Public holidays in South Africa 2026

There are 14 public holidays in 2026. 11 of them fall on a working day.

Download calendar file (.ics) For Outlook, Google Calendar and Apple Calendar; all-day events.

All 14 public holidays in South Africa 2026

DateWeekdayHolidayCountdown
ThursdayNew Year's Day
SaturdayHuman Rights Day
FridayGood Friday
MondayFamily Day
MondayFreedom Day
FridayWorkers' Day
TuesdayYouth Day
SundayNational Women's Day
MondayNational Women's Day (observed)
ThursdayHeritage Day
WednesdayLocal Government Elections
WednesdayDay of Reconciliation
FridayChristmas Day
SaturdayDay of Goodwill

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

15 times a public holiday lies close to a weekend – with a little leave it becomes a long weekend:

Take leaveOffDays of leaveDays offRatioOccasion
Fri 2 Jan1 Jan – 4 Jan 2026144New Year's Day
Mon 30 Mar, Tue 31 Mar, Wed 1 Apr, Thu 2 Apr28 Mar – 6 Apr 20264102.5Good Friday, Family Day
Tue 7 Apr, Wed 8 Apr, Thu 9 Apr, Fri 10 Apr3 Apr – 12 Apr 20264102.5Good Friday, Family Day
Tue 28 Apr, Wed 29 Apr, Thu 30 Apr25 Apr – 3 May 2026393Freedom Day, Workers' Day
Mon 15 Jun13 Jun – 16 Jun 2026144Youth Day
Wed 17 Jun, Thu 18 Jun, Fri 19 Jun16 Jun – 21 Jun 2026362Youth Day
Tue 11 Aug, Wed 12 Aug, Thu 13 Aug, Fri 14 Aug8 Aug – 16 Aug 2026492.3National Women's Day, National Women's Day (observed)
Mon 21 Sep, Tue 22 Sep, Wed 23 Sep19 Sep – 24 Sep 2026362Heritage Day
Fri 25 Sep24 Sep – 27 Sep 2026144Heritage Day
Mon 2 Nov, Tue 3 Nov31 Oct – 4 Nov 2026252.5Local Government Elections
Thu 5 Nov, Fri 6 Nov4 Nov – 8 Nov 2026252.5Local Government Elections
Mon 14 Dec, Tue 15 Dec12 Dec – 16 Dec 2026252.5Day of Reconciliation
Thu 17 Dec, Fri 18 Dec16 Dec – 20 Dec 2026252.5Day of Reconciliation
Mon 21 Dec, Tue 22 Dec, Wed 23 Dec, Thu 24 Dec19 Dec – 27 Dec 2026492.3Christmas Day, Day of Goodwill
Mon 28 Dec, Tue 29 Dec, Wed 30 Dec, Thu 31 Dec25 Dec – 3 Jan 20274102.5Christmas Day, Day of Goodwill, New Year's Day

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 South Africa have in 2026?

14 public holidays. 3 of them fall on a weekend in 2026.

What is the next public holiday in South Africa?

As of 9 Nov 2026, the next holiday is Day of Reconciliation on Wednesday, 16 Dec 2026.

Which public holiday gives the best long weekend in 2026?

New Year's Day: take 1 day of leave (2 Jan) and you get 4 days off in a row, 1 Jan – 4 Jan 2026.

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