Public holidays in Rwanda 2026
There are 19 public holidays in 2026. 15 of them fall on a working day.
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All 19 public holidays in Rwanda 2026
| Date | Weekday | Holiday | Local name | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | New Year's Day | Ubunani | ||
| Friday | Day after New Year's Day | Umunsi ukurikira Ubunani | ||
| Sunday | National Heroes' Day | Umunsi w'Intwari | ||
| Monday | National Heroes' Day (observed) | Umunsi w'Intwari (yizihijwe) | ||
| Friday | Eid al-Fitr (estimated) | Eid El Fitr (yagereranijwe) | ||
| Friday | Good Friday | Umunsi wa Gatanu Mutagatifu | ||
| Monday | Easter Monday | Ku wa mbere wa Pasika | ||
| Tuesday | Memorial Day of Genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in 1994 | Umunsi wo Kwibuka Jenoside yakorewe Abatutsi mu 1994 | ||
| Friday | Labor Day | Umunsi Mukuru w'Umurimo | ||
| Wednesday | Eid al-Adha (estimated) | Eid al-Adha (yagereranijwe) | ||
| Wednesday | Independence Day | Umunsi w'Ubwigenge | ||
| Saturday | Liberation Day | Umunsi wo Kwibohora | ||
| Monday | Liberation Day (observed) | Umunsi wo Kwibohora (yizihijwe) | ||
| Friday | Umuganura Day | Umunsi w'Umuganura | ||
| Saturday | Assumption Day | Ijyanwa mu Ijuru rya Bikiramariya | ||
| Monday | Assumption Day (observed) | Ijyanwa mu Ijuru rya Bikiramariya (yizihijwe) | ||
| Friday | Christmas Day | Noheli | ||
| Saturday | Boxing Day | Umunsi ukurikira Noheli | ||
| Monday | Boxing Day (observed) | Umunsi ukurikira Noheli (yizihijwe) |
Days marked "observed" are substitute days off when a holiday falls on a weekend. Holidays based on a lunar calendar can shift by a day once the official announcement is made.
Long weekends 2026
14 times a public holiday lies close to a weekend – with a little leave it becomes a long weekend:
| Take leave | Off | Days of leave | Days off | Ratio | Occasion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3 Feb, Wed 4 Feb, Thu 5 Feb, Fri 6 Feb | 31 Jan – 8 Feb 2026 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | National Heroes' Day, National Heroes' Day (observed) |
| Mon 16 Mar, Tue 17 Mar, Wed 18 Mar, Thu 19 Mar | 14 Mar – 22 Mar 2026 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | Eid al-Fitr (estimated) |
| Mon 30 Mar, Tue 31 Mar, Wed 1 Apr, Thu 2 Apr | 28 Mar – 7 Apr 2026 | 4 | 11 | 2.8 | Good Friday, Easter Monday, Memorial Day of Genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in 1994 |
| Wed 8 Apr, Thu 9 Apr, Fri 10 Apr | 3 Apr – 12 Apr 2026 | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | Good Friday, Easter Monday, Memorial Day of Genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in 1994 |
| Mon 27 Apr, Tue 28 Apr, Wed 29 Apr, Thu 30 Apr | 25 Apr – 3 May 2026 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | Labor Day |
| Mon 25 May, Tue 26 May | 23 May – 27 May 2026 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | Eid al-Adha (estimated) |
| Thu 28 May, Fri 29 May | 27 May – 31 May 2026 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | Eid al-Adha (estimated) |
| Mon 29 Jun, Tue 30 Jun | 27 Jun – 1 Jul 2026 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | Independence Day |
| Thu 2 Jul, Fri 3 Jul | 1 Jul – 6 Jul 2026 | 2 | 6 | 3 | Independence Day, Liberation Day, Liberation Day (observed) |
| Tue 7 Jul, Wed 8 Jul, Thu 9 Jul, Fri 10 Jul | 4 Jul – 12 Jul 2026 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | Liberation Day, Liberation Day (observed) |
| Mon 3 Aug, Tue 4 Aug, Wed 5 Aug, Thu 6 Aug | 1 Aug – 9 Aug 2026 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | Umuganura Day |
| Tue 18 Aug, Wed 19 Aug, Thu 20 Aug, Fri 21 Aug | 15 Aug – 23 Aug 2026 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | Assumption Day, Assumption Day (observed) |
| Mon 21 Dec, Tue 22 Dec, Wed 23 Dec, Thu 24 Dec | 19 Dec – 28 Dec 2026 | 4 | 10 | 2.5 | Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Boxing Day (observed) |
| Tue 29 Dec, Wed 30 Dec, Thu 31 Dec | 25 Dec – 4 Jan 2027 | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Boxing Day (observed), New Year's Day, Day after New Year's Day, Day after New Year's Day (observed) |
Counted are gaps of up to four working days between a public holiday and the weekend or another public holiday. "Ratio" = days off per day of leave. Weekends follow the local working week.
Dates are generated from the open-source library python-holidays and automatically cross-checked against Nager.Date and the public Google Calendar holiday calendars; every holiday on a working day must be confirmed by a second source. Official announcements take precedence, especially for holidays that depend on the moon or are declared at short notice.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does Rwanda have in 2026?
19 public holidays. 4 of them fall on a weekend in 2026.
What is the next public holiday in Rwanda?
As of 9 Nov 2026, the next holiday is Christmas Day on Friday, 25 Dec 2026.
Which public holiday gives the best long weekend in 2026?
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Boxing Day (observed), New Year's Day, Day after New Year's Day, Day after New Year's Day (observed): take 3 days of leave (29 Dec, 30 Dec, 31 Dec) and you get 11 days off in a row, 25 Dec – 4 Jan 2027.
Sources
- Data: python-holidays 0.105 (MIT licence), country code RW (retrieved Sep 28, 2026)
- Cross-check: Nager.Date public holiday API (MIT licence) (retrieved Sep 28, 2026)
- Cross-check: Google Calendar public holiday calendar (en.rw) (retrieved Sep 28, 2026)
Last updated:
Other years
- Public holidays 2026
- Public holidays 2027
- Public holidays 2028