India has a diverse range of public holidays due to its multi-religious and multi-cultural society. The number of public holidays can vary depending on the state and the year. Generally, there are:
National Holidays: India has three national public holidays that are observed across the entire country:
Republic Day (January 26)
Independence Day (August 15)
Gandhi Jayanti (October 2)
State-Specific Holidays: In addition to national holidays, each state in India has its own set of public holidays that are specific to regional, cultural, or religious observances. For example, Diwali, Holi, Eid, and Pongal are significant festivals but are celebrated at different times and with varying importance in different states.
Bank Holidays: Banks often observe additional holidays beyond the general public holidays, which can also vary from state to state.
Here is a consolidated list of holidays in 2026. The list below captures holidays which fall on a working day. Hence, holidays falling on weekends are excluded from the list.
Indian Holidays in 2026 (non-working days)
Holiday | Date | Day | Type |
New Year's Day | 1-Jan-26 | Thursday | Regional |
Pongal/Sankranti | 14-Jan-26 | Wednesday | Regional |
Republic Day | 26-Jan-26 | Monday | National |
Holi | 4-Mar-26 | Wednesday | Regional |
Ram Navami | 26-Mar-26 | Thursday | Regional |
Good Friday | 3-Apr-26 | Friday | Regional |
Buddha Purnima | 1-May-26 | Friday | Regional |
Bakrid | 27-May-26 | Wednesday | Regional |
Muharram | 26-Jun-26 | Friday | Regional |
Id-E-Milad | 26-Aug-26 | Wednesday | Regional |
Ganesh Chaturthi | 14-Sep-26 | Monday | Regional |
Gandhi Jayanti | 2-Oct-26 | Friday | National |
Dussehra | 20-Oct-26 | Tuesday | Regional |
Diwali | 9-Nov-26 | Monday | Regional |
Guru Nanak's Birthday | 24-Nov-26 | Tuesday | Regional |
Christmas | 25-Dec-26 | Friday | Regional |
Please note that the above is a consolidated list, based on the published holiday lists from the different states of India as well as the registered office address of Remote People's India entity. Except for the mandatory national holidays and 1st of May in Maharashtra (celebrated as labor day), rest of the holidays are optional and can be allocated post mutual agreement between a company and the employee(s).
Reference: Holiday List
In total, the number of public holidays typically ranges from around 15 to 20 days in a year, but this number can be higher depending on regional observances and specific years. To get an accurate count for any given year, it's best to refer to the official holiday calendar for that year and region.