Holidays and Observances in South Africa in 2026
Date | Name | Type | |
---|---|---|---|
Jan 1 | Thursday | New Year's Day | Public Holiday |
Jan 2 | Friday | Tweede Nuwe Jaar | Observance |
Jan 16 | Friday | Isra and Mi'raj (Tentative Date) | Muslim |
Feb 15 | Sunday | Maha Shivaratri | Hindu Holiday |
Feb 18 | Wednesday | Ramadan Start (Tentative Date) | Muslim |
Feb 21 | Saturday | Armed Forces Day | Observance |
Mar 3 | Tuesday | Holi | Hindu Holiday |
Mar 15 | Sunday | Lailat al-Qadr | Muslim |
Mar 20 | Friday | Eid ul Fitr (Tentative Date) | Muslim |
Mar 20 | Friday | March Equinox | Season |
Mar 21 | Saturday | Human Rights Day | Public Holiday |
Apr 3 | Friday | Good Friday | Public Holiday |
Apr 4 | Saturday | Holy Saturday | Observance, Christian |
Apr 5 | Sunday | Easter Sunday | Observance, Christian |
Apr 6 | Monday | Family Day | Public Holiday |
Apr 27 | Monday | Freedom Day | Public Holiday |
May 1 | Friday | Workers' Day | Public Holiday |
May 10 | Sunday | Mother's Day | Observance |
May 27 | Wednesday | Eid al-Adha (Tentative Date) | Muslim |
Jun 16 | Tuesday | Youth Day | Public Holiday |
Jun 17 | Wednesday | Muharram/Islamic New Year (Tentative Date) | Muslim |
Jun 21 | Sunday | Father's Day | Observance |
Jun 21 | Sunday | June Solstice | Season |
Jul 18 | Saturday | Nelson Mandela Day | Observance |
Aug 9 | Sunday | National Women's Day | Public Holiday |
Aug 10 | Monday | Day off for National Women's Day | Public Holiday |
Aug 26 | Wednesday | Milad un Nabi (Mawlid) (Tentative Date) | Muslim |
Aug 27 | Thursday | Raksha Bandhan | Hindu Holiday |
Sep 4 | Friday | Janmashtami | Hindu Holiday |
Sep 14 | Monday | Ganesh Chaturthi | Hindu Holiday |
Sep 23 | Wednesday | September Equinox | Season |
Sep 24 | Thursday | Heritage Day | Public Holiday |
Oct 11 | Sunday | Navaratri | Hindu Holiday |
Oct 20 | Tuesday | Dussehra | Hindu Holiday |
Nov 8 | Sunday | Diwali/Deepavali | Hindu Holiday |
Dec 16 | Wednesday | Day of Reconciliation | Public Holiday |
Dec 21 | Monday | December Solstice | Season |
Dec 24 | Thursday | Christmas Eve | Observance, Christian |
Dec 25 | Friday | Christmas Day | Public Holiday |
Dec 26 | Saturday | Day of Goodwill | Public Holiday |
Dec 31 | Thursday | New Year's Eve | Observance |
No holidays shown? That's because you didn't select any holiday types. Please check at least one of the boxes.
While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary. If you find an error, please let us know.