |
| 26 Jun 2026* | Friday | Muharram |
| 15 Aug 2026 | Saturday | Independence Day |
| 26 Aug 2026* | Wednesday | Milad-un-Nabi |
| 04 Sep 2026 | Friday | Janmashtami (Vaishnava) |
| 02 Oct 2026 | Friday | Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti |
| 20 Oct 2026 | Tuesday | Dussehra (Vijayadashami) |
| 08 Nov 2026 | Sunday | Diwali (Deepavali) |
| 24 Nov 2026 | Tuesday | Guru Nanak Jayanti |
| 25 Dec 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day |
HR Action Tip:
Diwali falls on a Sunday in 2026. Some organizations may observe Naraka Chaturdasi instead, depending on local practice. Always wait for official Delhi-specific clarification before finalizing leave calendars.
Restricted (Optional) Holidays in Delhi 2026
Employees in Delhi / New Delhi may avail any two restricted holidays from the list below, as per DoPT rules.
| Date | Day | Holiday |
| 01 Jan 2026 | Thursday | New Year’s Day |
| 03 Jan 2026 | Saturday | Hazrat Ali’s Birthday |
| 14 Jan 2026 | Wednesday | Makar Sankranti / Pongal |
| 23 Jan 2026 | Friday | Basant Panchami / Sri Panchami |
| 01 Feb 2026 | Sunday | Guru Ravi Das Jayanti |
| 12 Feb 2026 | Thursday | Swami Dayananda Saraswati Jayanti |
| 15 Feb 2026 | Sunday | Maha Shivratri |
| 19 Feb 2026 | Thursday | Shivaji Jayanti |
| 03 Mar 2026 | Tuesday | Holika Dahan |
| 19 Mar 2026 | Thursday | Chaitra Sukladi / Ugadi / Gudi Padwa |
| 20 Mar 2026 | Friday | Jamat-ul-Vida |
| 05 Apr 2026 | Sunday | Easter Sunday |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Tuesday | Vaisakhi / Vishu / Tamil New Year |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Wednesday | Vaisakhadi / Bahag Bihu |
| 09 May 2026 | Saturday | Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti |
| 16 Jul 2026 | Thursday | Rath Yatra |
| 15 Aug 2026 | Saturday | Parsi New Year / Nauraj |
| 28 Aug 2026 | Friday | Raksha Bandhan |
| 14 Sep 2026 | Monday | Ganesh Chaturthi |
| 18 Oct 2026 | Sunday | Dussehra (Saptami) |
| 19 Oct 2026 | Monday | Dussehra (Ashtami) |
| 20 Oct 2026 | Tuesday | Dussehra (Navami) |
| 26 Oct 2026 | Monday | Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Thursday | Karva Chauth |
| 08 Nov 2026 | Sunday | Naraka Chaturdasi |
| 09 Nov 2026 | Monday | Govardhan Puja |
| 11 Nov 2026 | Wednesday | Bhai Dooj |
| 15 Nov 2026 | Sunday | Chhath Puja |
| 24 Nov 2026 | Tuesday | Guru Teg Bahadur’s Martyrdom Day |
| 23 Dec 2026 | Wednesday | Hazrat Ali’s Birthday |
| 24 Dec 2026 | Thursday | Christmas Eve |
HR Action Tip:
Collect restricted holiday preferences at the start of the calendar year, not month-wise. This prevents staffing crunches around festival clusters like Dussehra–Diwali.
Bank Holidays in Delhi 2026
Banks in Delhi follow RBI and DFS guidelines. Here are the following holidays in 2026:
| Date | Day | Holiday |
| 26 Jan 2026 | Monday | Republic Day |
| 04 Mar 2026 | Wednesday | Holi |
| 21 Mar 2026* | Saturday | Id-ul-Fitr |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Thursday | Ram Navami |
| 31 Mar 2026 | Tuesday | Mahavir Jayanti |
| 03 Apr 2026 | Friday | Good Friday |
| 01 May 2026 | Friday | Buddha Purnima |
| 27 May 2026* | Wednesday | Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) |
| 26 Jun 2026* | Friday | Muharram |
| 15 Aug 2026 | Saturday | Independence Day |
| 26 Aug 2026* | Wednesday | Milad-un-Nabi |
| 04 Sep 2026 | Friday | Janmashtami (Vaishnava) |
| 02 Oct 2026 | Friday | Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti |
| 20 Oct 2026 | Tuesday | Dussehra (Vijayadashami) |
| 08 Nov 2026 | Sunday | Diwali (Deepavali) |
| 24 Nov 2026 | Tuesday | Guru Nanak Jayanti |
| 25 Dec 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day |
| All Sundays | — | |
| 2nd and 4th Saturdays | — |
HR Action Tip:
When public holidays fall near weekends, banks may remain closed for 3–4 consecutive days. Schedule salary credits accordingly to avoid delays.
Payroll-Sensitive Dates to Watch Out for HR Professionals
These dates often impact payroll timelines due to bank closures or high leave volumes.
| Date | Day | Holiday |
| 21 Mar 2026 | Saturday | Id-ul-Fitr |
| 01 Apr 2026 | Wednesday | Financial Year Closing |
| 27 May 2026 | Wednesday | Id-ul-Zuha |
| 15 Aug 2026 | Saturday | Independence Day |
| 20 Oct 2026 | Tuesday | Dussehra |
| 08 Nov 2026 | Sunday | Diwali |
| 25 Dec 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day |
Got questions?
Delhi observes 17 gazetted public holidays in 2026 for Central Government offices, covering national events, major religious festivals, and culturally significant observances.
Yes. As per RBI norms, banks remain closed on all Sundays, second Saturdays, fourth Saturdays, and all gazetted public holidays.
Employees may typically avail any two restricted holidays from the officially notified list, subject to organisational policy and operational requirements.
Yes. Holidays like Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zuha, Muharram, and Milad-un-Nabi depend on moon sighting. Any change is officially notified by DoPT or the Delhi Government.