Public holidays in South Africa 2026
Data updated Saturday, 17 October 2026.
Next public holiday in South Africa
Election Day
Is today a holiday in South Africa? · Is tomorrow a holiday? · All public holidays
South Africa public holidays 2026
South Africa has 13 nationwide public holidays in 2026.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | Thu | New Year's Day | Nationwide |
| 21 Mar | Sat | Human Rights Day | Nationwide |
| 3 Apr | Fri | Good Friday | Nationwide |
| 6 Apr | Mon | Family Day | Nationwide |
| 27 Apr | Mon | Freedom Day | Nationwide |
| 1 May | Fri | Workers' Day | Nationwide |
| 16 Jun | Tue | Youth Day | Nationwide |
| 10 Aug | Mon | National Women's Day | Nationwide |
| 24 Sep | Thu | Heritage Day | Nationwide |
| 4 Nov | Wed | Election Day | Nationwide |
| 16 Dec | Wed | Day of Reconciliation | Nationwide |
| 25 Dec | Fri | Christmas Day | Nationwide |
| 26 Dec | Sat | Day of Goodwill St. Stephen's Day | Nationwide |
Long weekends in South Africa 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: Family Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 27 April 2026: Freedom Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Friday, 1 May 2026: Workers' Day (Friday to Sunday)
- Monday, 10 August 2026: National Women's Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Friday, 25 December 2026: Christmas Day (Friday to Sunday)
South Africa public holidays 2027
South Africa has 12 nationwide public holidays in 2027.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | Fri | New Year's Day | Nationwide |
| 22 Mar | Mon | Human Rights Day | Nationwide |
| 26 Mar | Fri | Good Friday | Nationwide |
| 29 Mar | Mon | Family Day | Nationwide |
| 27 Apr | Tue | Freedom Day | Nationwide |
| 1 May | Sat | Workers' Day | Nationwide |
| 16 Jun | Wed | Youth Day | Nationwide |
| 9 Aug | Mon | National Women's Day | Nationwide |
| 24 Sep | Fri | Heritage Day | Nationwide |
| 16 Dec | Thu | Day of Reconciliation | Nationwide |
| 25 Dec | Sat | Christmas Day | Nationwide |
| 27 Dec | Mon | Day of Goodwill St. Stephen's Day | Nationwide |
Long weekends in South Africa 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)
- Monday, 22 March 2027: Human Rights Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Friday, 26 March 2027: Good Friday (Friday to Sunday)
- Monday, 29 March 2027: Family Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 9 August 2027: National Women's Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Friday, 24 September 2027: Heritage Day (Friday to Sunday)
- Monday, 27 December 2027: Day of Goodwill (Saturday to Monday)
South Africa public holidays by month in 2026
- January: New Year's Day (1)
- March: Human Rights Day (21)
- April: Good Friday (3); Family Day (6); Freedom Day (27)
- May: Workers' Day (1)
- June: Youth Day (16)
- August: National Women's Day (10)
- September: Heritage Day (24)
- November: Election Day (4)
- December: Day of Reconciliation (16); Christmas Day (25); Day of Goodwill (26)
No nationwide public holidays in February, July, October.
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 Day of Goodwill on Saturday, 26 December 2026. April is the busiest month, with 3 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 South Africa
This page lists the public holidays of South Africa 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 South Africa is Africa/Johannesburg, which is what the live countdown and the "is today a holiday" pages use.
More public holiday calendars in Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
São Tomé and Príncipe
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does South Africa have in 2026?
South Africa has 13 nationwide public holidays in 2026. The full list with dates and weekdays is in the table above.
What is the next public holiday in South Africa?
The next nationwide public holiday is Election Day on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. The countdown at the top of this page shows the days left.
Is today a public holiday in South Africa?
Use the live checker: is today a public holiday in South Africa. It works out the date in South Africa's own time zone. You can also check tomorrow.
Which public holidays in South Africa fall on a weekend in 2026?
Human Rights Day (Saturday, 21 March 2026); Day of Goodwill (Saturday, 26 December 2026). Whether a day in lieu is given depends on local rules.
Are there long weekends in South Africa in 2026?
Yes. 6 nationwide holidays fall on a Friday or a Monday: Good Friday (Friday, 3 April 2026); Family Day (Monday, 6 April 2026); Freedom Day (Monday, 27 April 2026); Workers' Day (Friday, 1 May 2026); National Women's Day (Monday, 10 August 2026); Christmas Day (Friday, 25 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 South Africa?
April has the most nationwide public holidays in 2026: 3 holidays.
Are the public holidays the same in all regions of South Africa?
The holidays listed here apply nationwide. If South Africa 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.