Public holidays in Zambia 2026
Data updated Saturday, 17 October 2026.
Next public holiday in Zambia
National Day of Prayer
Is today a holiday in Zambia? · Is tomorrow a holiday? · All public holidays
Zambia public holidays 2026
Zambia has 16 nationwide public holidays in 2026.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | Thu | New Year's Day | Nationwide |
| 9 Mar | Mon | International Women's Day | Nationwide |
| 12 Mar | Thu | Youth Day | Nationwide |
| 3 Apr | Fri | Good Friday | Nationwide |
| 4 Apr | Sat | Holy Saturday Easter Saturday | Nationwide |
| 5 Apr | Sun | Easter Sunday | Nationwide |
| 6 Apr | Mon | Easter Monday | Nationwide |
| 28 Apr | Tue | Kenneth Kaunda's Birthday | Nationwide |
| 1 May | Fri | Labour Day | Nationwide |
| 25 May | Mon | African Freedom Day Africa Freedom Day | Nationwide |
| 6 Jul | Mon | Heroes' Day | Nationwide |
| 7 Jul | Tue | Unity Day | Nationwide |
| 3 Aug | Mon | Farmers' Day | Nationwide |
| 19 Oct | Mon | National Day of Prayer | Nationwide |
| 26 Oct | Mon | Independence Day | Nationwide |
| 25 Dec | Fri | Christmas Day | Nationwide |
Long weekends in Zambia in 2026
Nationwide holidays that fall on a Friday or Monday give a three-day weekend:
- Monday, 9 March 2026: International Women's Day (Saturday to Monday)
- 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, 25 May 2026: African Freedom Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 6 July 2026: Heroes' Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 3 August 2026: Farmers' Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 19 October 2026: National Day of Prayer (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 26 October 2026: Independence Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Friday, 25 December 2026: Christmas Day (Friday to Sunday)
Zambia public holidays 2027
Zambia has 16 nationwide public holidays in 2027.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | Fri | New Year's Day | Nationwide |
| 8 Mar | Mon | International Women's Day | Nationwide |
| 12 Mar | Fri | Youth Day | Nationwide |
| 26 Mar | Fri | Good Friday | Nationwide |
| 27 Mar | Sat | Holy Saturday Easter Saturday | Nationwide |
| 28 Mar | Sun | Easter Sunday | Nationwide |
| 29 Mar | Mon | Easter Monday | Nationwide |
| 28 Apr | Wed | Kenneth Kaunda's Birthday | Nationwide |
| 3 May | Mon | Labour Day | Nationwide |
| 25 May | Tue | African Freedom Day Africa Freedom Day | Nationwide |
| 5 Jul | Mon | Heroes' Day | Nationwide |
| 6 Jul | Tue | Unity Day | Nationwide |
| 2 Aug | Mon | Farmers' Day | Nationwide |
| 18 Oct | Mon | National Day of Prayer | Nationwide |
| 25 Oct | Mon | Independence Day | Nationwide |
| 27 Dec | Mon | Christmas Day | Nationwide |
Long weekends in Zambia 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, 8 March 2027: International Women's Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Friday, 12 March 2027: Youth 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)
- Monday, 5 July 2027: Heroes' Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 2 August 2027: Farmers' Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 18 October 2027: National Day of Prayer (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 25 October 2027: Independence Day (Saturday to Monday)
- Monday, 27 December 2027: Christmas Day (Saturday to Monday)
Zambia public holidays by month in 2026
- January: New Year's Day (1)
- March: International Women's Day (9); Youth Day (12)
- April: Good Friday (3); Holy Saturday (4); Easter Sunday (5); Easter Monday (6); Kenneth Kaunda's Birthday (28)
- May: Labour Day (1); African Freedom Day (25)
- July: Heroes' Day (6); Unity Day (7)
- August: Farmers' Day (3)
- October: National Day of Prayer (19); Independence Day (26)
- December: Christmas Day (25)
No nationwide public holidays in February, June, 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 Christmas Day on Friday, 25 December 2026. April is the busiest month, with 5 holidays. For people who work a standard Monday to Friday week, the 14 holidays on weekdays are the ones that usually mean a day away from work or school.
About public holidays in Zambia
This page lists the public holidays of Zambia 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 Zambia is Africa/Lusaka, which is what the live countdown and the "is today a holiday" pages use.
More public holiday calendars in Africa
Zimbabwe
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does Zambia have in 2026?
Zambia has 16 nationwide public holidays in 2026. The full list with dates and weekdays is in the table above.
What is the next public holiday in Zambia?
The next nationwide public holiday is National Day of Prayer on Monday, 19 October 2026. The countdown at the top of this page shows the days left.
Is today a public holiday in Zambia?
Use the live checker: is today a public holiday in Zambia. It works out the date in Zambia's own time zone. You can also check tomorrow.
Which public holidays in Zambia fall on a weekend in 2026?
Holy Saturday (Saturday, 4 April 2026); Easter Sunday (Sunday, 5 April 2026). Whether a day in lieu is given depends on local rules.
Are there long weekends in Zambia in 2026?
Yes. 10 nationwide holidays fall on a Friday or a Monday: International Women's Day (Monday, 9 March 2026); Good Friday (Friday, 3 April 2026); Easter Monday (Monday, 6 April 2026); Labour Day (Friday, 1 May 2026); African Freedom Day (Monday, 25 May 2026); Heroes' Day (Monday, 6 July 2026); Farmers' Day (Monday, 3 August 2026); National Day of Prayer (Monday, 19 October 2026); Independence Day (Monday, 26 October 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 Zambia?
April has the most nationwide public holidays in 2026: 5 holidays.
Are the public holidays the same in all regions of Zambia?
The holidays listed here apply nationwide. If Zambia 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.