Legal Regulations
India's public holiday system is governed by central and state regulations. Gazetted holidays are mandatory national public holidays where all central government offices close. The Factories Act and Shops & Establishments Acts of states regulate weekly holidays and working hours. Additionally, a system of Restricted Holidays allows central government employees to choose a limited number of optional days off based on personal or religious preferences.
India's holiday system for central government offices follows a two-part structure. Gazetted holidays are mandatory closures for all, while employees can select any two days from a separate restricted holiday list based on personal, regional, or religious preference. The Factories Act and Shops and Establishments Acts of individual states regulate working hours and leave for other sectors.
News
The official 2026 holiday list for central government employees has been announced, confirming dates for major festivals like Holi on March 4 and Diwali on November 8. No major nationwide changes to labor laws or new permanent holidays are reported for 2026. The list serves as an early planning tool for businesses and individuals to schedule vacations and work around the gazetted and restricted holidays.
Insights
In India, employees often have the option to choose a limited number of 'Restricted Holidays' from a long list of cultural and religious observances. In the US, strategic vacation planning is common, with articles suggesting how to combine days off with public holidays to create extended breaks.
Indian work culture often involves planning around 'long weekends' created when a public holiday falls near a weekend. The diverse population leads to a wide variety of regional and religious observances. A typical full-time work schedule is Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, though variations exist. The Restricted Holiday system uniquely accommodates the country's multicultural fabric by letting individuals choose their optional days off.
India's diverse population leads to a wide variety of festivals and holidays. Many holidays in 2026 fall near weekends, allowing employees to plan for longer breaks. The system of restricted holidays accommodates the country's religious and cultural plurality by letting individuals choose days significant to them.
2026 Working days summary for Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India has 249 working days in 2026. This is calculated from 365 total calendar days, minus 102 weekend days (Saturday-Sunday), and minus 14 holidays. The standard work week runs Monday through Friday.
249
Working Days
102
Weekend Days
14
Holidays
Monthly Breakdown
| Month | Working | Weekend | Holidays | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 9 | 1 | 31 |
| February | 20 | 8 | 0 | 28 |
| March | 20 | 8 | 3 | 31 |
| April | 21 | 8 | 1 | 30 |
| May | 19 | 10 | 2 | 31 |
| June | 21 | 8 | 1 | 30 |
| July | 23 | 8 | 0 | 31 |
| August | 20 | 9 | 2 | 31 |
| September | 22 | 8 | 0 | 30 |
| October | 20 | 9 | 2 | 31 |
| November | 20 | 9 | 1 | 30 |
| December | 22 | 8 | 1 | 31 |
| Total | 249 | 102 | 14 | 365 |
2026 Calendar for Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
January 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 New Year's Day New Year's Day | 2 | 3 Hazrat Ali's Birthday Hazrat Ali's Birthday | 4 | |||
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
12 | 13 | 14 Makar Sankranti / Magha Bihu / Pongal Makar Sankranti / Magha Bihu / Pongal | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 Sri Panchami / Basant Panchami Sri Panchami / Basant Panchami | 24 | 25 |
26 Republic Day Republic Day | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
21 working days, 9 weekend days, and 1 holiday in January 2026.
February 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Guru Ravidas's Birthday Guru Ravidas's Birthday | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 Birthday of Swami Dayananda Saraswati Birthday of Swami Dayananda Saraswati | 13 | 14 | 15 Maha Shivratri Maha Shivratri |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 Shivaji Jayanti Shivaji Jayanti | 20 | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
20 working days, 8 weekend days in February 2026.
March 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 Holika Dahan / Dolyatra Holika Dahan / Dolyatra | 4 Holi Holi | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 Chaitra Sukladi / Gudi Padava / Ugadi / Cheti Chand Chaitra Sukladi / Gudi Padava / Ugadi / Cheti Chand | 20 Jamat-ul-Vida Jamat-ul-Vida | 21 Id-ul-Fitr Id-ul-Fitr | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 Ram Navami Ram Navami | 27 | 28 | 29 |
30 | 31 Mahavir Jayanti Mahavir Jayanti |
20 working days, 8 weekend days, and 3 holidays in March 2026.
April 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 Good Friday Good Friday | 4 | 5 Easter Sunday Easter Sunday | ||
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14 Vaisakhi / Vishu / Meshadi (Tamil New Year's Day) Vaisakhi / Vishu / Meshadi (Tamil New Year's Day) | 15 Vaisakhadi (Bengal) / Bahag Bihu (Assam) Vaisakhadi (Bengal) / Bahag Bihu (Assam) | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
21 working days, 8 weekend days, and 1 holiday in April 2026.
May 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Buddha Purnima Buddha Purnima | 2 | 3 | ||||
4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 Birthday of Guru Rabindranath Tagore Birthday of Guru Rabindranath Tagore | 10 |
11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
25 | 26 | 27 Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
19 working days, 10 weekend days, and 2 holidays in May 2026.
June 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 Muharram Muharram | 27 | 28 |
29 | 30 |
21 working days, 8 weekend days, and 1 holiday in June 2026.
July 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14 | 15 | 16 Rath Yatra Rath Yatra | 17 | 18 | 19 |
20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
23 working days, 8 weekend days in July 2026.
August 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | |||||
3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 Independence Day Independence Day | 16 |
17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
24 | 25 | 26 Onam / Thiru Onam Day Onam / Thiru Onam Day | 27 | 28 Raksha Bandhan Raksha Bandhan | 29 | 30 |
31 |
20 working days, 9 weekend days, and 2 holidays in August 2026.
September 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Janmashtami (Vaishnava) Janmashtami (Vaishnava) | 5 | 6 | |
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
14 Ganesh Chaturthi / Vinayak Chaturthi Ganesh Chaturthi / Vinayak Chaturthi | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
28 | 29 | 30 |
22 working days, 8 weekend days in September 2026.
October 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday | 3 | 4 | |||
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 Dussehra (Saptami) Dussehra (Saptami) |
19 Dussehra (Mahashtami) Dussehra (Mahashtami) | 20 Dussehra Dussehra | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
26 Maharishi Valmiki's Birthday Maharishi Valmiki's Birthday | 27 | 28 | 29 Karaka Chaturthi (Karwa Chouth) Karaka Chaturthi (Karwa Chouth) | 30 | 31 |
20 working days, 9 weekend days, and 2 holidays in October 2026.
November 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 Naraka Chaturdasi Naraka Chaturdasi |
9 Govardhan Puja Govardhan Puja | 10 | 11 Bhai Duj Bhai Duj | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 Pratihar Shashthi / Surya Shashthi (Chhath Puja) Pratihar Shashthi / Surya Shashthi (Chhath Puja) |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 Guru Nanak's Birthday Guru Nanak's Birthday | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
30 |
20 working days, 9 weekend days, and 1 holiday in November 2026.
December 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 Hazrat Ali's Birthday Hazrat Ali's Birthday | 24 Christmas Eve Christmas Eve | 25 Christmas Day Christmas Day | 26 | 27 |
28 | 29 | 30 First Flag Hoisting of Independent India by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose First Flag Hoisting of Independent India by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose | 31 |
22 working days, 8 weekend days, and 1 holiday in December 2026.
Changelog
| 2026-05-17 22:24:41 | The holiday set for 2026 has been slightly refined, with some holidays renamed and a few instances of existing holidays added. |
| 2026-05-05 10:48:11 | The holiday set for 2026 has been expanded with the addition of new observances and slight modifications to existing ones, resulting in an overall increase in the number of holidays. |