2026 Long Weekends: Year Ahead Shines With Breaks for Travellers and Workers (X)
New Delhi: Workers and travellers across the country have plenty to look forward to in 2026. The government's holiday calendar for the year shows a string of national and festival holidays that line up with weekends, giving people natural breaks and opportunities to plan short trips or rest without using too many paid leaves.
The year kicks off with one of the most popular breaks. Republic Day on January 26 falls on a Monday, creating a three-day weekend with Saturday and Sunday.
March offers a festive stretch. Holi on March 4 and Eid-ul-Fitr around March 21 create chances for extended time off, especially if people take a day or two of leave around these dates.
Good Friday on April 3 and Buddha Purnima on May 1 both fall on Fridays, naturally extending weekends.
In the second half of the year, Independence Day on August 15 and Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 fall on weekends and Fridays, respectively. Christmas on December 25 also gives a built-in three-day break.
Counting national holidays that fall next to weekends and key festival dates, 2026 looks promising for people keen to plan breaks. Many of the long weekends are ready-made, like Republic Day, Good Friday, Gandhi Jayanti, and Christmas, meaning little or no leave is needed to enjoy them.
At several points in March and August, pairing a leave day with a holiday can stretch a weekend into a four- or five-day break. This gives workers flexibility to plan travel or family time without burning through their annual leave quickly.
Here are some of the main holidays shaping long weekends in 2026:
In addition to these, several other festival days are spread through the calendar and may offer extended breaks when combined with weekends and judicious leave use.
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