School Holiday List 2026 (India)
Month-wise school holidays for 2026 — national holidays, major festivals, and state vacation windows. Filter by month and print for your school planner.
School Holidays in 2026 — Month by Month
The list below covers the three national holidays (observed by every school in India), major festival holidays that appear on most state school calendars, and moon-sighting-dependent dates marked tentative. Regional holidays (Onam, Chhath, Bihu, Pohela Boishakh, Ugadi, and others) are added by each state's education department — always reconcile with your state's official calendar before publishing your school planner.
January 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | Thursday | New Year's Day | Festival |
| 14 Jan | Wednesday | Makar Sankranti / Pongal begins | Festival |
| 15 Jan | Thursday | Pongal (Tamil Nadu & south) | Festival |
| 23 Jan | Friday | Vasant Panchami / Netaji Jayanti (select states) | Festival |
| 26 Jan | Monday | Republic Day | National |
February 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Feb | Sunday | Maha Shivratri | Festival |
March 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Mar | Tuesday | Holika Dahan (half/full day in many schools) | Festival |
| 4 Mar | Wednesday | Holi | Festival |
| 20 Mar | Friday | Eid-ul-Fitr | Tentative* |
| 26 Mar | Thursday | Ram Navami | Festival |
| 31 Mar | Tuesday | Mahavir Jayanti | Festival |
April 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Apr | Friday | Good Friday | Festival |
| 14 Apr | Tuesday | Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti / Baisakhi / Tamil New Year | Festival |
May 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 May | Friday | May Day / Buddha Purnima | Festival |
| 27 May | Wednesday | Eid-ul-Adha (Bakrid) | Tentative* |
June 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Jun | Friday | Muharram | Tentative* |
August 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Aug | Saturday | Independence Day | National |
| 26 Aug | Wednesday | Milad-un-Nabi | Tentative* |
| 28 Aug | Friday | Raksha Bandhan | Festival |
September 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Sep | Friday | Janmashtami | Festival |
| 14 Sep | Monday | Ganesh Chaturthi (MH, TS, KA & others) | Festival |
October 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct | Friday | Gandhi Jayanti | National |
| 20 Oct | Tuesday | Dussehra / Vijayadashami | Festival |
November 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Nov | Sunday | Diwali / Deepavali | Festival |
| 9 Nov | Monday | Govardhan Puja (north & west India) | Festival |
| 10 Nov | Tuesday | Bhai Dooj | Festival |
| 24 Nov | Tuesday | Guru Nanak Jayanti | Festival |
December 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Dec | Friday | Christmas | National |
*Tentative — Islamic calendar dates depend on moon sighting and can shift by a day. July has no major pan-India school holiday in 2026; most schools reopen after summer vacation in this window.
Summer & Winter Vacation Windows by Region (Typical)
Vacation dates are announced by each state education department (and adopted with minor changes by private schools). These are the windows schools have historically followed — expect official notifications 2–4 weeks before each break:
| Region / States | Summer Vacation | Winter Break |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi-NCR, UP, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan | Mid-May – 30 June | ~1 – 15 January |
| Maharashtra, Gujarat, MP | Late April – Mid-June | Diwali break (Oct–Nov) instead of long winter break |
| Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh | Mid-April – End of May | Short Sankranti / Christmas break |
| Tamil Nadu, Kerala | Late April – End of May | Short Christmas / Pongal break |
| West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha | Mid-May – Mid-June | Durga Puja / Chhath breaks (Oct–Nov) + short winter break |
| Himachal, Uttarakhand, J&K (hill stations) | Short or none | Long winter break (Dec – Feb in higher altitudes) |
Planning the 2026-27 Academic Calendar?
Most boards expect roughly 220 working days in an academic year. With 30+ holidays, two vacation blocks, exams, and PTMs, backward-planning from the target is easier than counting forward — our Academic Calendar Generator maps terms, exams, and events around this holiday list. For admission planning, check age eligibility with the Admission Age Calculator.
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Around 28 major pan-India holidays (3 national + festival holidays), plus state-specific regional holidays and two vacation blocks (summer and winter/Diwali). The exact count varies by state — most school calendars land between 30 and 45 holiday days excluding vacations.
North Indian schools typically break from mid-May to 30 June; southern states break earlier (mid/late April to end of May). The exact dates are notified by each state education department a few weeks in advance.
Holi falls on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, with Holika Dahan on 3 March. Most schools are closed on both days or give a half day on the 3rd.
Diwali falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026. Schools in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and much of north India take a Diwali break of several days around this date (typically covering Govardhan Puja on 9 Nov and Bhai Dooj on 10 Nov).
Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha, Muharram, and Milad-un-Nabi follow the Islamic lunar calendar and are confirmed by moon sighting — the actual holiday can shift by a day from the projected date.
No single official list covers all schools — each state education department and board publishes its own. This page consolidates the national holidays and the festival dates common to most school calendars; verify state-specific holidays with your department's notification.
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