Public holidays in Malawi 2026
Data updated Saturday, 17 October 2026.
Next public holiday in Malawi
Christmas Day
Is today a holiday in Malawi? · Is tomorrow a holiday? · All public holidays
Malawi public holidays 2026
Malawi has 11 nationwide public holidays in 2026.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | Thu | New Year's Day | Nationwide |
| 15 Jan | Thu | John Chilembwe Day | Nationwide |
| 3 Mar | Tue | Martyrs' Day | Nationwide |
| 3 Apr | Fri | Good Friday | Nationwide |
| 6 Apr | Mon | Easter Monday | Nationwide |
| 1 May | Fri | Labour Day | Nationwide |
| 14 May | Thu | President Kamuzu Banda's Birthday | Nationwide |
| 6 Jul | Mon | Independence Day | Nationwide |
| 15 Oct | Thu | Mother's Day | Nationwide |
| 25 Dec | Fri | Christmas Day | Nationwide |
| 28 Dec | Mon | St. Stephen's Day Boxing Day | Nationwide |
Long weekends in Malawi in 2026
Nationwide holidays that fall on a Friday or Monday give a three-day weekend:
- Friday, 3 April 2026: Good Friday (Friday to Sunday)
- Monday, 6 April 2026: Easter Monday (Saturday to Monday)
- Friday, 1 May 2026: Labour Day (Friday to Sunday)
- Monday, 6 July 2026: Independence Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Friday, 25 December 2026: Christmas Day (Friday to Sunday)
- Monday, 28 December 2026: St. Stephen's Day (Saturday to Monday)
Malawi public holidays 2027
Malawi has 11 nationwide public holidays in 2027.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | Fri | New Year's Day | Nationwide |
| 15 Jan | Fri | John Chilembwe Day | Nationwide |
| 3 Mar | Wed | Martyrs' Day | Nationwide |
| 26 Mar | Fri | Good Friday | Nationwide |
| 29 Mar | Mon | Easter Monday | Nationwide |
| 3 May | Mon | Labour Day | Nationwide |
| 14 May | Fri | President Kamuzu Banda's Birthday | Nationwide |
| 6 Jul | Tue | Independence Day | Nationwide |
| 15 Oct | Fri | Mother's Day | Nationwide |
| 27 Dec | Mon | Christmas Day | Nationwide |
| 27 Dec | Mon | St. Stephen's Day Boxing Day | Nationwide |
Long weekends in Malawi in 2027
Nationwide holidays that fall on a Friday or Monday give a three-day weekend:
- Friday, 1 January 2027: New Year's Day (Friday to Sunday)
- Friday, 15 January 2027: John Chilembwe Day (Friday to Sunday)
- Friday, 26 March 2027: Good Friday (Friday to Sunday)
- Monday, 29 March 2027: Easter Monday (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 3 May 2027: Labour Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Friday, 14 May 2027: President Kamuzu Banda's Birthday (Friday to Sunday)
- Friday, 15 October 2027: Mother's Day (Friday to Sunday)
- Monday, 27 December 2027: Christmas Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 27 December 2027: St. Stephen's Day (Saturday to Monday)
Malawi public holidays by month in 2026
- January: New Year's Day (1); John Chilembwe Day (15)
- March: Martyrs' Day (3)
- April: Good Friday (3); Easter Monday (6)
- May: Labour Day (1); President Kamuzu Banda's Birthday (14)
- July: Independence Day (6)
- October: Mother's Day (15)
- December: Christmas Day (25); St. Stephen's Day (28)
No nationwide public holidays in February, June, August, September, November.
How the holidays fall in 2026
The first nationwide public holiday of 2026 is New Year's Day on Thursday, 1 January 2026, and the last is St. Stephen's Day on Monday, 28 December 2026. January is the busiest month, with 2 holidays. For people who work a standard Monday to Friday week, the 11 holidays on weekdays are the ones that usually mean a day away from work or school.
About public holidays in Malawi
This page lists the public holidays of Malawi for 2026 and 2027, with the date and weekday of each one. A holiday marked Nationwide applies everywhere in the country. One marked Some regions applies only to part of it, for example a state or province. Where the official name is different from the English one, the local name appears under it.
Moveable holidays, such as the ones counted from Easter, change their date from year to year, so it is worth checking the table each year before you plan. Our main time zone for Malawi is Africa/Blantyre, which is what the live countdown and the "is today a holiday" pages use.
More public holiday calendars in Africa
Mali
Mauritania
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does Malawi have in 2026?
Malawi has 11 nationwide public holidays in 2026. The full list with dates and weekdays is in the table above.
What is the next public holiday in Malawi?
The next nationwide public holiday is Christmas Day on Friday, 25 December 2026. The countdown at the top of this page shows the days left.
Is today a public holiday in Malawi?
Use the live checker: is today a public holiday in Malawi. It works out the date in Malawi's own time zone. You can also check tomorrow.
Which public holidays in Malawi fall on a weekend in 2026?
None of the nationwide public holidays in 2026 fall on a weekend.
Are there long weekends in Malawi in 2026?
Yes. 6 nationwide holidays fall on a Friday or a Monday: Good Friday (Friday, 3 April 2026); Easter Monday (Monday, 6 April 2026); Labour Day (Friday, 1 May 2026); Independence Day (Monday, 6 July 2026); Christmas Day (Friday, 25 December 2026); St. Stephen's Day (Monday, 28 December 2026). Taking a bridge day next to a holiday on a Tuesday or Thursday can also give a longer break.
Which month has the most public holidays in Malawi?
January has the most nationwide public holidays in 2026: 2 holidays.
Are the public holidays the same in all regions of Malawi?
The holidays listed here apply nationwide. If Malawi has local or regional days off, they are not part of this list.
How often is this page updated?
The whole site is rebuilt every day from the latest data, and the countdown on the page is calculated in your browser, so it stays correct without a reload.